The Alchemist of Souls (Night's Masque, #1)

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The Alchemist of Souls (Night's Masque #1)

by Anne Lyle (Goodreads Author)

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 477 ratings · 130 reviews

When Tudor explorers returned from the New World, they brought back a name out of half-forgotten Viking legend: skraylings. Red-sailed ships followed in the explorers’ wake, bringing Native American goods--and a skrayling ambassador--to London. But what do these seemingly magical beings really want in Elizabeth I’s capital?

Mal Catlyn, a down-at-heel swordsman, is seconded...more

Mass Market Paperback, 518 pages

Published March 27th 2012 by Angry Robot

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Feb 22, 2013 sj rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: faeries-dragons-and-or-magic, end-of-the-world-challenge

This is another review that I've put off writing because I'm still feeling rather ranty about it.

My problems with this book don't really lie with the story, but with the vocabulary.

I have issues with the word whilst. It's fine in dialogue as long as it's used sparingly, but I can't stand when it's used as a descriptive.

This book used the word whilst SIXTY TIMES (and more than once it was used TWICE IN THE SAME SENTENCE). Yes, I went back and counted after I had finished. I tried to read the seco...more

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May 28, 2012 Xenophon Hendrix rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a combination fantasy and alternate history. The setting is Elizabethan England, but in addition to American Indians, the New World is the residence of a humanoid species called skraylings, the name doubtless inspired by the Norse sagas. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth in the author's world is widowed and has two sons.

Aside from the alternate history, fantasy plays an important but not dominant role in the story. There are no wizards slinging fireballs around, but a couple magical events ar...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a Fantasy novel that pays close watching: though it looks and feels like a traditional Historical Fantasy, there’s more going on than first appears.

In Elizabethan England Maliverny (Mal) Catlyn is a petty thief and swordsman, always on the lookout for the way to pay his next bill or at least keep his debt collectors off his back.

So when he is offered (some would say forced to take) a job to become an ambassador’s bodyguard, he accepts it. It is clearly dangerous. Within the first day the...more This is a Fantasy novel that pays close watching: though it looks and feels like a traditional Historical Fantasy, there’s more going on than first appears.

In Elizabethan England Maliverny (Mal) Catlyn is a petty thief and swordsman, always on the lookout for the way to pay his next bill or at least keep his debt collectors off his back.

So when he is offered (some would say forced to take) a job to become an ambassador’s bodyguard, he accepts it. It is clearly dangerous. Within the first day there is an assassination attempt on the ambassador, and clearly some want the ambassador dead. But why?

From the start this story feels great and has a tone and presence that feels both natural and of its time, Tudor England. It reminded me very much of Mark Chadbourn’s Will Swyfte novels, which I‘ve read and reviewed before (and perhaps partly explains why Mark has a glowing comment on the front of this book.) Like Mark’s books, the dialogue is appropriately nuanced, the places reeking with the grubby effluvium and gorgeous splendour of Elizabethan life as you would expect.

But Anne’s tale has a new take on the world of the Tudors. Here the Ambassador and his fellow group of voyagers, having travelled from the New World, appear un-human - alien-like in a number of ways. Known as skraylings, their ways are clearly not the ways of England, and as we read on it the reader may find it may be more than that. They are treated with suspicion and distrust by the English though they appear to be respectful, polite and observant of English ways of life, for reasons not clear at first.

The book is also slyly about gender and sexuality. Much is about hidden identities. In a subplot, Coby is a girl masquerading as a boy named Hendricks in a troupe preparing for the presentation of a major play held in a competition in honour of the ambassador’s visit. Coby has to not only keep her identity a secret, for to be discovered invites death. She meets Mal in order to train in fighting so that she can fend off the attentions of other males and females in the company, though she harbours a secret love for him. Mal himself has secrets: he once was a member of the Hunters, a secret clan who kill skraylings as part of an initiation ceremony. He has relationships with women but more secretly with his best friend, Ned. Ned himself is forced to betray Mal to people looking for him, which leads to others knowing about Mal’s twin brother, who is insane and secretly kept locked away in a hospital.

All of this is revealed as we count down to the play, which ends in tragedy and with major revelations all around.

To engage in the telling of such a complicated tale is not usually the actions of a debut author. The fact that Anne does so and makes it work shows the reader that this is an assured debut that repays careful following. Its style is confident and I found it to be surprisingly good for a debut author.

Though it may not be what the casual reader expects, it is a great read whose revelations along the way offer much. Recommended.

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May 06, 2012 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: spec-fic

C2012. I am quickly coming around to the point of view that Angry Robot just never gets it wrong. This book was great and I am squealing with joy that I have found another author to follow although I suppose that I am in for a wait for the next book in the (hopefully) series. I found it interesting that Mark Chadbourne’s recommendation was put on the front cover. His books cover a similar time period and also involves an alternative history. I enjoy his books so his recommendation certainly help...more

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May 28, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

I had trouble getting into this book initially, but then I got caught up in the plots and counter-plots and other plotting going on. Unfortunately, I found the ending a little flat. While all the main plot threads were tied off, there is still clearly a lot more to be uncovered.

I also had trouble working up my enthusiasm for the characters but I think that is more to do with my mood when I was reading this book than the author's skills.

All in all, a very good debut novel and I'll be picking up...more

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May 17, 2013 Shane Cormier rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the BEST books Ive won on this site. Just finished reading it FINALLY and am in the process of looking for book two. I sure hope its out already but if not Ill be sure to pick it up as soon as I can. I loved how you took an obscure person from history and fabricated your own storyline. And I love how you made the Nordics aliens lol. Absolutely LOVED IT and CANNOT WAIT to finish reading the rest of the story. Definitely my favorite book Ive read in a very long time. Ive read quite a few bo...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually picked this book up because I saw the second book, which looked really good to me. (I almost bought it, too, until someone pointed out to me that it was the second book in the series.) So, I read this one first even though the description didn't grab me as immediately.

That last sentence pretty much sums up the book. It was good, but I wish it had been a little . . . more to my taste. A little smoother, quicker, something. It just seemed sometimes like some little thing was missing, an...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Ailsa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won & read this book over the summer, and loved it a lot. I noticed it on a shelf in a local bookstore today, and realised I never reviewed it. Anne Lyle's 'The Alchemist of Souls' is a rich alternate history set in Tudor London. These strange creatures, skraylings, live in an encampment in London somewhat separated from the rest of the population. Many people are afraid of them, and sometimes they are hunted. Through an unfortunate series of circumstances, Mal becomes bodyguard to the skr...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Carole-Ann added it

Shelves: crime-detective-mystery, fantasy, historical, m-m-yummies, pnr-stuff

I just cannot rate this book - not because I didn't enjoy it (I did) but because I just can't slot it into my usual genres. It was trying to be too much of whichever genre it felt like being at whichever moment.

It began as an Historical Mystery (being generous here), then whoops, Elizabeth is a widow with two sons! OK - Alternative Historical Mystery. Hero (Mal), a down at heel mercenary picking up jobs whenever, who has a friend (or not) in Ned, a possible ne'er-do-well, who happens to 'have fe...more I just cannot rate this book - not because I didn't enjoy it (I did) but because I just can't slot it into my usual genres. It was trying to be too much of whichever genre it felt like being at whichever moment.

It began as an Historical Mystery (being generous here), then whoops, Elizabeth is a widow with two sons! OK - Alternative Historical Mystery. Hero (Mal), a down at heel mercenary picking up jobs whenever, who has a friend (or not) in Ned, a possible ne'er-do-well, who happens to 'have feelings' for Mal. Coby, a girl dressing as a boy, working as a tireman with a theatre troupe, meets Mal (and subsequently falls in love), through Ned, whose lover Gabriel acts with the same troupe.

So OK - Alternative Historical Mystery with Male/Male and Male/Female(in whatever guise) Romance. Getting confused? Yup, me too.

Mal gets conscripted by Walsingham (you know, Elizabeth's spy master) into becoming the Skrayling Ambassador's bodyguard. Dammit, here comes the Fantasy bit - Skraylings are from the New Country (newly discovered Americas??) but are nothing like 'humans' (oh, are they American Indians?) 'cos they have tattoos and funny skin, and 'oval' not 'round' eyes and speak in a funny language - OH YES, they also have very LONG incisors (or canines?) Paranormal or what??

Trying for a 3rd time:
Alternative Historical Mystery with Male/Male and Male/Female(in whatever guise) Romance with Fantasy/Paranormal Characters.

The story progresses (slowly sometimes, too taken overmuch with detailed descriptions of open-sided theatres or decrepit boarding houses or scummy, rat-infested taverns) but progress it does - with far TOO MANY people. There is so much going on: theatre/acting politics/secrecy; Skrayling politics/trade negotiations; (Elizabethan) court intrigues/politics/jealousies; oh, and somehow Mal gets these dreams/blackouts where 'something' happens but he's too frightened/scared/cowardly to find out (doesn't do much good for our supposed hero, eh what??)

And that gives my 4th attempt at a description:
Alternative Historical Mystery with Male/Male and Male/Female(in whatever guise) Romance with Fantasy/Paranormal Characters with a bit of Magick thrown into the Pot/Plot.

It trundles along, being neither one thing or the other; a bit of magick happens; a bit of intrigue goes awry; a couple of peeps get killed (nice ghoulish descriptions of sword and dagger thrust-work); our four main characters survive to live/love/fight another day; and the last couple of chapters leave it wide-wide open for a sequel or two (or ten if the PNR is developed)......

I did like it; I did finish it; I cannot for the life of me fathom what the author was trying to achieve - it WOULD have worked as one particular genre or another - I'm just bemused by it all. :)

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Nov 05, 2012 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first in the “Night’s Masque” series by Anne Lyle set in altered Elizabethan time. When the book opens, Elizabeth is in mourning at Nonesuch for her husband, Robert Dudley, and the oldest of their sons, also Robert, is serving as regent and prince of Wales. The book is well set, with plenty of proper detail for London. The book has a quality ensemble cast, and most characters are three dimensional. The hero, Mal, a secret Catholic, is a mercenary, and his friends are all in some way...more This is the first in the “Night’s Masque” series by Anne Lyle set in altered Elizabethan time. When the book opens, Elizabeth is in mourning at Nonesuch for her husband, Robert Dudley, and the oldest of their sons, also Robert, is serving as regent and prince of Wales. The book is well set, with plenty of proper detail for London. The book has a quality ensemble cast, and most characters are three dimensional. The hero, Mal, a secret Catholic, is a mercenary, and his friends are all in some way related to the theatres of the day. His best friend, Ned, is a copyist for Henslowe. Ned’s lover, Gabriel, is a player for Naismith, and the heroine is a girl-in-boy’s clothing known as Jacob who works as a tiring man for Naismith as well. Shakespeare, mentioned, but not met, writes for The Prince’s Men. Marlowe has only recently been murdered, in this world most probably because he was one of Walsingham’s spies. The court is brutal, the slums only slightly less so.

Skraylings have arrived from the new world. They are a short, grayish species, who only allow their men to travel. The women are revered and left at home in their cities. These creatures tattoo themselves, and make some magical devices. They sell chocolate (a sharp, spicy drink, without sugar), tobacco, cotton, and other things from the new world. They have learned a sort of pidgin English, for the most part, which they use for their trades, and they are canny traders. Of course, considering the times, they are also considered demons by many, and it has long been a tradition for certain men of a secret society called The Huntsmen, to hunt them through the woods for sport. It is only political expedience that has made them allies of England. Thus, their ambassador must be protected and Mal is hired as his bodyguard.

This story is extremely well-crafted. There is some romance, very good characterization, and an interesting plot. The stakes are high, and the ending is satisfying. I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to read book 2.(less)

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Sep 13, 2012 Jacqie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: didnt-finish

Another miss for me. This time I gave it more than 100 pages, though, so I feel it got a fair shake.

The premise looks great- an alternate history set during the reign of Elizabeth I, with "skraylings" here from the New World instead of our Native Americans. Maybe a bit of magic, too?

The setting was fine. I felt that the author inserted details a bit clumsily in order to give an authentic period flavor. At one point our hero is accosted by two anonymous lordlings (why? just to give vague threats-...more Another miss for me. This time I gave it more than 100 pages, though, so I feel it got a fair shake.

The premise looks great- an alternate history set during the reign of Elizabeth I, with "skraylings" here from the New World instead of our Native Americans. Maybe a bit of magic, too?

The setting was fine. I felt that the author inserted details a bit clumsily in order to give an authentic period flavor. At one point our hero is accosted by two anonymous lordlings (why? just to give vague threats- nothing came of this encounter, not information, tension, or characterization) and one holds a silver pomander ball to his nose, scented with cloves, to avoid the stench of the street. That's nice, but it felt like something awkwardly inserted into the scene as opposed to a natural gesture. I didn't really care at all about the theater troupe- does every book set in this time period have to have a theater troupe? I know, I know, Shakespeare. Kit Marlow (who is also name-dropped). So the world never really felt organic or immersive to me- I was too conscious that I was reading a book and that the author was trying to set atmosphere. I would have loved to know more about the Skraylings, but other than one brief scene, they haven't even spoken to anyone in over 100 pages. Maybe this gets better, I don't know.

The characters were pretty forgettable. I'm not sure what characteristics our hero had other than "downtrodden hero". I really did not like Coby. She's a girl dressed up as a boy in a theater troupe (shades of Shakespeare in Love, but she's not an actor, she's the one who takes care of the costumes). Coby was incredibly insecure and prudish for someone who's discarded traditional gender roles. And did there really have to be romance between these two characters? I know that Coby is the only female in the book who has a recurring role, but I didn't want to see the plot go that way.

There was this weird wash of disapproval about homosexuality all through the book. There were several gay characters, but they seemed vaguely ashamed of their sexuality and to believe that being straight was the "right" way to be. Our hero's best friend is gay, and pines after our hero (of course) but explains to his ex-boyfriend that our hero's "not that way", in a way that implied shame to me. I don't think this is an accurate reflection of the views on homosexuality at the time- gender roles were quite defined, but sexual preference was seen as much more fluid and much less of a big deal. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. It was like the author wanted to show she was progressive by including gay characters, but then wasn't really comfortable writing them. The whole book seemed coy about sex, though. Coby experienced arousal for the first time looking at our hero (of course) and was totally bewildered and shamed by it. Maybe this is also a reason I got impatient with the book.

In 100 pages, the plot in summary: our hero must guard a Skrayling ambassador. Lots of different people want him to give them information about the Skraylings. Coby must spy on our hero. Really, that's pretty much all that's happened among the atmosphere and setting. I'm not getting a sense of cunning spymasters or of complex intrigue or danger, which would hook me further. More just a lot of people in scenes, talking.

So I think I'm done with this and will look further for the book that will hold my interest. Many people may like this book just fine- it just wasn't for me.(less)

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Sep 08, 2012 Indrani rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable romp through Elizabethan England... as long as your don't look too closely at the history, and don't mind revisionist tales. The characters were enjoyable enough that I'll pick up the next one to read - from the library at least.

A nitpicky thing: parts of the plot were so ridiculously predictable as to be laughable. I will confess that I am becoming weary of the male lead that everyone seems to fall in love with while he holds himself seemingly aloof from it all, only to re...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Fran Jacobs rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: worth-a-read-but-not-all-that

Set in an alternative Tudor England this is a tale of intrigue and treachery and souls being reborn. And it's an interesting read. Well researched, clearly, you certainly get a feel for life in Tudor England, and it's easy to read, enjoyable enough, and the plot is interesting. But, it's odd. I sometimes feel as though things aren't always followed through. For instance, there might be an argument between two characters, yet only three words, or so, are spoken, no one seems really angry, yet we'...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Gwyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, historical-ish, want

I picked this book up based on its cover. I do that sometimes, even though I know I'm not supposed to, and sometimes I regret it. Not this time, though: The Alchemist of Souls is a fantastic read.

When I'm writing reviews, I like to look at the four aspects of a story (plot, characters, setting, and prose) and pick which was the best and which was the worst. Alchemist has no worst, and picking the best is difficult.

The story follows three characters: Mal Catlyn, the down-at-the-heels swordsman of...more I picked this book up based on its cover. I do that sometimes, even though I know I'm not supposed to, and sometimes I regret it. Not this time, though: The Alchemist of Souls is a fantastic read.

When I'm writing reviews, I like to look at the four aspects of a story (plot, characters, setting, and prose) and pick which was the best and which was the worst. Alchemist has no worst, and picking the best is difficult.

The story follows three characters: Mal Catlyn, the down-at-the-heels swordsman of the cover; Ned Faulkner, a scrivener with close ties to the theater and perhaps Catlyn's only friend; and Coby, a tireman with a theater company who is not actually the boy she seems to be. All three are drawn into the politics and conspiracies surrounding the new skrayling ambassador. It is not an especially fast-paced story, but it is an entrancing one; I just couldn't stop turning pages. I was frustrated by the quick point-of-view changes and felt that Mal's history with the skraylings was never explained with enough clarity, but those were the only flaws I found.

Prose and setting go hand in hand to create a vivid image of a unique not-London. I'm a bit of a history buff, from a family of history buffs, and I was constantly delighted with the many small details Lyle added to create a sense of realism--and if she ever got any details wrong, I never caught her. The dialogue is especially good, using just enough period phrasing to give a feel for the time without making reading uncomfortable for readers. The setting just pops from the page, as real and vivid as modern London.

The characters are usually what make me like a book. I will put up with a bad plot for good characters, but not vice versa. In Alchemist bad plot's not a problem, but the characters are still wonderful. I really enjoyed Mal's practical stoicism, and Coby's practical romanticism, and even Ned's doubtful integrity made him more complex and real.

This is easily the best book I've read in a while, and I cannot recommend it enough. I've already marked the release date for the next in the series down on my calendar.(less)

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Jun 26, 2012 April Steenburgh rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is no way to decline a direct assignment from the Throne, so when Mal is ordered to be the bodyguard of the Skrayling Ambassador, the chief representative of a New World race he detests, he will have to work to get his feelings under control and learn to defend what he would rather avoid.

As he spends more time in Skrayling company, and grows oddly fond of the small, gentle Ambassador, Mal will have to work to juggle his duty to the crown, to the Skrayling, and to his own blood- and those i...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Bryan rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 05, 2012 Melinda Le Baron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, favorites, political, religious, aliens, beautifully-written, beautiful-3d-characters, big-men-w-swords, adventure, evil, supernatural, paranormal, high-society, historical-hotties, dramatic, truly-exciting, twisty-turny-plot, violent, beautifully-ended, fantasy, fantasy-romance

All I can say is Wow! This book is so utterly amazing in the seamless way it blends real history with imaginative elements that if you hadn't read your history books it would be believable that people like Mal Catlyn and Skaylings existed. Of course the Queen of adding people to historical novels is Dorothy Dunnett, but Ms. Lyle had a harder job, as she not only had to add people to history, but change history as wel,with Elizabeth I marriage to Dudley and the discovery of the Skraylings in the...more All I can say is Wow! This book is so utterly amazing in the seamless way it blends real history with imaginative elements that if you hadn't read your history books it would be believable that people like Mal Catlyn and Skaylings existed. Of course the Queen of adding people to historical novels is Dorothy Dunnett, but Ms. Lyle had a harder job, as she not only had to add people to history, but change history as wel,with Elizabeth I marriage to Dudley and the discovery of the Skraylings in the New World. So overall, I think Ms. Dunnett, you may have a challenger for your throne.

The storyline was twofold and encompassed Mal Catlyn as bodyguard to the Skrakling Ambassador to protect him from any plots inside England, as well as from France and Spain. The second part of the plot concerned a contest between the three play houses in London - the winner to be decided by the Skrayling Ambassador. Coby is with the play company at the Mirror (one of the 3 in the contest) as an assistant to the owner and a tireman even though she's a girl who's crossdressing a man. Colby becomes integral to the story by first teaching Mal trade talk so that he can speak to the Skraylings, but also further into the story she foils plots, bonks heads, finds men, rescues people, gets help and many other things. She is a very resourceful young woman.

Well, it turns out, Mal is busy in his job as bodyguard for the Skrayling Ambassador, and people do want to kill him. Mal kills one of them back on his second day. There is intrigue, whoever it is, is rich and powerful and probably close to the Queen. Then they start messing with the Mirror which is partially Skrayling backed, putting on a Skrayling play for the contest. People start turning up dead, missing, libels are tacked on the gate.

Through all of this runs a thread of unknown, Mal has bad dreams from when he was young that have something to do with Skraylings, magic and a terrible night long ago. His identical twin brother Sandy was with him that night and ever since has been insane. And somehow, the Skraylings asked for him by name? How did they know who he was? What happened that night long ago? How much magic do these Skraylings really have?

At this point, the story really get moving. We have cannons exploding, play houses burning, people being tortured, shootings, whippings, stabbings, kidnappings, drownings, skewerings, butcherings, a few hug and kisses, grand theft boat and finally release.

The characters in this book were really quite amazing, they were all very sympathetic with the exception of Blaise Grey. Kiieran, the Skrayling Ambassador was really quite wonderful. He just wanted one thing - he wanted his heart back, and he thought he knew how he could do it. Mal was a driven character, driven by his brother's gambling problems and abandonment, driven by his need to support his brother Sandy, driven by his nightmares. Colby gets involved with Mal through those Trade talk lessons. Next he teaches her how to defend hersellf. The next thing you know she's helping him with his job with the Ambassador. What will happen between these two?

The pacing of the story is perfect for the type of story it is. The pacing builds and builds and builds untils the climax and thereafter is a worthy epilogue to the title among other things. I think it was really well done. I can't wait for the sequel it will be too log in coming. Ms. Lyle, you have a new fan.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fantasy, historical mystery, alternative historicals, a good manly historical adventure, or a tame historical romance. This one's a genre buster. I truly had many unalloyed hours of reading pleasure with this book. Ms. Lyle, thank you for such a wonderful book, it's exactly the type of book that I love to read. Please come out with the sequel as quickly as you can.(less)

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Mar 20, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

A sweeping story that engrossed me on many levels, THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS kept me guessing with nuanced characters, unexpected world building, and a fascinating blend of real and imagined history. The switching view points expertly kept several plots in the air at once, and I would be hard pressed to choose which of the several charming lead characters emerged as my favorite overall.

Mal and Coby are both admirable and vulnerable by turns, but the author never betrays their soft spots for cheap...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Mike Shevdon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I must confess up front that Anne is a friend and a fellow Angry Robot author so I can't claim to be unbiased in this review. While it's not unbiased, it is honest. It's also slightly early - the book isn't out yet, but it will be soon, hence the review.

I was given the opportunity to read The Alchemist of Souls as a preview, which I grasped with both hands. Even so, it's a hard book to classify. It stands on its own merits as a historical novel and the rich texture of the world is easily and nat...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Abhinav rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, angry-robot

My interest in Alchemist of Souls was first sparked when I came across a comment describing the novel as a ‘terrific mashup of George R. R. Martin meets Shakespeare’. I may have paraphrased that comment somewhat but coming from Anne Lyle’s editor, that is quite high-praise indeed. Now, I’ve dabbled with both Martin and Shakespeare in my reading and I’ve liked what I’ve read so my curiosity was peeked on reading that comment. So I immediately went to the Angry Robot Army site to see if my eARC fo...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very enjoyable debut novel. Ms. Lyle has quite a bit of talent!

Alternate Elizabethan England where explorers to the new world discover its inhabitants... and they are not at all human. Decent political intrigue. Wonderfully written characters.

As I was reading the book, it felt like there were too many POVs, but there are only three. Then I realized that I was annoyed at one of the POV characters... A personality thing on my point--I kept wanting to smack him. This is actually a point in favor...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Psychomacologist rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to get my paws on this early, thanks to a competition on the Angry Robot blog. It comes enthusiastically blurbed - and with good reason.

The story centres around Mal Catlyn, a delicious rogue with a heart of gold (calm yourself, ladies) who finds himself playing the bodyguard for a delegation of skraylings - supernatural beings in this magical version of Elizabethan England. Mal's new job guarding the skrayling ambassador quickly lands him knee-deep in intrigue and assassinatio...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Taztic rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a tough one. I've had, and I won't bore you with the details, the week from Hell, and it's only Wednesday. Reading like a person possessed has been the only thing that's kept me in one piece, so I've torn through this in record time. Maybe I ran through it too fast, or maybe just my messed up head in general hasn't done it justice, but I really didn't feel this lived up to expectations.

The Alchemist of souls is built on a fantastic concept, I love the idea of the Skraylings, but for me...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Cupcakencorset rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a cool concept: an alt history of 16th-century London, one in which humans are not the only intelligent species on earth. Indeed, the British are allied with the skraylings (whose origins are not explained in this novel) against the French and Scottish. The alliance is shaky and there are humans who consider the skraylings to be actual demons who are a threat to their very souls. Some of these humans are intent on killing every skrayling, which means the crown must protect their ambassador...more What a cool concept: an alt history of 16th-century London, one in which humans are not the only intelligent species on earth. Indeed, the British are allied with the skraylings (whose origins are not explained in this novel) against the French and Scottish. The alliance is shaky and there are humans who consider the skraylings to be actual demons who are a threat to their very souls. Some of these humans are intent on killing every skrayling, which means the crown must protect their ambassador and staff. Chosen to act as liaison and bodyguard to the ambassador, Maliverny Catlyn is the son of a deceased noble. He's also troubled by the skraylings, haunted by boyhood memories or nightmares he doesn't understand.

Mal's life is one of near poverty. He lives on small commissions, taking odd jobs found via connections to his family or from his university years. His closest friends are theater folk, including male actors who play women's parts in a world where women are not allowed on stage. When he is offered (with no chance of refusal) the position of bodyguard to the skrayling ambassador, with its associated task of spying on the entire contingency, his worlds overlap in unexpected ways. Indeed, the skraylings are to judge a theatrical competition, one involving Mal's friends' troupe and two others.

Part of the fun of this book is seeing inside the workings of the theater world, via the personnage of Coby, a teenaged female orphan who is pretending to be a boy and working for the theater as a costumer and stagehand. If found out, she is subject to the indignities and dangers of being an unprotected woman in London... and to imprisonment for her completely illegal deceit. I'm a theater junkie, so I am fascinated by the backstage lives and workings of the everyone in that world. That colorful, dramatic, gritty side of London is not just a setting; its denizens become major players in the plot in an unexpected but completely natural way when an attack takes place inside the theater, then Mal is kidnapped, and it is up to Coby to help coordinate a rescue mission and help him keep England's alliance with the skraylings on sound footing.

There is so much in this book that cannot be synopsized, layers of plot and character that you must (and should) experience for yourself. Lyle has a gift for detail, choosing just the right descriptions to bring this world alive. You can see, hear, smell and even taste 16th-century London with its varying social classes and lifestyles. It's a full banquet of atmosphere and action and, luckily for us, only the first in a series featuring Mal and Coby. I can't wait to read the next one (which isn't out yet, so wait I shall have to do.

(less)

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May 10, 2012 Brie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a bit unsure if I would like this book when I started reading it. This initial feeling soon changed as I got caught up in the world building and characters activities/personalities. It totally swept me up in the story until the very last page and I am curious if there will be a follow-up since the book hints at it being the first in a series.

I am a huge fan of historical and alternative history stories. This book fits into the later of those two genres though there are some real life histo...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Haralambi Markov rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Lyle balances the fictional and the actual historical details with such precision thanks to detailed research, The Alchemist of Souls easily convinces you the Virgin Queen has produced two heirs and that the Age of Exploration has gone ahead of its regular schedule. As a world-builder, I did love how the theatre culture and political intrigues received such a well-nuanced treatment that wove the bigger plots tighter together.

The Internet abounds with reviews that praise Lyle for the obvious elem...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Caitlin P rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this book after hearing Anne Lyle talk about it as a guest host on the Roundtable Podcast, and I read the first couple pages as a sample. Based on the tightness of the narrative and the way Lyle expressed her characters concisely, it was clear she had a distinct vision for each character in the book. The other strength I noticed in the first couple pages was her attention to the detail of the period and the way her characters moved within it. On those traits alone I knew I would enjo...more

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May 23, 2012 Bookboy Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first in a brand new historical fantasy series, The Alchemist of Souls takes us into an alternate Elizabethan age with two main points of divergence – explorers to the New World returned with the news not only of a new continent but of magical beings known as skraylings, while Queen Elizabeth, legendary in our own history as the Virgin Queen, is married and has two sons, heirs to the Tudor throne. From these two events, Anne Lyle has managed to create an intriguing world. Part of the fun of...more The first in a brand new historical fantasy series, The Alchemist of Souls takes us into an alternate Elizabethan age with two main points of divergence – explorers to the New World returned with the news not only of a new continent but of magical beings known as skraylings, while Queen Elizabeth, legendary in our own history as the Virgin Queen, is married and has two sons, heirs to the Tudor throne. From these two events, Anne Lyle has managed to create an intriguing world. Part of the fun of the story is seeing where things are the same and where things are different, and working out why. As a fan of the television series Fringe, this was something I was definitely on board with. However, that is only half of the fun: the story itself is the other. As the story opens, Anne Lyle introduces us to a cast of characters ranging from a down-on-his-luck swordsman with a shadowy past to a young independent woman hiding as a boy amongst the playing troupes of Elizabethan London. The swordsman, Mat Catlyn, is called upon to act as bodyguard to the first skrayling ambassador to England, but his own past experiences with the skraylings have been far from happy. As he protects the skrayling ambassador from assassination attempts, he begins to uncover truths about skyrayling powers, as well as secrets of his own family. At the same time, his relationships with his friend Ned and the young woman Coby are deepened and explored, leading to some surprising revelations.

As I have already said in other reviews, I love history and I adore alternate history. Having previously worked on an alternate Elizabethan novel with many of the same elements as Anne Lyle’s novel, I was a bit worried that I would be too affected by my own novel to really appreciate this one. I was pleased to be so caught up in the action and the world unfolding that I quickly forgot any similarities my mind might have made and just held on for the ride.

Anne Lyle has created a fantastic world here, full of small similarities and intriguing differences. Although I was expecting the presence of the skraylings to be the key divergence from our own history, I was pleasantly surprised to realise that the existence of Elizabeth’s sons plays just as large a part. I would love to know exactly how the skrayling existence led to Elizabeth’s marriage, if there is a direct connection.

In a few places I felt the story dragged, especially as Mal begins his work as a bodyguard, but every time that feeling threatened to pull me out of the story, we received a revelation or an action scene and any doubts I had were swept away.

A fantastic alternate history that also worked as a spy/thriller fantasy, The Alchemist of Souls is one of my books of the year and will probably be a debut of the year for a lot of people. Although at time the pace left something to be desired, those problems were few and far between. I look forward to the release of the sequel, pencilled in for spring 2013 and titled The Merchant of Dreams. The Alchemist of Souls gets 4,5 cross-dressing heroines out of 5 from me. (less)

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Jan 18, 2013 Carolyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, romance, wvreads150

In an alternate-history Elizabethan England, Mal Catlyn, the newly-appointed bodyguard to the New World skrayling ambassador, has his hands full protecting his charge. The upcoming theater competition that the ambassador will be judging promises to be riddled with danger and intrigue. Coby, a girl disguised as a male member of a theater company in an unsubtle nod to Shakespeare, also becomes mixed up in the conflict. Secret magic, surprising plot twists, and homosexual as well as heterosexual ro...more

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May 22, 2012 Felix Pearce rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical fantasy fans, LGBT readers

A great read for anyone who enjoys historical fantasy. It's got some wonderful nods to Shakespeare - secret twins and girls masquerading as boys, not to mention that a lot of the action takes place in a proper period theatre. Elizabethan London is a vivid presence throughout the book, crawling with people and sounds and smells; the background characters are big and enjoyable, and the action keeps going with a few unexpected twists along the way. Add to that spymasters, handsome swordsmen, intern...more

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About Anne Lyle

Anne Lyle was born in what is popularly known as “Robin Hood Country”, and grew up fascinated by English history, folklore, and swashbuckling heroes. Unfortunately there was little demand in 1970s Nottinghamshire for diminutive swordswomen, so she studied sensible subjects like science and languages instead.

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