The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1)

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The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1) (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

by Michael Scott (Goodreads Author)

3.81 · rating details · 20,838 ratings · 2,797 reviews

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been ma...more

Paperback, 375 pages

Published May 22nd 2007 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (first published 2007)

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The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Books with Greek mythology references

7th out of 188 books — 144 voters

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Best 1st Book In Series

116th out of 145 books — 34 voters

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May 23, 2011

Stephen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, audiobook, fantasy, potteresque, ya, 2006-2010

2.0 stars. I did NOT like this book. The plot was derivative, the writing was passable AT BEST and the two teenage main characters annoyed me to the point of causing actual hair loss.

pulling out hair Pictures, Images and Photos

However, the book avoided the 1 star noose based solely on some crafty ideas and oh so unused potential that I will explore once I briefly explain the plot...which should not take long as we have all seen this tired old movie before.

BRIEF TIRED OLD PLOT SUMMARY:

Sophia and ...more

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Jun 08, 2007

Kris rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: 2007

This book was awful. So awful, it warrants me actually putting in a review.

First of all, there isn't enough Nicholas Flamel. There is far too much of the twins that kind of become Nic's apprentices, and attatches way too much teenage exposition to them. And we don't need the two of them mentioning that their parents are archaeologists every other page. We got it the first time. Move on. And even if their parents are archaeologists, they're not necessarily going to know as much ...moreThis book was awful. So awful, it warrants me actually putting in a review.

First of all, there isn't enough Nicholas Flamel. There is far too much of the twins that kind of become Nic's apprentices, and attatches way too much teenage exposition to them. And we don't need the two of them mentioning that their parents are archaeologists every other page. We got it the first time. Move on. And even if their parents are archaeologists, they're not necessarily going to know as much about it as they seem too. When you're 15, you try to stay away from your parents as much as possible. And there seriously didn't need to be as much name dropping around the character of Josh (I swear to God, whenever the story was from his perspective, there was always a name dropped of a movie or a video game, and there was always mention of his laptop, his cell phone, and that he had been on the football team). And the repetition of the name dropping, or them mentioning their parent's profession, was enough to make you put a gun barrel in your mouth. It felt way too forced. Too much like he was trying to be all, "Look!! I'm one of you!!"

He turned a potentially kick-ass 2 1/2 thousand year old vampire into a lame teenager. Not a cool one, something you might have imagined Bill and Charlie Weasly being. No, she was lame ... and just happened to be able to kick ass ... cuz she was a vampire.

And some of the other gods could've been completely awesome (like Morrígan) ... but they came off kind of lame, without any real power, and seemingly easily manipulated.

Scott really could've done something awesome with this, if he had decided to do a kick ass Sword & Sorcery story (a la "Highlander: The Series"). Instead, it felt more like a teenager's attempt at High Fantasy (::cough::Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)::cough::), and not a very good one at that. And seriously, mentioning LotR at the beginning of your book, does not a High Fantasy make. Nor does having something that's the equivalent of the Force, a good fantasy make.(less)

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Jun 10, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

I'll try to be fair here, this is a "YA" book and it comes in telling us it's going to "play" with historical and mythological figures....and play it does. I found the book annoying and wonder at the damage we're doing to our "youths" and their knowledge of mythology, what we can learn from mythology, from the archetypal characters, thoughts, and ideas they contain.

Okay, part of rant over. There are different types of YA books. Some are more yA while ot...moreI'll try to be fair here, this is a "YA" book and it comes in telling us it's going to "play" with historical and mythological figures....and play it does. I found the book annoying and wonder at the damage we're doing to our "youths" and their knowledge of mythology, what we can learn from mythology, from the archetypal characters, thoughts, and ideas they contain.

Okay, part of rant over. There are different types of YA books. Some are more yA while others are more Ya. This is in style and execution more of a Ya book with emphasis on the "Young" rather than the "adult". With it's repetitive story telling (asking something and then farther on asking it again, and again especially by the boy was a sort of constant). Then however, along with the juvenile storytelling you get attempts at "semi-adult" content that doesn't really work.

************************* Spoiler Below Line ************************

What annoyed me so much? Well, I happen to have a special "feeling" for the Cú Chulainn legend.... I'm not sure how good it is for "youths" to "learn" that "Scáthach" is a vampire. (I know vampires are ubiquitous now... but a mythical Celtic hero, trainer of Cú Chulainn? making her a "teenage vampire", I shudder even now) Shall I go on? The "kids" are annoying... mom and dad are archeologists (believe me I know this because...as noted before "repetition", they just kept telling us over and over). The "kids", the "twins" apparently know quite a bit about this subject, they retained it seems everything ever uttered about it along with a few other subjects, but apparently not much else. Well, of course as occasionally one of them (especially the young lady) seems to show odd flashes of almost encyclopedic knowledge of some things. We are told (again over and over) about the electronic devices they "depend" on (especially the young man). They apparently learned everything they know from movies, video games, and maybe their downloaded music. Maybe had they bothered to download a couple of books? These two drove me crazy... they couldn't find electrical outlets in the world tree, and it flummoxed them... okay.

There's more and we've all played with mythology I suppose but I'm not really taken with this book. No that's a polite understatement, I'm annoyed with this book and approaching dislike. I'll go with 2 stars, but "just" or barely. Will I read the next book? Haven't decided yet.

Oh, one more thing, the book doesn't "conclude" or "end" so much as "stop". Lots I didn't care for... sorry if you liked it.

By the way..the fact that Michael Scott is a mythology scholar simply bothers me more. He is of course free to treat these figures as he wishes... I make no complaint about that. But I'm free not to enjoy the given treatment, and I don't. As I say in many cases, if you do enjoy the book then that's good for you...enjoy, not my cup of tea.

UPDATE: I'm not planning on following the book up...just letting you know. (less)

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Feb 21, 2009

Grace rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

To be honest I would never have read this book had I not been given it for my birthday. It was obviously one of those books that was cranked out immediately after the Harry Potter phenomenon and was unabashedly aimed toward that audience. Now don't get me wrong, I adore Harry Potter and that's probably why this sort of book irritates me. I've picked it up in the bookstore before, interested by the title and catchy cover, but after flipping through it I always put it back.
It is very simila...moreTo be honest I would never have read this book had I not been given it for my birthday. It was obviously one of those books that was cranked out immediately after the Harry Potter phenomenon and was unabashedly aimed toward that audience. Now don't get me wrong, I adore Harry Potter and that's probably why this sort of book irritates me. I've picked it up in the bookstore before, interested by the title and catchy cover, but after flipping through it I always put it back.
It is very similar to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series in that it uses old mythology and mythical figures for it's main plot. I wasn't enchanted with either of the authors approaches. The characters in The Alchemyst are flat and one dimensional and where he could have gone all out with the 700-10,000 year old beings he stuck with boring, flat interpretations. The twins were just as flat and uninteresting. After an entire book there isn't more one could say about them than: The girl is the thoughtful one who looks out for her brother and makes sure he doesn't get into trouble and the boy is the reckless one. They are also not that likable and at times irritating. I wanted to reach through and smack them when, halfway through the book, they were still insisting that they must be on Candid Camera and the whole thing was a big hoax.
The plot wasn't particularly engaging either and it seemed that every other page there had to be a big, magical battle, as if he felt the only way to keep the reader going was to put in action. Personally, I think that is a mark of an adult author who is trying to write for kids. Obviously kids can't read anything deep and are too uninterested and the only way to keep them reading is to pack the entire book with pointless battle scenes. Who needs engaging, round characters and character development? *rolls eyes* It was also very predictable and linear, with no risks or surprises.
I'm glad that I decided to read this book on an eleven hour plane ride because that way I could get it over with in a day, without having to drag it out for several. I probably won't read the rest of the series as I was, obviously, far from enchanted by the first one. (less)

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Apr 14, 2010

Nenangs rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-magick-scifi, indonesian, works-of-translation

I really liked it.
Begitulah tulisan kecil yang muncul dibawah empat bintang.
And I really liked it. And more. 4.5 deh...
0.5 bonus buat penerjemahan yang bagus.
Atau bisa juga dibilang diskon 0.5, karena bukan buatan bangsa indonesia *grin*.

Eeeeeniweeeei...buku pertama dari serial Nicholas Flamel karya Michael Scott ini memang luar biasa. Kemampuan pengarang menggabungkan beberapa sub-genre fantasy (ini istilah karangan saya aja, meneketehe & EGP bener apa sala...more

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Dec 19, 2008

Luann rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, fantasy, young-adult, ms-rec

I enjoyed The Alchemyst more than I thought I would. It didn't sweep me away with the "must finish this book now" feeling, but I also was never bored. Fans of Harry Potter, Fablehaven, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, and even The Da Vinci Code will find interesting connections and similarities here. And yet Scott manages to bring something just a bit new to the table as well. I was interested to learn that many of the main characters (Nicholas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel, and Dr. J...more

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Aug 22, 2008

Bunga Mawar rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, translated-into-indonesian, children-teens, buku-perpus-smart, buku-krl

Buku tebal tercepat yang pernah saya baca.

Bagaikan Nick Fleming, eh, Flamel bersama Josh dan Sophie Newman yang dikejar-kejar John Dee, Morrigan hingga Bastet karena menyimpan dua lembar terakhir dari Codex, buku Abraham Sang Magus, saat The Alchemyst ini saya kuasai banyak orang di luar sana yang mengejar-ngejar saya. Ini karena saya ambil dari Mahbubi (kelas 5) yang belum selesai membacanya pada Jumat siang lalu. Padahal Mahbubi juga meminjamnya dari Faisal (kelas 2) yang telah m...moreBuku tebal tercepat yang pernah saya baca.

Bagaikan Nick Fleming, eh, Flamel bersama Josh dan Sophie Newman yang dikejar-kejar John Dee, Morrigan hingga Bastet karena menyimpan dua lembar terakhir dari Codex, buku Abraham Sang Magus, saat The Alchemyst ini saya kuasai banyak orang di luar sana yang mengejar-ngejar saya. Ini karena saya ambil dari Mahbubi (kelas 5) yang belum selesai membacanya pada Jumat siang lalu. Padahal Mahbubi juga meminjamnya dari Faisal (kelas 2) yang telah mendaftarkannya di perpustakaan untuk masa pinjaman kedua karena dia belum selesai membacanya. Padahal lagi, Iyas (kelas 2) sudah mengantri untuk meminjamnya setelah Faisal, belum lagi Bu Latifah (Kepala SMA) nampaknya sudah berminat membacanya setelah saya. Apa boleh buat, sambil menanti kereta menuju Jakarta kemarin malam, buku ini saya kebut karena Senin besok saya sudah berjanji mengembalikannya untuk dibaca oleh Iyas. Sampai di rumah, hanya terkejar sekian halaman karena lelah dan tertidur, maka baru tadi pagi buku ini akhirnya kelar. Huuuuffff... petualangan mengejar buku perpustakaan paling dramatis... :)

Oh ya, cerita bukunya sendiri tentang apa yah? Semata sebuah petualangan berbau "magic" atau sihir kuno karena:
1) melibatkan tokoh-tokoh yang immortal, berusia ratusan hingga puluhan ribu tahun
2) mencampur berbagai mitologi,dongeng, legenda dan sejarah dalam untaian peristiwa yang konon saling berkaitan (contoh: ada sphinx dan pterodactyl "hidup" di San Fransisco. loh!)
3) selain itu, tokoh-tokoh di buku ini mampu menciptakan mahkluk tak bernyawa namun mampu dikendalikan. Dalam bahasa zaman sekarang, mereka disebut "robot", namun karena setting cerita sudah dibangun lintas waktu dan tempat, maka mahkluk2 ini disebut "golem", "lacra", "torc" dan lain-lain.

Seperti banyak cerita lain, terlalu banyak unsur kebetulan (buat saya) yang menjadikan si kembar Sophie dan Josh Newman sebagai pelaku utama cerita. Jalan ceritanya sudah cukup ramai dan seharusnya mendebarkan. Tapi entahlah, unsur mendebarkan dan emosi-emosi lainnya tidak terasa di sini. Kita seperti mendengarkan saja peristiwa demi peristiwa yang disaksikan pengarang; sangat detil dan membuat kita seperti melihatnya sendiri. Sayangnya saksi tersebut kurang berempati pada kejadian, jadi kita bisa menganggapnya sebagai peristiwa biasa.

Bukan berarti lantas saya percaya bahwa Nicholas Flamel atau John Dee benar-benar kenal William Shakespeare, yah. Sebagai sebuah kemungkinan, hal itu masuk akal, sama seperti masuk akalnya bahwa di masa Babilonia, seorang gadis pernah dijodohkan untuk menjadi permaisuri Nebukadnezar (tapi gadis itu tak harus Scathach, kan?). Kalau buku ini saya kebut, selain alasan yang sudah saya tulis di atas, alasan lainnya adalah saya menunggu kemunculan banshee yang pastinya dikenal oleh pengarang, dan Kaisar Zhu Di yang mengirim armada penjelajah dunia, hehehe...

Ternyata tidak ada di buku ini. Di buku kedua, mungkin ada tidak? :D(less)

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Aug 10, 2008

Katie rated it

· review of another edition

I was first interested in this book for the same reason I'm sure it made the New York Times bestseller list...because it is about Nicholas Flamel, who is mentioned in the Harry Potter books, specifically in the first book about the Sorceror's Stone, as being a friend of Professor Dumbledore. Flamel was a real historical figure though who lived in the 1300's, was a scientist who practiced alchemy, and supposedly discovered the secret to eternal life (related to the sorceror's stone) as well as tu...moreI was first interested in this book for the same reason I'm sure it made the New York Times bestseller list...because it is about Nicholas Flamel, who is mentioned in the Harry Potter books, specifically in the first book about the Sorceror's Stone, as being a friend of Professor Dumbledore. Flamel was a real historical figure though who lived in the 1300's, was a scientist who practiced alchemy, and supposedly discovered the secret to eternal life (related to the sorceror's stone) as well as turning coal into diamonds and common metals into gold. The myth is that he and his wife are still alive to this day, the proof of that coming from the fact that their tomb in Paris is empty. I thought this book would be interesting by not only weaving in historical facts about Flamel but also telling a fictional story about what he would be doing today if he were in fact still living. The story itself got increasingly interesting but the writing leaves much to be desired. The gentleman sitting next to me on a flight back from Philadelphia said he'd read it also and told me that it was originally written in another language and that we were reading a translation, which would explain the strange phrasing. He didn't understand how it made the bestseller list though, but I am certain it's due to the Harry Potter connection. Along with other reviewers on this site, I don't care for the constant allusions to pop culture (iPods, Bluetooth headsets, Wikipedia, etc), which will most certainly date it within a few years. And I also don't care to hear for the umpteenth time that the main characters' parents (who are only mentioned at times and not ever involved in the plot) are archaeologists, which is somehow supposed to mean something but to me seems like an irrelevant sidenote. The characters, despite the fact that they were almost all real people who historically we know existed, or they were mythical creatures whose stories have been shared through generations, were just flat and one-dimensional. I couldn't get into the story because the characters had no depth. The author could have really fleshed them out more, considering he had a lot of historical fact and details to work with, but perhaps he assumed readers would know all the characters already? Sorry, I'm not well-educated in worldwide ancient mythology! Overall, it was an okay book; I have the sequel since I had assumed I would enjoy the first book much more than I actually did, and I'm not sure if I'm going to read it or not. (less)

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Apr 11, 2008

Bonnie Gayle rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sf, library-books, reviewed

Okay. I liked this book a lot more than most people who have written reviews. I feel that it's because I didn't go into it with many preconceived notions. I had hoped it would be related to Harry Potter, but when I realized it wasn't I moved on. I also didn't read the book because I was a huge fan of the real Flamel. If you read it for either of those reasons, you will most likely be disapointed.

15 year-old twins Sophie and Josh have gotten summer jobs in San Franciso. Josh works at ...moreOkay. I liked this book a lot more than most people who have written reviews. I feel that it's because I didn't go into it with many preconceived notions. I had hoped it would be related to Harry Potter, but when I realized it wasn't I moved on. I also didn't read the book because I was a huge fan of the real Flamel. If you read it for either of those reasons, you will most likely be disapointed.

15 year-old twins Sophie and Josh have gotten summer jobs in San Franciso. Josh works at a bookstore, and Sophie works across the street. One day, a group of evil men come to attack Josh's boss, and it ends up that they are headed by the evil John Dee, Elizabeth I's spy, and that Josh's boss is none other than the immortal Nicholas Flamel.

Before flattening the bookstore completely, John Dee and his henchmen steal a very old book, except for the last 2 pages, which Josh has a tight hold on. It ends up that the book is the secret to Nicholas Flamel's long LONG life, and that the last 2 pages are key, so now Josh's life is in danger, and Nicholas Flamel is aging before his eyes.

Josh, Sophie, and Flamel flee the city, with Dee in pursuit, but they soon learn that there is more to the 2 of them, Josh and Sophie, than they have ever realized, that they are special, and perhaps Flamel is not being completely honest about his reasons for wanting them to accompany him on his journey.

I felt a little confused why Nicholas Flamel couldn't make another stone, or whatever, to extend his life without the book that Dee took. You would think that he would have the method down pat during the last 600-so years.

The book does something different with magic that I'd never read before, which is link it to the 5 senses. According to the book, the reason that the average person cannot do magic is because their senses are dulled, and when the magic starts happening, there are an amazing number of smells described.

I did think the book did something dangerous, because it tied itself way too much to the present: ipod, wikipedia, Shrek, the new Spiderman. All of that is really going to date it in time. It did make good historical references, linking the story to events that happened in the past, like the potato famine, and the great fire in London. That somehow made the events in the story more believable and immediate. I also learned from the book, because the characters in it are ones I never have heard of before, like the Morrigan. It was cool that he worked, somewhat, with characters who already exist. I bet it would be easier to make them all up, but it was cool to see how they would all interact if they were together.

Like Into the Woods, which I just reviewed, I think this book would make a really excellent movie, and in fact, some of the scenes would play out better in a movie than they did in the book. I would definitely see it. There is a sequel, which is coming out soon, and I'm going to read it. The ending leaves you with a cliffhanger, so I'm glad I didn't read it when there was a long wait 'til the next book.(less)

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Mar 28, 2009

JoJo rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: modern-fiction, children-books

I LOVED this book, although I read the second book, the magician, first. I work at a bookstore and we are allowed to loan hardcover books so long as we keep them in mint condition, to broaden our book knowledge. We didn't have this copy in hardcover, but we had the sequel in hardcover, and i didn't want to buy it if i wasn't sure if i would like it. Eventhough the second book picks up really fast, I was able to understand what was going on as the author subtly explains the plot continuation w...moreI LOVED this book, although I read the second book, the magician, first. I work at a bookstore and we are allowed to loan hardcover books so long as we keep them in mint condition, to broaden our book knowledge. We didn't have this copy in hardcover, but we had the sequel in hardcover, and i didn't want to buy it if i wasn't sure if i would like it. Eventhough the second book picks up really fast, I was able to understand what was going on as the author subtly explains the plot continuation without slowing it down. To me, that's the mark of a great writer, so I didn't hesitate to buy the first book the same day I finished the sequel.

I was pleased and read through this book in 2 days, it was so exciting, and eventhough some of the ending was spoiled because characters are killed off which are mentioned in the sequel, I really feel I enjoyed the book just as much as I would have enjoyed it if I hadn't read it in reverse order. Michael Scott is an Irish writer, and has penned many high fantasy science fiction novels, where there's lots of magic, wizards, creatures of lore. He is also an expert on mythology and folklore and his knowledge adds depth to his plots/characters, and he even makes the scenarios seem almost plausible at times.

I find the story extremely humorous at some points, eventhough we have it filed under 'teen fiction' i wouldn't let that deter you if you are an adult, i think the main reason its for kids is because the main characters and protagonists throughout the series he's developing are 15 year old fraternal twins, brother and sister who have legendary sun and moon auras of the rarest colors, silver and gold. We mere mortal humani (humans) cannot see auras of course, but immortals who have special skills and "Awakened" magical abilities in the story, i.e. Nicholas Flamel, the legendary French Alchemyst from the 14th-15th cent. and his wife Perenelle can. Unfortunately, so can the 'bad guys', like the Dr. John Dee, the advisor to Queen Elizabeth I in the court of the Tudors and his masters, the Dark Elder race which predated mankind which include mythological creatures such as the Morrigan, who was the Irish Crow Goddess and Bastet, the Egyptian goddess who has the body of a beautiful young woman and the head of a cat!!

This entertaining saga is your typical good vs. evil where Flamel believes the twins are the fulfillment of a prophecy made 10,000 years before stating that they could either save or destroy the world with their powerful auras, and he's determined to mentor them and guide them in the right direction with the help of his allies- some good immortals and the handful of good elders who want to let the world remain in the hands of the humani. Unfortunately, Dr. Dee has other plans and wants to rule the world and bring the Dark Elders back as it once was, and will stop at nothing to kidnap the twins and influence them to help his agenda, along with the ancient book, the Codex, which the Flamels have been protecting through all these years. The Codex is the magical book written 10,000 years ago which contained the prophecy about the twins in the first place, and the secrets to immortality which allowed Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel to survive all these ages without looking a day older than the day they started the recipe for the potion that keeps them alive.

Its hard to explain much more of the plot without giving away spoilers, but I do recommend this to people, its so much fun. I always thought I hated science fiction, but this is really entertaining, and I can't wait for the third installment of the series, set to come out in May 2009! Woo Hoo!!!(less)

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Julia I have just started #1. I've been trying to read more fantasy because I mostly read fiction and Harry potter or golden compass over and over. So far i...more
Mar 28, 2010 07:17pm

JoJo LOL! Thanks for commenting on my book review. Have you read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon? I just whizzed through it and am reading the second book n...more
Mar 28, 2010 08:11pm

Julia Haha sounds kinda cool, the man 200 yrs ago is not her husband or anyhting though, he's actually from the past? Is it in the Adult or YA section? I'll...more
Jun 21, 2010 07:40am

Jul 22, 2011

Stacey rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: children-and-young-adult, fantasy

I'm getting better at my new "don't read bad books" plan. Not that this one is "bad," exactly, so much as it is a little bit irritating. The two kids in the story are just too much. They know everything, can do everything, they're just too perfect.

And really Mr. Scott, did you have to attempt to borrow a story from every fantasy written in the last 2000 years and cram it into this one? I mean, really.

But what clinched it for me was a main character n...more

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Jun 27, 2011

JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it

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Shelves: audio, 3_stars, author_irish, fantasy, fiction, middle_grade, read_in_2011, reviewed, setting_us

Josh and Sophie Newman have settled into a summer in San Francisco, living with their elderly aunt as their parents work an archaeological dig, and working summer jobs to save up for a car. But one day, a very sinister man pays a visit to the bookshop where Josh is working. The man appears to be some kind of wizard and he attacks the owner of the bookshop, who fights back--with more magic. What is going on here? The bad guy gets away with a book that seems to be valuable, but not before Josh...moreJosh and Sophie Newman have settled into a summer in San Francisco, living with their elderly aunt as their parents work an archaeological dig, and working summer jobs to save up for a car. But one day, a very sinister man pays a visit to the bookshop where Josh is working. The man appears to be some kind of wizard and he attacks the owner of the bookshop, who fights back--with more magic. What is going on here? The bad guy gets away with a book that seems to be valuable, but not before Josh manages to tear a few pages out.

The bookshop owner turns out to be the infamous alchemist, Nicholas Flamel. He lived about 600 years ago. Turns out he and his wife, Perrenelle, are immortal, and their self-imposed task was to keep the stolen book safe. In the wrong hands, the book could lead to the end of humanity. Saying that the children aren't safe now that the evil wizard knows about them, Flamel takes them with him as he sets out to get the book back.

This was good, it really was, there just wasn't anything that made it a stand out for me. I did like Scathach a lot and wish she'd had a bigger part. Hecate (spelling? I listened) intrigued me, and I loved her part of the world. The twins were a little boring. They were pretty generic teenagers. I saw the drama between them coming from miles away. Flamel--eh. There was supposed to be more to him than meets the eye, but he seemed to be pretty straightforward to me. I would have liked to have seen more of Perrenelle as well. Hmm. I think I would have liked a more female-centric storyline, now that I look back at this! The cool characters were the women and they took the back seat.

The idea behind the book was excellent, and I loved the way the author wove so many myths and legends together. I just wish that it had had a little more oomph.

The reader, Denis O'Hare, did a good job. His voices were good, and he didn't read down to his target MG/YA audience.

Oh, and San Francisco? Watch out for the Morrigan. She has trashed your city in two wildly different books I've read. She's coming for you.

Younger readers might enjoy this more than I did. I won't be continuing the series.(less)

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Oct 13, 2010

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: grades 6-8

Recommended to Sarah by: caudill book

Shelves: children-fantasy

I did not enjoy this book very much. I felt as though it wasn't very well written, although it's very popular with the kids; in fact, book four, _The Necromancer_, came out recently and kids are asking for it. Because of this, I decided to listen to, at the very least, book one...and now I know that this series isn't for me.

Before I discuss the plot, I also want to mention that my dislike of the book also has to do with the reader on the audio book; I had a huge problem with him. Hi...moreI did not enjoy this book very much. I felt as though it wasn't very well written, although it's very popular with the kids; in fact, book four, _The Necromancer_, came out recently and kids are asking for it. Because of this, I decided to listen to, at the very least, book one...and now I know that this series isn't for me.

Before I discuss the plot, I also want to mention that my dislike of the book also has to do with the reader on the audio book; I had a huge problem with him. His 'voices' for each character are a bit annoying and his mispronunciation of words is simply unacceptable; "disoriented" is NOT pronounced "dis-or-ee-en-TATE-ted" ; "allied" is NOT pronounced "a-lied"...those were the ones that stuck out to me the most. I mean, come on!

Josh and Sophie are fifteen-year-old twins who get mixed up, completely by accident, with magical beings. It all starts when Josh, who works for a man named Nick Fleming, is in the store when a man comes in and attacks Nick; he forcibly takes a book from him, but Josh manages to save the last few pages. The fight between the men involve things Josh has never seen before--magical things. Josh and Nick are able to safely escape with Sophie (who saw the fight from across the street and joined them).

It turns out that Nick and his wife--who was kidnapped during the fight--are magical beings who are hundreds of years old. The book that the evil man took from Nick (whose real name is Nicholas Flamel) is a codex that is thousands of years old and holds all sorts of magical information. He tells the twins that they are in danger now that the evil man (whose name is Dr. John Dee) knows who they are; and now that he has most of the book, he will allow dark magic to rule the world.

Nicholas and his friend Scathach (who is also hundreds of years old) learn that Josh and Sophie could very well be the twins foretold in a prophecy. They all need to work together to fight the evil Dr. John Dee and his plan for a world controlled by dark magic.

This plot sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it? I mean, this is the type of book I reach for when reading children's literature; I enjoy these types of fantastical elements in a book. However, this book is just so poorly written that I couldn't get into it. I felt like it could have been shorter had it been edited some; because the omniscient narrator oscillates between Josh and Sophie depending on whether or not they are together in a particular scene, there is a repeating of facts that weren't even necessarily to understand the plot; for example, they each say a number of times that they have always had to stick together because their parents work a lot and they move a lot. Okay--after hearing one of them say it, let's move on!

Nonetheless, kids seem to like it; maybe the writing gets better in the later books; however, this reader isn't going to find out.(less)

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Jun 16, 2011

Bryce rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 13-year old me would have adored this book. This would definitely have been reread until the pages were in tatters. It has everything pubescent me loved: magic, brief lessons in mythology, normal kids discovering fantastic powers in themselves.

30-year old me has read just too many series with the same modus operandi to be over the moon about The Alchemyst. This book didn't have the charm of Harry Potter, but was leaps and bounds better than Percy Jackson.

The good and the ba...more

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Mar 04, 2009

Uci rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: buntelan-penerbit

3,5 bintang.

Selama ini saya menganggap genre fantasi bukanlah prioritas saya saat memilih buku. Tapi ternyata beberapa buku bergenre fantasi sanggup membuat saya menunggu-nunggu jadwal membaca buku saya yang biasanya malam hari. Di antaranya buku ini.

Saya senang karena kisah dalam buku ini menggabungkan zaman modern dengan zaman dahulu kala yang terlupakan. Manusia masa kini dengan makhluk-makhluk dongeng dan mitos. Teknologi maju dengan teknologi kuno yang sama-sama can...more

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Sep 02, 2008

Tyas rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

So here it is: a grand scheme to unify and explain all mythologies on Earth. Blame it all to a seemingly omnipotent race that has taught human virtually everything they needed to start a civilization, and has been taken as gods by some, but has been defeated so that most of them had to withdraw to other worlds, or continue living in a sorry state. But now some of them desire a comeback. That can bring dire consequences to the weaker human race. But fear not! Here comes some human beings, an...moreSo here it is: a grand scheme to unify and explain all mythologies on Earth. Blame it all to a seemingly omnipotent race that has taught human virtually everything they needed to start a civilization, and has been taken as gods by some, but has been defeated so that most of them had to withdraw to other worlds, or continue living in a sorry state. But now some of them desire a comeback. That can bring dire consequences to the weaker human race. But fear not! Here comes some human beings, and a military-freak vampire, to stop them dead in their tracks!

Well, that’s The Alchemyst in a paragraph. As fascinating as it may sound, I have to sadly say that the book is in fact rather dull.

The hardest part for me in reading The Alchemyst is that I can’t feel any sympathy, not even the slightest one, to the main characters. Probably they are supposed to look cool and powerful, but pretty ordinary at the same time. After all they’re human, right?

Well, to be frank: all the allusions to modern-day convenience (iPods, Google, Wiki, laptops, blah blah et cetera) don’t really make me relate to the twins; it instead triggers a desire in me to runaway to another side of the Earth so that I just don’t have to meet these kids who yearn for electricity plugs inside the Yggdrasil. (Don't their experience in the workfields with their parents teach them something?) Oh, they’re the kids-next-door, alright, they just want to collect some money to buy cars. It’s just that they have two extra famous archeologists as their parents. Whoa. First paleoanthropology (what with the Homo floresiensis), next Cambrian Crustaceans, and then the redwoods – and people have been complaining that us scientists are too specialists and not generalists enough. No wonder the kids are just too plain ordinary, not knowing who the heck Nicholas Flamel is, but they can name the craters of the Moon. Once again, whoa. Not exactly impossible, but not convincing enough when you follow the twins’ actions and thoughts throughout the book.

And Flamel himself – oh, the glorious Alchemyst. He’s supposed not to be a two-dimensional character, hey – all he wants is reuniting with his wife, Perry. And if what John Dee says is true, then he’s a selfish figure manipulating the people around him to help him obtaining his desires. Not two dimensional, right? No, just not adorable. And he looks like a hippy. And I don’t know how intellectual actually he is, not knowing that Dee lives in the same town as he does, when Dee owns a gigantic entertainment enterprise in SF. And I wonder what Dee will do one day when his employees finally realise that he’s not getting old.

All in all, The Alchemyst can still entertain you – and who knows the next books will be better. Probably this is just a rough start for a smooth journey ahead. In the mean time, you can read this book and weep, Woe oh you human race, you didn’t even discover fire or invent the wheel.
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Jan 23, 2008

Lesli rated it

· review of another edition

I just finished The Alchemyst Book one in Michael Scott's series The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel. I can't wait for book two. In all seriousness, the book is not that fantastic, the beginning reads like a movie, and there are too many specific references to current pop culture, (for example, Green Day, blue tooth, iPod, etc,) but I really enjoyed reading it. I thought it brought up some interesting theories and mythology. First off its fiction, but according to the plot, every myth is...more

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Jan 14, 2008

Mike Meier rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: "Kool Katz"

Shelves: done

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

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Nov 03, 2011

Emily2014 rated it

· review of another edition

Captivating cliff-hangers, mysterious magic, and...safe secrets? Who knows in Michael Scott's The Alchemyst; it's a crafty, creative book with many twists and turns. This classic fantasy has an exhilarating plot following Sophie and Josh Newman as they find themselves to be in the protective hands of the immortal Nicholas Flamel. They journey in search of The Codex, the most powerful book to ever exist, and if mishandled, has the ability to destroy the world. Now it's up to Josh and Sophie - the...more

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Mar 12, 2009

Karin rated it

· review of another edition

This book was recommended to my 5th grader by his school librarian, who usually recommends great books. (Yes, Nicholas Flamel is mentioned in Harry Potter, but this has nothing at all to do with Harry. Flamel was a real historical character). Anyway, at first I think I was a little caught up in the similarities between this book and other YA fantasy I have read (Children of the Lamp, Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, etc.) but once I got into it, I think it was different enough that it held its own....more

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Oct 13, 2007

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: kids who like mythology

Shelves: fantasy, youngadult

This is a serviceable fantasy that I plodded through. I liked the settings and descriptions - Scathach's dojo, Hekate's tree, the mix of characters from mythology, all very cool. But the story never grabbed me, I never had trouble putting the book down.
I think it suffers from a lack of focus - since we don't follow just one character, we don't get much character development, and so we don't care very much about what happens to them. And I was disappointed that we didn't get to a natural br...more

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Feb 10, 2009

Jen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-book

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

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Jun 04, 2008

Natnat rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fantasy novel lovers, gadget-freaks (maybe! lol! :P)

Shelves: books-about-books, w

Kelebihan dari buku Michael Scott ini adalah alurnya yang cepat, serta plotnya yang menantang (nah lho). Intinya, buku ini full-packed action! Settingnya di Amrik sono yang berlangsung selama 48 jam. Benar-benar mendebarkan. Ceritanya sendiri benar-benar unik. Mitologi kuno yang dikemas dalam setting kontemporer.

Yang saya kurang suka adalah penggambaran tentang teknologi masa kini semacam bluet00th, iPod, dll yang terasa mengganggu. Sebegitu pentingkah hal itu untuk dituliskan?
...more

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Jul 17, 2011

Hilary rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, juvenile, nicholas, flamel

Promising-looking but ultimately rather blah YA fantasy featuring not only Nicholas Flamel (and the missus), but Dr John Dee too, both alive and well and living in modern San Francisco. Clunkily written I complain about clunky writing so often that I can only assume that nobody but me cares about it and rather too full of state-of-the-art technology that will look as quaint as anything out of Enid Blyton in a few years' time. The first few pages alone are littered with references to Blueto...more

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May 17, 2009

Michael added it · review of another edition

This is a book intended mainly for young adults, but I couldn't help but pick it up, being passingly familiar with the historical exploits of the two warring alchemists between these covers, Nicholas Flamel and Dr. John Dee. In this book by Dublin author Michael Scott, two teenagers find themselves in the crossfire between these two powerful personalities over ownership of a codex that can possibly bring about a pagan armageddon. The twins take up with Nicolas Flamel, the Alchemyst, and ...more

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Mar 10, 2009

Julia Driscoll rated it

· review of another edition

Sophie and Josh are two ordinary twins working summer jobs in San Francisco. Josh happens to be working for Nick & Perry Flemming in a bookshop. One day, Nick Flemming (a.k.a. the immortal Nicholas Flamel) is attacked in his shop. The attacker, Dr. John Dee - another imortal working on behalf of legendary creatures known as Elders - wants Flamel's "Book of Abraham the Mage" which contains all the ancient alchemical secrets, as well as prophecies. Dee manages to get the book, except...more

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Dec 01, 2008

Bob rated it

Shelves: young-adult

Author Michael Scott uses a scholar's background on myth and history to weave a contemporary tale of gods and goddesses interacting with mere humans--especially a pair of teenage twins--with the future of the world at stake. The twins and the novel's namesake, the immortal Nicholas Flamel, travel around northern California having adventures worthy of Middle Earth in this, the first of a planned trilogy.

Where Scott exceeds in erudition, however, he fails in story writing. There are al...more

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Jan 31, 2012

Rachael marked it as abandoned · review of another edition

Shelves: specualtive-fic, child-young-adult

I've heard good things about this series and it is certainly within the realm of books I typically enjoy. I borrowed the audiobook from my library, listened to the first hour or so and have decided that I just can't do any more. I'm finding the entire thing incredibly boring. Even in the middle of fight scenes or other events that should be exciting, everything seems to happen at half speed at best and there are no emotions coming out of the work. The main teenage characters are flat and unappea...more

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Jan 11, 2012

07Loganj rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: book-reports

Sophie and Josh Newman are fraternal twins who are enjoying their summer jobs in San Francisco: Sophie works at a coffee shop across the street from the independent bookstore where Josh works. When golems attack the bookstore and steal Flamel's most prized possession, it becomes clear very quickly that Nick and Perry Fleming are more than a nice couple that own the bookstore. In fact, they are the immortal Nicholas and Perry Flamel. Nicholas is the famous fourteenth century alchemist who has dis...more

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Jan 08, 2012

Dyah Setyowati added it · review of another edition

Sophie dan Josh Newman, remaja kembar berusia 15 tahun, tidak menyadari kalau mereka memiliki keistimewaan sampai mereka bertemu Nick dan Perenelle Flemming. Suami-istri tersebut rupanya manusia abadi pemegang buku Abraham the Magus. Dr. John Dee hendak merebut buku tersebut untuk menguasai dunia. Apa yang bisa si kembar lakukan untuk mencegahnya?

Plot semacam dapat kita temukan dalam beberapa cerita fantasi lain seperti Harry Potter, Star Wars, Naruto, hingga The Joshua Files. Tokoh u...moreSophie dan Josh Newman, remaja kembar berusia 15 tahun, tidak menyadari kalau mereka memiliki keistimewaan sampai mereka bertemu Nick dan Perenelle Flemming. Suami-istri tersebut rupanya manusia abadi pemegang buku Abraham the Magus. Dr. John Dee hendak merebut buku tersebut untuk menguasai dunia. Apa yang bisa si kembar lakukan untuk mencegahnya?

Plot semacam dapat kita temukan dalam beberapa cerita fantasi lain seperti Harry Potter, Star Wars, Naruto, hingga The Joshua Files. Tokoh utama tidak menyadari kalau mereka berbakat, atau ayah mereka adalah orang penting yang secara langsung atau tak langsung menentukan nasib dunia, hingga sesuatu terjadi. Mereka lalu mendapatkan pembimbing agar bakat mereka terasah dan mereka dapat mengendalikannya untuk kebajikan.

Jika dalam Harry Potter Nicholas Flammel hanya disebut-sebut, dalam novel ini ia jadi pemain dengan peran signifikan. Ialah Nick Flemming, pemilik toko buku di seberang kafe. Ia yang mempertemukan Sophie dan Josh pada orang-orang yang bisa membangkitkan kekuatan mereka. Ia juga diprasangkai karena kemisteriusannya.

Hal menarik dari novel ini adalah pengarang mempertemukan tokoh-tokoh yang sungguh ada dalam mitologi seperti Hekate (Yunani), Bastet dan Morrigan (Mesir), Nicholas Flammel (Eropa), John Dee (Inggris), golem, dan entah siapa lagi yang akan dimunculkan dalam buku-buku berikutnya. Ini baru jilid pertama, ketiga lanjutannya sudah bisa ditemukan di toko buku.

Novel ini memberikan pemahaman bahwa mereka yang dianggap sebagai dewa-dewi dalam mitologi berasal dari Ras Tertua—katakanlah, makhluk ciptaan Tuhan sebelum manusia meski apa yang diceritakan tidak disangkut-pautkan dengan agama. Bagaimana para makhluk kuno yang sudah hidup ribuan tahun ini beradaptasi dengan teknologi sekarang bisa jadi menggelitik. John Dee dan Hekate menggunakan ponsel, Morrigan utak-atik e-bay, Nick Flammel punya blog...

Deskripsi simpel dan langsung pada tujuan. Kalau kamu pembaca yang giat, merasa bertanggung jawab untuk menyelesaikan apa yang terlanjur dimulai, dan tidak banyak alternatif bacaan lain, novel setebal 503 halaman ini dapat ditamatkan dalam waktu singkat. Jika imajinasimu berteknologi CGI, gambaran dalam novel ini bisa jadi fantastis. Namun kalau teknologi imajinasimu belum secanggih itu, yang ada dalam kepalamu adalah tayangan FTV legenda ala Indosiar dengan pemain bule.

(http://debookbug.blogspot.com/2012/01/si...)

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About Michael Scott

Irish-born Michael Scott began writing over twenty-five years ago, and is one of Ireland's most successful and prolific authors, with over one hundred titles to his credit, spanning a
variety of genres, including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Folklore.

He writes for both adults and young adults and is published in thirty-seven countries, in over twenty languages.

Praised...more

More about Michael Scott...

Books by Michael Scott

The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #2)

The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #3)

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #4)

The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #5)

The Death of Joan of Arc: A Lost Story from the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

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Quotes from The Alchemyst

“OK," Josh said evenly, "I've seen men made of mud, I guess I can accept spying rats. Do they talk?" he wondered aloud.
Don't be ridiculous," Flamel snapped, "They're rats."
Josh really didn't think it was a ridiculous suggestion.” — 79 people liked it

“You must learn to heed your senses. Humans use but a tiny percentage of theirs. They barely look, they rarely listen, they never smell, and they think that they can only experience feelings through their skin. But they talk, oh, do they talk.” — 34 people liked it

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