All I can say is that it is a very profound composition by a foreigner! It portrays the life of Santiago, in search for his purpose in the world. Learning the experiences from the different personas he met in different places. About making choices and taking chances in the pursuit of the heart's deepest desire. A portrayal of great miracles, memorable life lessons. This is a story that is worth laughing and crying for.

[found this from my multiply site, and yeah, it is still my review. kudos!] More...

I decided to read the graphic novel before reading the novel for various reasons. The main one being, I wasn't too sure if I would make it through the book in it's entirity. I am glad I chose to do this. I don't believe that this story should have been turned into a graphic novel. It had very little action and was very theological. These two things make for uninteresting cells. I did like the art (even if the the genders where very similarily drawn), and the story was a good one. I found that th More...

After reading “The Alchemist: The Graphic Novel”, I still felt the same way as I did at the end of the regular “The Alchemist”. Both made me twirl my invisible beard and go “hmmmm”. But even after reading both books, I’m still not sure how to uncover the magic of “The Alchemist” that has made it an enduring classic since the late 80’s when the original was released. I blame my parable overload on Sunday school.

And parable this puppy is. Loaded up with allegory and “lesson” stories from the Bible More...

What would you do to accomplish your dreams, especially if you knew they were attainable? This is exactly the delima facing a young shepherd boy named Santiago. His life started out as well taken care of member of a small family with good parents who wanted only the best for him. Even after his decision to become a lowly sheepherder over a more lucrative career is announced, his father still supports him completely. After an early morning dream one day leaves him questioning his choice he's led More...

I read "The Alchemist" book about a year ago and then my daughter picked up the graphic novel from the library and read it in an hour and told me I should read it, she had also read the novel previously.

So I read the graphic novel and I feel about it the same way I felt about the novel...I like it, but I do not love it. It is loaded with parables and bible references and nothing is really new and exciting, just a retelling of familiar Sunday school stories. Maybe I have had too much Sunday schoo More...

I've never read the original, so was unsure what to expect. I didn't really think the story lent itself to the graphic medium, or at least the way that it was recounted here which I did not really connect with. It seemed a bit lightweight, as if the author wanted to say something profound, but ended up not really being able to get very deep, relying instead on a hodgepodge of well-worn religious and philosophical ideas, with an unhealthy dose of New Age gibberish. The book was not particularly i More...

I was prepared to LOVE this book, but I didn't. I've read the novel and believe it to be one of the best books I've ever read and I was so excited when I found out the book's message had been translated into a visual medium.

The more I reflect on my reading of this book, the more I feel that the novel presents its message better. The language is rich and beautiful and the pacing allows for thoughtful reflection. Dedicated readers could breeze through a Coelho book, but to truly receive the messag More...

It was my second time to read a full-length comic book (the first one I've read was an illustrated version of The New Testament when I was in elementary, by the way). At first, I was having difficulties reading it since I am used to reading manga (Japanese comics), where images/dialogues are sequenced from right to left. ^^

I've never finished the original novel. For some reason, I've always been stuck on the part of the story where Santiago met the English man on the desert and found about the a More...

I had read The Alchemist before, in Spanish, a few years back, and I have to say I read at a good time in my life when, much as the book describes, I was in pursuit of my personal legend. So, when I saw there was a graphic novel adaptation of the book, I was very interested. I think the adaption by Derek Ruiz does a good job of bringing the novel to life for readers. The art by Daniel Sampere is well suited to the tale. The art is colorful, and it brings the setting of the tale to life. The grap More...

The sole purpose of Reading any book is to extract the Thoughts, Point of View and message which the author has tried to convey through it. "The Alchemist" is meant for all... But people who want to truly understand it, must open their mind. I have read the online text version of the book.

It consists of many stages in which the main character talks to desert, wind, sun, heaven, looks for Good and Bad Omens etc and these concepts are quite difficult to swallow. But as an omni-reader, when we imme More...

The graphic adaptation of the novel. I heard many good reviews of the book but didn't have the time or inclination to read the whole thing, so when I saw this at the library, I picked it up. The story of a Spanish shepherd boy who has a recurring dream of treasure and the pyramids, so he (with the timely assistance of a number of magical people, including the alchemist of the title) strikes off to live his "personal legend," a catch-phrase used as a mantra, with the theme that anyone living this More...

I didn't like The Alchemist (the novel). Felt like a long-winded patronizing tale on the author's metaphysical beliefs. I picked the graphic novel on a whim, believing that it would work better as a parable that doesn't take itself too seriously. I also thought that some of the imagery from the book would make for a nice graphic novel. I was not (too) disappointed: in its distilled state, the story is more palpable to me and I found the art appealing. However as you reach the last third of the n More...

Okay... I am cheating...I know it! This is another very popular novel that I can never find the time to read. When I saw it was out in graphic version I just jumped on it. In a way I am glad that I didn't waste my time reading the novel because (based on this version) I don't think I would have enjoyed it much. Books written like allegories (such as The Shack, etc.) aren't really my cup of tea. I found this to be somewhat entertaining but very, very preachy. By the end I was bored with his quest More...

This comic is an adaptation of a book. The comic is supposed to be inspirational, are supposed to lead the reader to understand that when they are acting within their "personal legend," the universe helps make it happen, etc, etc.

What a load of starry-eyed insidious nonsense. It's as bad as The Secret.

Aside from trumpeting a world view I believe to be harmful, it was hard to relate to any of the characters because they were written as allegorical ideas. Santiago is not a whole person, but a st More...

I have this book (the regular novel), but I hadn't been able to get into it. I thought reading the graphic novel first might help.

The first thing that struck me about the graphic novel is the amazing artwork. Each page featured colourful, detailed, mini-masterpieces. The story itself is both deep yet simplistic.

A shepherd called Santiago has a dream one night as he's tending his sheep. When he goes to the village to sell the wool, he meets a Gypsy woman and gets the dream interpreted. Soon after More...

I must confess, I never got through the novel, and I tried a couple of times. I was excited to get the chance to read it in graphic novel form. I won't say that it was a life changing experience, but I've done a lot of studies in alchemy and gnosticism. I can say that the alchemist is an important work of twentieth century spiritual literature. The graphic novel fails and triumphs, I believe, on the same weaknesses and strengths of the original work.

First, it's weaknesses:
1. The characters are More...

I have not read the original work by Paulo Coehlo, but it has been on my lists of books to read for a long time. This graphic novel was satisfying but I cannot say how it compared to the original. The story is archtypal. The lessons are deep and run throughout the text. An example of the text is... "The boy reached through the soul of the world, and saw that it was part of the soul of god. And he saw that the soul of god was part of his own soul. And that he, boy could perform miracles." As a lo More...

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was originally published in 1988 and has since become a worldwide success. It is the story of a boy, Santiago, who became a shepherd to travel but then sells his sheep to head towards the Egyptian pyramids and find a treasure he has dreamed of. Not knowing what the treasure even is, he is forced to rely on himself and his faith to get him through the journey and the obstacles he will face. However along the way Santiago encounters many people including a man who say More...

This was a very interesting tale of a young shepherd boy in search of himself. This was one of the first graphic novels I've read and I must admit I really liked it. I loved comic books as a kid and this is a fantastic way to introduce new or even reluctant readers to the joy of reading, as well as a treat for us "old-timers". Re-publishing classic stories such as this one into a different format will bring many new fans to the table.

While the story was very simple and at times, very predictable More...

Does this book just universally suffer from an awful translation? Every review I see in Arabic is five stars, and most reviews I see in English are one or two.

The graphic novel does not do much better than the novel, it seems; it's anachronistic and poorly plotted, and whoever edited the script should be fined by Publisher's Weekly for egregious copywriting. The concept of a "personal legend" seems designed for teenagers or young adults who have yet to be inspired and does not seem as though it More...

While I love the original book with all my heart, the graphic novel doesn't convey quite the same wonder & introspection as the acclaimed novella. From less than stellar art, to odd editing choices, the graphic novel adaptation doesn't live up to its full potential. The uplifting message at the heart of The Alchemist still shines through though, making this a "borrow from the library" kind of read.

The graphic treatment does add impact and help embed the message in the reader's mind, but doesn't improve the story. Still felt like there was something missing. I was reading this as if the "treasure" was supposed to be a metaphor for what a person wants most in life, yet the boy ends up with an actual treasure chest at the end of his quest. Seemed like a simplistic and strange ending to the parable.

I read the book years ago, so this was a refresher for me. It made many things more plain than the novel. I thought the drawings were well done. I still love the story!
My only complaint is that the women in graphic novels are always drawn too scantily clad and busty. There are only about five women in it, but it made me not want to hand it over to my teenage son.

The Alchemist is my all time favourite book. It's an inspirational parable revolving around what it takes to follow your dreams. I never tire of reading it and every page holds a literary hidden treasure and quotes good enough to be a Facebook status update.

However, I didn't think the book held up very well as a graphic novel. Much of the story is a narrative or internal monologue which runs through the entirety of the book and understandably this must have been really hard to turn into a feasi More...

I remember really enjoying The Alchemist. That was a while ago but I didn't enjoy the graphic novel nearly as much as the full length novel. The story seemed awkwardly laid out and there's not much action in the story to with. I would suggest reading the actual novel and only skimming through this.

I mistakenly selected the graphic novel version of The Alchemist, but decided to try it anyway. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story was mildly interesting, but I sense that I did not get a deep immersion into the story that was intended. There were too many vague expressions of life's philosophy (we should follow our personal legends) and not enough detail of action, characterization, description, analogy, history, background, and more. I will try the text version soon, to see what I More...

ایده و موضوعش حداقل برای اون زمان که خوندمش جالب بود. و شاید هنوزم هم هست. ولی شجاعت میخواهد.دنبال کردن رویا ها و به حقیقت رسوندن اونها. شاید یک روز دوباره بخوانمش.
این اولین کتابی بود که از پائولو خوندم.
و این بی شک یک اتفاق و حادثه نبود. روندی بود از پیش تعیین شده. مرسی از کوچکترین عمو.

Coelho, Paulo. (2010). The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel. New York: HarperCollins. (208pp).

One day a shepard named Santiago went to a gypsy. The gypsy told him about his personal legend. She said to seek his personal legend. She said he should travel to egypt to see treasure that will make him a rich man. So he sold his sheep went on his way.

Santiago began his tracks. He met his true love Fatima. He told her he would come back for her after his quest. His journey teaches him alot of life lessons. T More...

I read the English text version first, so my overall review is the same. However, I enjoyed the graphic novel much more. This may be the first graphic novel I've read. I found the illustrations really supported the text and I enjoyed the story more.

My experience may have been different if I had read the graphic novel version first. I already had the background knowledge necessary to understand the graphic novel. Would I have been confused without that background knowledge? Maybe. More...

I've never bothered to read the real thing, but I felt I had the time to read this. Even the pace of this bored me a little, but I guess it had some nice points. Still no interest in the real thing.