Dale's Reviews > The Alchemists' Council

I received an advance reading copy of this book.

What Masson has done here is extraordinary. She has created a fully-realized world (technically, three dimensions, but who's to quibble?) and then peopled it with characters who have hidden motives, ambitions, and agendas - wheels within wheels, so to speak.

The book takes its time in building a complex world and the result is one that reflects Masson's own training as a academic. Words and manuscripts are of paramount importance in this novel which centers on a rigid secret society who has long been charged with maintaining balance in the everyday world. But there are those who don't like balance and think that it would just be easier if humans didn't fool about with messy things like free will. Take that away and then perfection could be achieved. So the book turns a philosophical debate into driving action - are we better for our flaws or should others substitute their judgement for our own in the goal of making us "better"? (Note - as a Joss Whedon fan, I already knew my answer to that one!)

This is an entrancing book, which I highly recommend to everyone who enjoys intricate plotting and compelling characters in a fantasy setting.