#81 The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Twin brother and sister, Josh and Sophie, are planning on spending the summer of their fifteenth year working part time jobs in San 
Francisco. Then the used book store where Josh works is attacked, and the culprits are not exactly human. Josh and Sophie soon find themselves taken under the wing of Josh's boss, Nick Flemming, who is actually the immortal alchemyst Nicholas Flamel. Suddenly thrown into a world of deadly warriors, ancient gods, and powerful magic, Sophie, Josh, and Flamel must gain allies and work together to take down the dangerous villain, John Dee, who wants nothing more than to see the dark elder gods walk the earth again.
The Alchemyst is the first book in the series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, a very popular title at the library where I work. This is the main reason why I decided to give the audiobook a try. The Alchemyst follows a familiar formula. Our adolescent heroes discover the hidden world of magic that exists around them, and receive hints about the roles they are to play in the grand scheme of things. These trends and more will be immediately recognizable to fans of popular middle grade/young adult titles such as The Harry Potter Series, The Percy Jackson Series, and the Kane Chronicles. Unfortunately, these comparison hurt the book at first, as The Alchemyst can appear inferior by comparison. This is mostly due to characterization. Our heroes, Sophie and Josh, just feel so empty when the book begins. It's as if the author is so focused on creating typical teenagers, that he forgot that they also need to be interesting. Even the immortal scholar, Nicholas Flamel seems rather bland at first. As a result, even though there are plenty of exciting moments, the beginning of the book is not all that engaging.
Fortunately, the further you get into the book, the better it gets. This is mainly due to the book's worldbuilding. Similar to Rick Riordan's work, The Alchemyst exists in the world of gods and monsters, but Michael Scott has cast his net further, drawing from history (the villain, John Dee is a well known historical figure from the Elizabethan Era) and multiple mythologies. As our heroes are impacted by the world around them, they become more vibrant characters themselves, even Sophie and Josh. Many of the side characters we meet are worth the readers time. I especially enjoyed Scattach, an immortal warrior maiden stuck in the body of a teenage girl.
The Alchemyst may not be perfect, but it's worth sticking with. By the end of the novel, I found myself excited for things to come. Although the next book in the series isn't on the top of my to-read pile, I do plan on continuing the series in the future.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 375 pages
Source: Readfield Community Library, Overdrive Media Console
Other books I've read by this author: this is my first
Next I will be reviewing Madame Xanadu, vol 4: Extra Sensory by Matt Wagner and Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn
Xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
Francisco. Then the used book store where Josh works is attacked, and the culprits are not exactly human. Josh and Sophie soon find themselves taken under the wing of Josh's boss, Nick Flemming, who is actually the immortal alchemyst Nicholas Flamel. Suddenly thrown into a world of deadly warriors, ancient gods, and powerful magic, Sophie, Josh, and Flamel must gain allies and work together to take down the dangerous villain, John Dee, who wants nothing more than to see the dark elder gods walk the earth again.
The Alchemyst is the first book in the series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, a very popular title at the library where I work. This is the main reason why I decided to give the audiobook a try. The Alchemyst follows a familiar formula. Our adolescent heroes discover the hidden world of magic that exists around them, and receive hints about the roles they are to play in the grand scheme of things. These trends and more will be immediately recognizable to fans of popular middle grade/young adult titles such as The Harry Potter Series, The Percy Jackson Series, and the Kane Chronicles. Unfortunately, these comparison hurt the book at first, as The Alchemyst can appear inferior by comparison. This is mostly due to characterization. Our heroes, Sophie and Josh, just feel so empty when the book begins. It's as if the author is so focused on creating typical teenagers, that he forgot that they also need to be interesting. Even the immortal scholar, Nicholas Flamel seems rather bland at first. As a result, even though there are plenty of exciting moments, the beginning of the book is not all that engaging.
Fortunately, the further you get into the book, the better it gets. This is mainly due to the book's worldbuilding. Similar to Rick Riordan's work, The Alchemyst exists in the world of gods and monsters, but Michael Scott has cast his net further, drawing from history (the villain, John Dee is a well known historical figure from the Elizabethan Era) and multiple mythologies. As our heroes are impacted by the world around them, they become more vibrant characters themselves, even Sophie and Josh. Many of the side characters we meet are worth the readers time. I especially enjoyed Scattach, an immortal warrior maiden stuck in the body of a teenage girl.
The Alchemyst may not be perfect, but it's worth sticking with. By the end of the novel, I found myself excited for things to come. Although the next book in the series isn't on the top of my to-read pile, I do plan on continuing the series in the future.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 375 pages
Source: Readfield Community Library, Overdrive Media Console
Other books I've read by this author: this is my first
Next I will be reviewing Madame Xanadu, vol 4: Extra Sensory by Matt Wagner and Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn
Xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads