The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Book 1

I had the whole series and loaned the first (this) one out. It hasn't come back so I ordered another copy. It is that good! If you like Harry Potter type tales, buy this! You will find yourself entranced.

The Alchemyst was fun to read. The characters were exciting and well developed. The story was based on some things known about real people and the story line was very well played out. Many unusual if not unbelievable aspects and abilities portrayed would keep most fantastic readers in to the finish. Which by the way doesn't end. More to come.

Full of Fantasy in the modern world--wizards/warlocks in the modern world. Great set of books. After finishing this one, I got the others as a set for my kindle ap. Then, got this one as a gift for one of my friend at work, she also loved it.

Michael Scott's writing takes you along on such a frightening, fabulous journey. Before I was half-through this book, had already loaded the 2nd and 3rd in the series on my Kindle. Although written as a "young adult" series, if you were a fan of Harry Potter, these books don't disappoint!

Now I have the introductory volume to this series of books. I'm very glad I decided to follow Nicholas Flammel on his own exploits. This is great adventure reading. Will re-read book 2 before proceeding to book 3 and all that follow. Definitely fixes my HP hunger!!! And then some. Now if these stories are given movie treatments, talk 'bout wild ride!!!

This is a great series of books that effectively weave mythology and the events in the books. I immediately got the next book when I finished the previous one. I picked it up because of the Sorcerer's Stone. Tangential to Harry Potter, but great in its own right.

Sophie Newman is at work when the world changes forever. Across the street from her, a sleek black car pulls up outside the book shop where her twin brother Josh is working over summer for Nick and Perry Fleming. Moments later the shop appears to explode, sending Sophie racing across the road to her brother and directly into the pages of history. For the owner of the shop isn't Nick Fleming but Nicholas Flamel, better known as the Alchemyst, and the Codex he has been guarding for centuries has been stolen by Dr John Dee, former magician to Queen Elizabeth the First.

Except this is happening in modern day San Francisco and Sophie and Josh have never dealt with magic before.

The Alchemyst doesn't stop, right from the very first pages the characters are given no opportunity to rest and neither is the reader. From meeting a 2000 year old Warrior Maiden who looks like a 17 year old girl to meeting the Goddess Hekate living inside the World Tree, the book keeps going and every page bring an ever increasing sense of danger and urgency to the storyline.

Characters from mythology and history are bought to life and fleshed out and set loose on the modern world, some hell bent on bringing about the destruction of humanity and some desperate to save it. Could Josh and Sophie be the twins of legend, the two that are one and the one that is all? Could these two teenaged humans have enough magical power within them to prevent Armageddon? Only time will tell, but the next instalments of this book will not come out soon enough.

It's rare to find a book that sucks you in so completely, even stranger to find one that sends you racing into other books to find out everything you can about the people in it. Every single character in The Alchemyst is real, apart from the Twins. From millennia ago to the recent past, names you've heard, names you'll know will leap out at you.

If you like mythology, history, danger, drama, death, sadness, love and above all, magic, you need this book in your life. Now.

This series is very well written and keeps the reader in suspence, waiting for the next book. Nicholas Flemel has never seemed so interesting. In a world where magic and alchemy collide, each of these books will recapture the readers attention and keep them on the edge of their seats.

Excellent!! This book is not just for young adults. It is a story for anyone who loves fantasy and magic. I am on book four now the Necromancer and cannot wait for the next episode.
Nicholas Flamel, if you remember was the creator of the Scorcerers stone in the Harry Potter books. I love the mythology, leegates, shadowrealms, Elders, Immortals and all the historical reference. You just have to read this book. Leave it to an Irishman!! Wonderful!!

Recommend for young teenagers. The writer is very graphic and detailed, which is good. However the book could be considered "long winded"! Great cliff hanger that really makes you need to go to the next book in the series.
I enjoyed it, but then, I'm going through my third or fourth teenage years!!

The concept for this story drew me in. The characters and execution of the plot drove me away. I decided to finally stop reading after about 2/3 of the way through (I should have stopped earlier). What struck me most was the character of Josh - one of the modern-day twins who are the focal point of the story. His reactions to events surrounding him, particularly his trust issues with Nicholas Flamel, fall completely flat and come across as entirely artificial. There's nothing that we learn about Josh to lead us to understand why he responds differently. As others have mentioned, he and his sister Sophie are strongly stereotyped teenagers with little depth to speak of. The most we ever learn about them is that their absent parents are archaeologists... as if this will explain every detail about why they're able to adapt to the magical events unfolding around them. It's ludicrous.

What's almost more silly is all the talk I've read in the reviews about this work filling in as a fitting successor to Harry Potter. Please. This work doesn't earn the author the right to spit-polish J.K. Rowling's shoes. Harry Potter starts with a wonderful concept, but is really about the evocative three-dimensional characters. There's NONE of that in the Alchemist. Unless you're under 15 and have an imagination that's able to gloss over or ignore the weaknesses in the writing, skip this one and be thankful you did.

The concept for this story drew me in. The characters and execution of the plot drove me away. I decided to finally stop reading after about 2/3 of the way through (I should have stopped earlier). What struck me most was the character of Josh - one of the modern-day twins who are the focal point of the story. His reactions to events surrounding him, particularly his trust issues with Nicholas Flamel, fall completely flat and come across as entirely artificial. There's nothing that we learn about Josh to lead us to understand why he responds differently. As others have mentioned, he and his sister Sophie are strongly stereotyped teenagers with little depth to speak of. The most we ever learn about them is that their absent parents are archaeologists... as if this will explain every detail about why they're able to adapt to the magical events unfolding around them. It's ludicrous.

What's almost more silly is all the talk I've read in the reviews about this work filling in as a fitting successor to Harry Potter. Please. This work doesn't earn the author the right to spit-polish J.K. Rowling's shoes. Harry Potter starts with a wonderful concept, but is really about the evocative three-dimensional characters. There's NONE of that in the Alchemist. Unless you're under 15 and have an imagination that's able to gloss over or ignore the weaknesses in the writing, skip this one and be thankful you did.

I chose this rating because it deserved 5 star rating, there wasn't really anything i disliked about this book. My wonderfull best friend had this book and i started reading it at her house, got to the middle of chapter 1 and put it down and came home a bought it lol seems weird but i would deffinitely recommend to others that are interested in this type of reading.

This book is perfect for those who enjoy myths and legends and magic. This book by Michael Scott is beautifully written and will please readers of all ages. This book will give you a new perspective on the belief of magic.

Certain phrases are over-used and can get annoying fast. Main characters are obnoxious and hard to like, but the villains and side characters are fascinating and are worth reading about. Second, third and fourth books get progressively longer and better in quality. The all-inclusive mythology is overwhelming at first, but once you accept it, it gets easier... and more interesting.

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) was a good book. It was a little confusing sometimes, and it said it happened in a few days, but it seemed like way too much for that amount of time. Other than that, it was really good. The characters were well-written, and there was a lot of action. I would recommend it if you like Harry Potter. There were a lot of mythological creatures. I liked it, and want to read the next book.

The first book in the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. The story lines draws you into it that you can put it down after you start. Michael Scott has created a master piece with this series.