The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Alchemyst

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. That's not a slight against the author, but I had read many reviews saying the book was only so-so and was lacking in substance and character development. Anyway, I actually very much enjoyed The Alchemyst. I wouldn't say it's in my top 5 or anything, but it makes the list of favorites. I enjoyed all the mythology, although I do think that perhaps there were a few too many myths and legends stuffed in without having too much of a point in being there. All in all though, as I am not a mythology expert, I found myself wanting to know more about the creatures described. So that's good. The story itself is an intriguing one, and I love the characters of Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. The characters I weren't too thrilled about were Josh and Sophie. It wasn't that I hated them, I just didn't LOVE them, nor did I care too much about what happened to either one of them. I just didn't get to know them. So maybe there could have been a tad more character development in the case of the twins.

Overall, though, the book was really fun to read and offered an interesting and engaging storyline. I found myself actually unable to put it down towards the end, which is good. I've bought the second in the series, The Magician, and hope that it is even better. Good read!

I knew I was hooked early on when I ran into my daughter's room and nervously asked, "You have the rest of this series, right?" To which she responded, "You know I have the rest of the series; you and mom bought me the rest of the series." To which I responded, "Right, right--gimme book two! And don't lend out book three to anyone--Wait!--gimme book three, too." I now have the entire series on loan.
Nobody blends mythology and folklore into present day narrative better than Michael Scott. And among his many gifts as a storyteller, my favorite is his ability to first deliver an incredibly entertaining chapter, and then end it with a wallop of a reveal--often delivered in a single, breath-snatching sentence. His did this so many times in THE ALCHEMYST that--when I KNEW I should be sleeping--I learned to page ahead to find out how many pages were left in the chapter I was reading, so I could stop reading for the night a good two pages before the end. IT WAS THE ONLY WAY. I operate very poorly when in sleep-deficit mode. (Word of caution: this method only worked about half the time. As I said, the chapters themselves are incredibly entertaining, and hard to put down.)
I can't wait to find out where Sophie and Josh are headed next. (Actually, I know where they're headed--because I read the book! Ha!) And I highly recommend you pick up this series so you can find out too.
Job well done, Mr. Scott.

The 14th century alchemyst Nicholas Flamel has the secret codex containing the recipe for the elixir of life hanging around his neck. For centuries, Dr. John Dee has been hunting for him because he wants that book. Dee has finally traced Flamel to his bookstore in 21st century California. He busts in, gets all but the last two pages of the book, and kidnaps Flamel's wife. Now the world is in danger because Dee plans to bring the dark Elder gods to power and they will enslave humans. When twins Josh and Sophie witness the crime, they get dragged into the mess. Along the way, they learn that, OMG, there's a prophecy about twins saving the world!

The most intriguing aspect of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is the overall worldview that Michael Scott has developed. His elder god mythology accounts for all the other known pantheons, numerous archeological discoveries, various myths and legends (e.g., vampires, ghosts, Atlantis), historical events (e.g., the flood, the great fire of London, the Irish famine), real historical figures, and even fictional characters such as Frankenstein. I've seen this done before and I think it's a fun idea and has tons of educational potential for its YA audience, but I tend to become gradually annoyed as the author continues to add more and more to it until it just gets messy. I groaned out loud when Excalibur showed up and then nearly turned off the audiobook when the Witch of Endor had a New York accent and claimed to have given humans both fire and the alphabet. I have to admit, though, that the thought of the Morrigan shopping on eBay is pretty funny.

Unfortunately, this world-building seems to be the main intent of the book, so the plot and characterization suffer. The characters are only superficially developed. We're told a lot about each of them, but by the end of the book it feels more like we've read their biographies than that we really got to know them. The plot mostly consists of running away, hiding, discovering prophecies, and suddenly gaining magical powers. It's predictable and lacks intensity and excitement. Instead, there's lots of dialogue and repetitive explanations designed to incorporate all of those disparate mythological and historical elements into the worldview.

The plot has other problems -- people just don't behave reasonably. It was hard to take The Alchemyst seriously from the very beginning when, after centuries of hiding the codex from Dr. Dee and after telling him it had been destroyed, Nicholas Flamel whips it out so he can consult it to cast a spell at Dee... What? You've had that little book around your neck for 600 years and you didn't bother to learn the spell you need to cast against the enemy who's been chasing you for that long? And then you whip it out right in front of him when you know he's stronger than you? Unforgiveable.

The Alchemyst is likely to be enjoyable for YA readers who like learning about mythology and history -- they'll learn a lot and perhaps their zeal will make them less prone to notice the shallow plot and characters. Adults with full bookshelves will probably be less satisfied. I read the audiobook version of The Alchemyst and found that the performance of the narrator, Denis O'Hare, made this book bearable for me. His delightful accents and inflections, and his genuinely serious performance, were entertaining. I hope to read more from him in the future

i'm going to say this with good intention: michael scott is no jk rowling. while the harry potter series effortlessly glide with your imagination while reading, this book (and the series) requires more focus and attention to details while reading. and because the pace of the story is quite fast it can be quite hard to follow the story if you're not paying close attention. hence, multitasking while reading this book is certainly not recommended.

having said that, this book is somehow captivating and intriguing enough to make you want to keep on reading. the charm of mr&mrs flamel and the bravery of the twins would make you want to know what happen to them, how they will get their power and how the story would end. so far i've read the first 3 books and i can't wait to read the next books.

Nicholas Flamel was the greatest alchemist of the Middle Ages. Records show he died in 1418. Yet his tomb is empty. Nicholas Flamel still lives! He discovered the elixir of life in the "Book of Abraham the Mage," the most powerful book that ever existed--that cannot end up in the wrong hands. But Dr. John Dee, another alchemist with evil plans, steals it. Only Flamel's friends, Josh and Sophie, have the power to retrieve it and save the world.

The Alchemyst is the perfect fantasy adventure novel for boys and reluctant readers. The story never becomes boring because there are so many unexpected twists and turns. It has everything from car chases and kidnappings to magicians and monsters. Fortunately, this New York Times bestseller is only the first in a great series.
--Reviewed by Veronica L. Hernandez

Summary: The story is a mess of disparate mythologies and histories. Pacing is too fast. Characters are underdeveloped and act unrealistically.

I wouldn't recommend this book to adults or young adults. It may work for children.

Full review:

The Author's Note says that all the characters (except the twins) were based on real people or mythological beings. Unfortunately, the author seems preoccupied with that idea and the result feels like a showcase. It lacks depth and leaves the book a messy amalgamation of disparate mythologies and histories.

The shallowness and lack of character development seem partly due to the cartoonish pacing of the novel, which moves very fast.

Events hinge on bad plot devices and ridiculous decisions by characters. As an example, Flamel finds help and refuge with the goddess Hekate, who ages every day in three phases, going from young to old. Flamel and Scatty know she is "incredibly sensitive" about her age. Though there is plenty of time to explain this, they leave Josh and Sophie in ignorance. This absurd choice is a clumsy plot device for Josh to insult Hekate and almost be transformed into "green slime".

On the positive, the prose and language are accessible and generally good. There is unnecessary repetition but that reinforces that this book is more suitable for children.

I bought this on my kindle, thinking it was Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist". Turns out, I should read the title more carefully instead of just jumping the gun.

After holding off for a week, to remove an unbiased opinion, I decided to read it. After the first few chapters I already knew where it was going. A semi-standard story about two teens being sucked into a world of magic and fantasy. This is fine if written right, unfortunately it wasn't written brilliantly.

Lots of repetition is used, with lots of pokes at current generation technology and their use. I guess this is to confirm that yes, this is based in a modern day and age. However one or two times would have been enough. We get it, they use e-bay, they have iPods.

The use of sensory is also very basic. At one point they describe magical powers as "Smelling like oranges." Along with the fact that the magic is the color, you guessed it, orange. Enough to get the point across, however nothing very exciting either.

Michael Scott does know his mythology, I will give him that. He knows his gods and his monsters of many different world mythologies. All of this is great, however it needed to be executed in this story better. The only parts that interested me were really the mythology parts of it, which is pretty much pre-written material used in another work.

All in all, 2 stars. I didn't enjoy it, but I wasn't appalled by it either. I also think it has something to do with age as well, children and young teenagers will probably enjoy this more than an older crowd.

I was at first a little daunted by the size of this book, so I put it aside for awhile until most of my students had finished the whole series and I was left behind. When I started to read (and listen) to this book, I was not immediately intrigued. It was very slow to catch my attention and I'm still not particularly sure that I care about the characters. Here is a brief summary of the story:

Nicholas Flamel and his wife are immortal because Nicholas unknowingly purchased The Codex from someone early in his life (over 500 years before the story begins). The Codex describes many secrets from the elder race, including prophecies and alchemical recipes. Anyways, the elders want this book so that they can take over the world. They have commissioned Dr. John Dee to get the book from Nicholas. So, on a summer afternoon, Dee goes after Flamel in Flamel's bookstore. Josh, a clerk from the bookstore, and his twin sister Sophie, attempt to help Nicholas and his wife from the seemingly mad man that is trying to steal and kill them. No good act goes unpunished, so Sophie and Josh get caught up in this mess. Dee ends up with most of the book and Flamel's wife. However, Sophie and Josh could be a set of twins that are prophesied about in the Codex. The battles begin as Flamel tries to train and protect the twins, while also trying to get the book back from Dee. Flamel enlists the help of some of the good(ish) elders and destruction flows through the rest of the book. Are the twins really magical? Is the prophecy correct? How many people can actually survive their exploits? Now, you have to read it and find out.

As I mentioned, I was not really into the book. The action was intriguing. There was a lot of movement and the book never really slowed down, but I never fell in love with the characters. I don't believe that Scott made them overly interesting. The elders are described in more depth than the twins, and the twins are really the focus of the book. It made it hard for me to buy into the book when I didn't care one way or the other if the main characters made it through. Also, there is a bit of conflict within Josh that I think could have been explored further. It may have made me want to read the next one more. I will say that the best part of this book is the mixing of mythology. The elders are all basically gods from ancient times. They are intriguing and the back stories that are slipped in here and there are fun to examine.

My student's have all enjoyed this book, so it is not a total loss for me. I believe that the constant adventure pulls a reader through regardless if they feel the same about the characters as I do. The magical fighting is creative and described very well. I think my favorite part comes towards the end after a major magical battle. Scott includes a quote from the local newspaper from that town and explains the attacks. It just made me laugh to see how the truth is changed in media even in fiction. This book is best suited for children ages 11 (if they are a strong reader) to 16.

I could not get into this book. It could be that it was just not the right time to read it, that's happened where I've put a book and couldn't get interested and then a week later I pick it up and can't put it down.

"The Alchemyst" is the first book in a new series called The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. It introduces us to the twins Sophie and Josh Newman who are destined to be the deciding factors in a possible war between "Humani" and the so called "Dark Elders". The elders are made up of well know figures from mythology such as Hecate, Bastet, and the Morrigan. The Dark Elders have broken away from their brethren because they have never forgiven the Humani for discovering cold iron which led to their forced retreat from the modern world. Aiding Sophie and Josh are Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle. One of the things I loved about this book was the mix of mythology and factual historical figures and events. In his afterward, Michael Scott gives us the backgrounds of Nicholas and Perenelle, as well as John Dee, who were all real life figures. I have to echo one of the previous reviewers opinion that the character of Nicholas seemed much more ineffectual than you would think, given that he is a centuries old Alchemyst and magician. Other than that though, I thought the writing was excellent and I loved the other characters, especially the twins. Although Sophie and Josh are fraternal twins, they still share a special bond forged from the many absences of their archeologist parents. They react to their world being turned upside down with a heart tugging mix of courage and vulnerability. The book also gives gives us a tantalizing glimpse into the forthcoming sequel, "The Magician". I look forward to it's release.

The Alchemyst is a great choice for readers who like books that start out with a bang - No really, it starts out with a huge explosion and the action never slows down. Although I enjoyed reading the Alchemyst, it is a pretty formulaic fantasy quest, save the world YA novel. Its plot is a little more complex than most in the fantasy genre, which I appreciated, but the characters are fairly one dimensional and predictable. Since formulaic and predictable do not bother fans of YA fantasy, the Alchemyst and its sequels are hugely a popular. Don't understand why the series has not been discovered by Hollywood.

An absolutely wonderful book, it engages on multiple levels, so many audiences can enjoy. Rich in symbolism and mythology, Scott has brought legend back to life through this story of unfulfilled destinies.

Nicholas Flamel (alias Nick Fleming) is on the run again. His arch-nemesis has found him and his wife, Perenell, in San Fransisco. But this time he must escape with two teenagers, twins, who were witness to the magical destruction and kidnapping of Perenell. With his immortality hanging in the balance, Nicholas realizes that these twins are foretold in prophecy and it is up to him to find a way to protect them, awaken their magical potential, and train them to defend against the encroaching evil of the Dark Elders.

I'm a huge HP fan which is what drew me to read this book. I was wanting to know what would happen next, but I wasn't thrilled with it all. Yes, I put my HP bias aside, I always do. The story was written so that the fast pace it should've been going happened. I want to move faster, but it never happened while reading. I'm going to give the second book a try in hopes that this changes.

I found this book to be pretty entertaining, though not particularly fantastic. As a Harry Potter fan, I do love me some stories about magic and mythical creatures and all that stuff, however there were several things in this book that were starting to irk me.

For one, I don't like the constant mention of Modern Stuff in the book. The internet and ipods and such, all of that seems so unnecessary. I get that he wants to show us that people like Flamel and his wife have adapted to modern day technology, but when it's mentioned in the books I feel like it pulls me out of the story. I don't think a book that talks about concepts such as Yggdrasill or Hekate should also have too many obvious mentions of laptops and ipods and goodness knows what else. They don't work very well in the same story for reasons I can't entirely put into words.

Secondly, Josh Newman is an intensely irritating character. He's the kind of character that is so wrapped up in thinking about how inferior he feels to his sister that he isn't of any help, even in human ways, to anyone around. He's almost a problem, what with Dee now obviously enticing him to join his side. There are some characters that can be written to be horrible and yet still enjoyable, but Josh is not one of them. Whenever he comes up, I want to skip to the next chapter. I hope this nonsense on his part will be resolved soon because I don't want to have to deal with it for the whole series.

Otherwise this is a pretty good book for magic fans, or fans of mythology. Michael Scott definitely has potential.

I keep flip-flopping between giving this 3 stars or 4. I enjoyed it, and obviously kept reading it. But I wouldn't exactly dub it a nail biter, nor was it difficult for me to put down and take care of other things (like my kids). So, in the end I decided to round up and give it 4. The thing I did thoroughly enjoy was the historical content within the novel. I love how he based some of the main characters from real people, weaving in mythological legends, then sprucing it up with his own imagination. I could see my boys really enjoying it in a few years, and it is a clean read without language, or innuendos. While I'm not rushing out to buy it now, I'll probably continue reading the rest of the series.

Two twins can change the world, but little do they realize their whole lives are about to change when Dr. Dee walks into the bookstore where Josh works. Sophie, who works across the street, senses something suspicious after watching the strange man.

After a magical fight that involves both siblings, they discover Josh's boss isn't exactly who he's claiming to be.

He is in fact the famous Nicolas Flamel, whose tomb lies empty. He and his wife have been on the run to escape Dr. Dee's clutches and hide a magical book, which holds more secrets than anyone imagines. When Dr Dee captures Nicholas's wife and part of the book, Nicholas reacts quickly. Since the twins have already been exposed, he allows them to accompany him as he sets forth to recover both Perry and the book.

Michael Scott pens the first novel in a new series with action-packed adventure and fantasy. Harry Potter fans will, of course, recognize the name Nicholas Flamel, but that's where the similarities between the two stories end. THE ALCHEMYST delivers a fresh spin on magic that is sure to please.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

The twins Josh and Sophie start out thee day as normal to find that people they know, they really did not know, and a sane mundane world is anything but. Soon they find themselves part of a ten thousand year old prophecy that may bring about the demise of the world as we know it.

Needless to say I was drawn in to this title by the name of Nicolas Flámel. Instead of a biography I found a story that incorporated many mythical creatures and historic events into a consistent chase of bad guys against good guys that covers many of the major world's well know landmarks mostly in California or off shore. My favorite character is the Witch of Endor only a grand daughter could love.

One warning is that this book is a true cliffhanger and of no use without the second book.

If you are a Kendal user then you may not want to buy any of Michael Scott's books until he authorizes "speech enable."

I would like to state here that I am 24 years old, female, and I love writing and reading other literary works. I have been an avid fantasy and sci-fi book reader since I can remember actually starting to read in the first place.

The Alchemyst is a very good book in my opinion. I picked up this book on a whim - I didn't actually expect to read this series past the first book, but I have been hooked and am currently on The Necromancer. I knew this was a YA book from the get-go, but the fact of the matter is that this book does NOT read like a young adult novel. The amount of detail that goes into the descriptions in this novel is not only thrillingly palatable, but it keeps you thinking about what is going to happen next. The conclusion of this story is still unclear, and I find that fact makes this series THAT much better - a predictable story ends up boring, and an unpredictable story makes me continue to buy the series.

If you enjoy Terry Brooks' Shannara/Knight of the Word/King of Landover series, Orson Scott Card's Sci-fi and fantasy (Ender's Game, The Enchantment), Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, anything by Katherine Neville (The Fire, The Eight), and Dave Duncan (The Knight's Blades series), you will probably enjoy this book. Michael Scott does an amazing job of weaving together mythological creatures/items with modern technologies and settings, putting together a story that is incredibly engaging.

The only bad aspect of this novel and series is the characters. The lack of characterization in certain respects can probably put off a lot of readers - if you are looking for a story that has characters like Twilight/Shiver (their characterization amplified by the romantic theme of the story), you will find this story sorely lacking. While the characters are NOT cardboard cutouts, their personalities and histories are not endlessly filled in with details supplied by the story. A reader will have to look hard to figure out who Josh, Sophie, and the Flamels are underneath all of the things that are happening in the story.

However, I would like to say this - if you understand that things are happening too quickly in the novel for ANY character to be properly fleshed out in ~300 pages, then you will enjoy this story for what it is, and you will get to know each and every person in time. This series requires patience in that regard, but that patience pays off - guaranteed.

A strong beginning to a seemingly endless series. I started this series thinking it was a fully contained story, then thought it was a trilogy, then thought maybe it was like other trilogies that grew longer than expected and spanned four books. Certainly it can't go more than five. Then I was so close I had to finish the series, it was like a terrible marathon I had decided to finish out of spite rather than any sense of need. I had to finish it via audio-book and listen during traffic so I didn't fall asleep. Too many characters, too many story lines, too poorly paced to sustain a seven part series. The first book is entertaining, but take my advise, do not slog through this series, the ending is not worth the effort.

My 11 year old granddaughter and I both read this book at the same time. It was great fun to discuss with her the constant perils of Sophie and Joshua - and of Nicholas and Perenelle...not to mention the thrilling exploits of the ancient gods and goddesses cmd to life. Led us into to some further research on Nicholas Flamel and on the connection between early science and "magic" - I recommend it as a fun kid pleaser and a lively discussion prompt. It also taught me a lot about what kids want in books - constant action!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy based on myth and legend. The story involves present-day 15-year-old boy-and-girl twins, Josh and Sophie, who suddenly find out that they are the only ones who can save the world as we know it; Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel (familiar to those of you who've read "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone"); Dr. John Dee, the chief villain; and an enormous contingent of characters from myth and folklore who, it turns out, are real (the Morrigan, Hekate, Bastet, the Witch of Endor, vampires, werewolves, et al.).

Nicholas Flamel has long had possession of the powerful Book of Abraham, or the Codex, which contains mystical secrets that have kept the Flamels alive since the 14th century. John Dee is the leader of the evil forces who steal the Codex. If it is not retrieved from them, our familiar world will be destroyed, and humans will be enslaved or used as a food source. This is the first installment of a riveting tale, written by an Irish authority on mythology and folklore, that will appeal to both kids and grown-ups.

The Alchemyst is a wonderful start to what I am sure will be an absolutely amazing 6 book series in total. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series has 2 books out so far and the third due out at the end of May 2009. This series contains magic, mythology, adventure and mysteries yet to be solved.

Twins Sophie and Josh, two ordinary teenagers in current times, find themselves in a world they thought they understood. They quickly learn that many mythological beings and people from history that are thought were long dead or never existed, are alive today with magical abilities. Guided by the 500 plus year old Nicholas Flamel, Sophie and Josh begin to learn that they are perhaps the twins prophesied about in an ancient book called the codex, which has been stolen from Flamel, by the devious Dr. John Dee. Flamel believes if he can awaken the twins magical powers and can get them trained in the elemental magics they may be able to find the codex and save the world from the dark elders.

I highly recommend this series to anyone, especially if you are looking to add a little magic and adventure into you life. The Alchemyst is a must read for all ages!

"The Elders had known the twins were coming, "the two that is one, the one that is all." One to save the world, one to destroy it. But which one is which?"

Sophie and Josh Newman are average 15 year old fraternal twins. They enjoy music and talking on the phone to their widespread friends, they get into movies and random books, they hold down summer jobs in California while their archaeologist parents spend their summer on a dig elsewhere. Sophie has a job at a coffee shop while Josh has a job across the street at a book store working under a couple named Nick and Perry Fleming. But one day a customer darkens the doorway and Nick and Perry are revealed to be more than they seem.

John Dee, the stranger, destroys the store by exercising something that Josh can only explain as being magic. He sends forth a few golem mudmen to do the dirty work for him, stealing two things that Nick finds most precious; a rare and ancient book of magic called the Codex (penned millennium before by Abraham the Mage) and Perry. Before he gets away though Josh manages to steal two pages from the book which prove to be the "final summoning" spell that Dee was longing for. After the drama Nick reveals to the siblings that he is actually Nicholas Flamel, born in Paris in 1330 and his wife, Perenelle, are immortal thanks to the Codex. Nicholas was, and is, a noted Alchemyst. Without the Codex Nicholas lost his ability to brew the potion of immortality and will die. But the book speaks of something else, a pair of twins destined to save the world, or destroy it.

Testing the twins abilities through their auras Nicholas decides that they are, indeed, the children of the prophecy. He enlists the help of the Elders, including a 2,000 year old Scottish warrior woman (who resembles a teenager) named Scathach, the Ancient Greek Goddess Hekate, and Scathach's grandmother, the Witch of Endor (from the Hebrew bible) to awaken their powers. The problem is that Dee has enlisted the help of a few nasty characters himself, including the Irish Crow Goddess Morrigan, an army of the dead, golems, a sphinx, and (of course) Egyptian Cat Goddess Bastat. With all of their respective minions in tow. Naturally.

To defeat the enemy and get back the Codex Sophie and Josh must cope with challenges the likes of which they have never seen. But how will two ordinary teenagers deal with things that have up until now been viewed as impossible mythology?

"She stopped in the middle of the street, and her tone abruptly changed. She looked at her brother and the tears she had no idea were there started to leak from her eyes.

"It's just too much, Josh. It's just too much. I feel sick and my head is pounding, my eyes hurt, my ears ache, my throat is raw. "

Josh awkwardly tried to put his arms around his sister to hug her, but she pushed him away. "Please don't touch me. I can't bear it."

Josh struggled to find words to respond. But there was nothing he could say or do. He felt so helpless. Sophie was always so strong, always in control; she was the person he went to when he was in trouble. She always had the answer.

Until now."

I read this book entirely too fast. I will have to read it again, slower, and much less grasping than before. The trouble is that the story is so gripping and rich that you have a hard time not reading it at breakneck pace. I am so excited that there is a new series out there that exhilarates me. The idea that there will be five more books in the future, plus at least one film of the first book, excites me to my core. This is one of those series that will now be known as "the new Harry Potter"... and with good reason. I can't wait for the next book.

I finally gave up my refusal to read the Harry Potter series and dove in nose first and was hooked on the genre. I found that I was hungry for more adventure and read the Percy Jackson series and became even more addicted! By the by, I've never tried drugs before but I guess when you're hooked... Anyway, I was looking for my next big read and came across the Nicholas Flamel series and have read the three books up until this point. Can't wait until the next installment. I need to find something else to occupy my mind until its release date. I've never been good at summarizing anything so I won't even try it. However, if you have a great appreciation for mythology and history then this is definitely a good read for you. Oh yeah, just totally bypass the age range.

Say anything you want about this book, it kicks off with a bang (nearly literally) from the first few pages and doesn’t let go till the end…or, actually, since it’s a series, doesn’t let go at all.

Nicholas Flamel is a man of many secrets. He’s an immortal alchemyst who has lived for centuries. He knows magic and is the keeper of the most important book in the world, the book of Abraham the mage. But twins Josh and Sophie know him as Nicholas Fleming, and he seems just a normal bookkeeper to them. That is, until they witness him in a magical confrontation with his ex-student, a powerful man known as Dr. John Dee.

From there, the twins are pulled along on a magical adventure through both California and unseen shadow realms, with witches, gods, sphinxes, and all assortment of magical creatures. At first, the twins are completely overwhelmed by this hidden world of danger and myth, but the more they learn about the book of Abraham, and the prophecies it contains, the more they come to know that their fates may be intricately tied with the fate of the world.

If you’re looking for in-depth characters and internal drama, this book might not be for you. If you’re looking for an adventure, a fast-paced ripping yarn, give this book a try, you might just get hooked.

After the ending of the wonderful Harry Potter series, I was looking for another series to get into, and I found this one quite by accident. While looking on the store.com for a copy of God Emperor of Dune, I found a link to this book. After reading the sample chapter on this site, I was hooked and wanted to learn more about this tale. From the beginning, this book really sucks you into its world, where you as a reader meet many of the people and creatures that we've all read about in mythology in a fun and delightful way. Before learning that there were six planned novels in this series, the first book really leaves you with that cliffhanger feeling. You care and WANT to know what happens to these characters. If you are looking to get into a really good series of books, I recommend it. I certainly can't wait to see what happens next.

I love this series! The cast of characters is amazing, Nicholas Flamet and Dr. John Dee to say the least. Plenty of mythical creatures make appearances, and people from the history books who turn out to be immortals. There is a prophecy that may or may not mean the end of the world, and one of the twins may turn to the evil side. This story is told from both the good side and the bad side, the chapters pretty much alternate views, so that we can see the motivations of both sides. The book is hinting that Flamel may not be a perfectly good character, and Dee may not be completely evil which is great! I suggest this book to fans of the magic/fantasy genre

The Alchemyst

Imagine you are a 16 year old kid trying to find his way in life. You have a twin sister and your parents are gone for the whole summer on an archaeology dig. You both just got jobs that are across the street from one another.Then you are attacked and you and your sister are thrown into this magical, wonderful, horrific, life threatening world. You want to leave but your thirst for magic keeps you there. And every moment you find yourself in danger. This is the world Sophie and Josh Newman are thrown into. This is the everlasting fight against good and evil which uses legends to help keep the story going. You won't be able to put the book.

The story begins with josh and sophie at work.Josh is staking books when a black limousine drives up and a strange group of men get out, gray-faced golems,that walk straight into the bookstore.The air smelling of peppermint and it's not from the coffee shop. Before Josh and Sophie have time to react they are being dragged along on this rollercoaster of magic so that they don't get hurt. Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, the twins bosses, are the twins trainers in magic.

In this book Michael Scott mystifies you with terrific word choices. He puts you on the edge of your seat with every action scene. He beautifully combines legends and myths with his and only Josh and Sophie are made up people. The rest are actual people, like Nick and Perry, and the rest are myths. This book is the first in a series and is the best of the series. It is an action romance with Nick Flamel trying to save his wife from the evil Dr. Dee.
all in all, this is a beautiful gripping read that anyone can enjoy. It has action romance and blends perfectly with the legends that are told. And the author makes you feel like you're right in the action.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It was well written. Many of the characters in it were historical or found in mythology with some fantastic parallels. This book has nothing to do with Harry Potter so if you are looking for any link there isn't one at all besides the philosopher's stone. I recommend this book for any YA readers, mythology readers, and that sorts. This also is a good teenage read. I am excited to get the next book in this series.

I have not fully decided how much I liked "The Alchemyst" I most likely won't know until I have finished the second book. I have read many reviews that said that the writing is awful and there isn't enough of Mr. Flamel. I feel that the story doesn't really center around the Alchemist so much as the twins, but he is there and present throughout the story, the twins are an important focal point though (at least in this book). There is a lot of mythology in the story, but as much as I love all mythos, I am not all that familiar with Irish mythology which what is present in `The Alchemyst'. The writing was ok, it wasn't horrible but I'm sure it could have been better. I am shocked at how many typos or errors were present, especially since this is a `popular book' with some funding behind the editing. I actually think that this book was a pretty good read, I always like seeing history kind of rewritten to fit worlds created by authors. The legend of the Flamels has fascinated so many for years; this story was an interesting twist to that old legend.

So, I judge books by their cover. That is the whole point of a cover design, to allow a buyer to get a feel for the book before they pick it up and spend their hard earned money on it.
This cover eluded to a world of beautiful mystery and colorful plots and characters and a memorable journey. I had high expectations for it.

What I found was a mediocre plot and characters that did not stand out in many ways. The dialogue was simple. The plot was trite. The character development was forced. At times, to show how a character felt, the author just told us: He was angry. He did not trust that man. And things like that. I was force fed emotions when I would rather see them slowly develop and come out in ways that is true to the character. That is hard to do when characters do not feel textured enough.
The author also repeated the same descriptions throughout the book.

After I fought the urge to just put the book down and stop reading, I found I enjoyed the story even though it was not as creative as I originally thought it was going to be. The plot really surged forward and never stopped, and we went along with the characters in a moment by moment type of style that one normally finds in action or detective. This is a combination of action and fantasy (not the action like people fighting wars, but the action where the main character must keep moving constantly).

I did enjoy the mix of modern and mythology.
To sum up, it was like a children's version of American Gods by Neil Gaiman without the sex and violence.

Good read, but not the best.
This is not a kid's book that adults would really enjoy reading.

This is a Young Adult book that is DEFINATELY for young adults. Being in my mid twenties (ish) I know that instead of complaining abo this book, I should get on with my life and read the "serious" stuff all the grown ups rave about. That being said, me being an avid reader of YA, sci-fi and fantasy, I was thrilled about this series when I discovered it. So far I have read 4 of the 5 books that are out, and although they are somewhat enjoyable to read, they have way too shallow a plot and half-baked characters that are just blah. The bad guys are childishly evil and the good guys can't seem to make up their mind on why they're good (I think this is the author's bleak attempt at character depth).
To sum it up, I gave it 3 stars and not two because I really like what the book is about, and the fact that they are a portal that allow you to travel to a simpler world full of magic and adventure. It's a shame the book is aimed at tweens; had the plot been a bit deeper it would have made for a true keeper.

I cannot express how much I enjoyed this series.

It weaves history, multiple mythologies from around the globe and throughout the ages, science fiction and fantasy against a modern-day backdrop filled with teen twins searching for their place in the universe, with fantastic results. It introduces you to historical figures drawn into the modern world, but without the time-travel shock of other stories that try to do the same. The action moves steadily, at a swift pace, building and building to a supernova-type climax, while the twists and turns keep you guessing about what's coming next. The diversity of characters - from Dark Elders to Next Generation, immortals to mortal humani - draws sharp contrasts while also blending the lines between the races. And it's hard to categorize 'good vs. evil' when the distinction between the two keeps shifting.

While Sophie and Josh, the two main characters, are a bit weak in terms of character development, the supporting cast is so strong that they more than compensate for this one shortcoming of the series.

Heartily recommended reading for all ages!

when I read a supernatural book I love books that have everything from vampires to sea monsters, to ancient greek gods, and then throw in history characters Billy the Kid, Shakespeare, Joan of Arc. Really what is not to love about this series, In the first book you are introduced to Nicholas Flemel his wife and the twins along with the villain of the story! It is suspenseful from the beginning to the end. Make sure you have the second novel handy you won't want to wait.

This is one good read! The legends are a little hard to keep up with if you don't pay close attention to what you're reading. Josh is hilarious as a loose cannon of sorts; he just has moments of outbursts that nearly get him killed. Sophie is sweet and I love how protective she is of her brother. The only question left is who's lying; Nicholas or Dee?? I was mad Josh even considered trusting Dee, especially since it would basically mean abandoning his twin. Can't wait to see what happens next!!

This book was very disappointing to me. I was extremely excited to read it and had heard some great things about the entire series so mabey my expectations were simply too high but I don't think that is what the problem was. Unfortunately I'm obsessive compulsive with book series and cannot stop reading no matter how bad the book is. I not only have to finish the one book, I have to finish the entire series! If it was not for this I would have put down the Alchemyst series half way through the first book! But me being me, I am now on the fifth book. And they don't get better after the first! The main problen in my eyes is that Michael Scott fails to develop his charicters. There are sooo many main charicters and way too many secondary charicters. instead of really focusing on a few main people and some secondary charicters that were central to the plot so that we as readers could really get to know the people we are reading about he just added way to many people and lost out on who they really are. To add insult to injury none of the charecters are even remotely likeable! You don't want to route for anyone because you really do not have an emotional attachment to them! To Scott's credit he really did a lot of reaserch. there are so many mythical people and creatures that I was on google looking them up constantly but it just goes back to the main problen of way too many charecters! The next biggest problem is that there are a lot of epic events that are taking place in this series yet they take place in a few days so nothing is portrayed in the light and weight that is deserved. Something that should take place over the matter of at least months and is supposed to b extremely dangerous happens in literally one hour in this series! It makes the whole thing pretty unbelievable and cheesy! When I read sci-fi/fantasy books I want then to be able to take me away and make me believe that this alternate reality (especially when it takes place in modern times on Earth) could be real and could actually happen! This series just did not do that for me and I find it to more of a waste of my time than a good way to spend my time!

Twin 15-year-old siblings Sophie and Josh Newman meets Nick Fleming, actually Nicholas Flamel, a 14th-century alchemist who can turn metal into gold. From the get-go, the book is full of action that takes the twins across the world, meeting werewolves and vampires, fighting evil in order to save the world. Preteens to adults will enjoy this action adventure with an intriguing premise. Pacing is just right and the characters (although not as in-depth as other young adult characters) are likable and engaging. I will be reading the next books in this series.

It's a very thin soup relative to say, Harry Potter. Both have kids, magic, adventure... But this author talks AT the reader way too much, causing me to skip pages of dull narration, and the characters stay rather thin as well. There are some fun ideas, a little myth here, a little history there, but this should be a western: it just moves from shootout to shootout. Disappointing book.

Not the most original plot in the world, which is why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5. Let's face it, similar storylines have been done before. Twin brother and sister discover they have untapped magical powers and have to be trained by immortal alchemist Nicolas Flamel and his sorceress wife Perenelle to save the world from another famous immortal magician, the evil Dr. John Dee. Reminded me a bit too much of PB Kerr's Children of the Lamp series.

That aside, I enjoyed the book. Scott clearly spent a great deal of time researching various points of history, legend, mythology, and folklore from cultures across the world and did a wonderful job of weaving them all together to lay the foundation for this story. The heroes are likable and the villains properly loathsome.

I enjoyed that Scott wrapped up the events of this story in a fairly tidy way, inducing anticipation of the next book with some notions of what might happen next without an abrupt cliffhanger.

Looking forward to book 2, but not foaming at the mouth for it. Hence the 4 stars.

The story just drew me in and left me gasping for more. This story pivots around twins, Sophie and Josh Newman and how they get sucked into the world of immortals and legend. Josh is working for Nick Fleming in his bookstore when the bookstore is invaded by Golems, his sister works in the coffee shop opposite.

Because they both have seen things they shouldn't, and accidentally ripped two pages from an ancient book of power, they have to flee with Nick, who turns out to be Nicholas Flamel. They discover that some of the people out of legend are still alive, as are many of the Gods. Nicholas' wife is kidnapped and nothing will ever be normal again.

It's interesting, fun and a wild ride. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

This was such a great escape read...and I can't wait for the next book. Poised and powerful writing but done so subtly to let you enjoy the ride. It's like walking out of the triple flip roller coaster that you didn't know you got on...still trying to catch your breath, and find something to hang on to. A great story. Dr. John Dee's smell jumps out of the book everytime it is mentioned and that menancing odor as well as the others that are referenced make the story familiar and alive. The emotions are so simply described that it is difficult not to feel them and build from that which makes the story better. The mythilogical references make the story believable even though it is a work of fiction.

I don’t even know where to start. There may be minor spoilers, I’m really sorry about that.

Frankly, I very nearly DNFed the book. It was a close call. I probably should have, but I always feel bad about DNFing – what if it gets better? In the end I really did want to know how the plot goes on, but if I’m honest with myself, I wasted days on a book I didn’t enjoy. The plot was alright, I suppose. I wouldn’t have put the book on my TBR if I hadn’t been interested, after all. After all it is called The Alchemyst, so you bet I’m interested. Alchemy? Hell yeah. It didn’t quite turn out that way. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be. For one thing I thought it would be set at some point in the past. I don’t know why, but it was ages ago when I put it on my TBR, so heaven knows what I had been thinking. Turns out that the book is not set in ye olde times, but that was fine. I was cool with that. And it started out fine too.

There’s Sophie, who works in a coffee shop, and Josh, who works in the bookshop across the street. Sophie observes something shady going on while talking to her friend. It started out great! – But it didn’t continue that way. If the author wouldn’t have specifically said that they were 15-year-old twins at one point, I would’ve pegged Sophie for early twenties, and Josh for about six years old considering his behaviour. There’s Nick Fleming – Nicholas Flamel – who owns the bookshop Josh works in over the summer.

And then there is a whole lot of mess. The story was alright-ish, but it felt very choppy and just randomly put together. There was a golden thread but it might have just been coincidence that it worked.

In general I enjoyed the idea of this book, but reading it was very very exhausting. It took forever for me to get through certain parts because I just didn’t care and everything was just so boring and unnecessary. After the halfway point I just gave up and skimmed the rest until I was done because I just couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t want to trash this book, but there were so many things that bugged me. For example, the author kept calling characters by their full name. Now, that’s okay if you have 47 different Joshes and Sophies milling about, but that was not the case. It wasn’t necessary to literally keep calling them “Josh Newman” and “Sophie Newman” – at all. I kind of couldn’t ever forget their names after the first five times, thank you very much.

“That is just vile.” Josh Newman stood in the center of the bookstore’s cellar and breathed deeply.
—–
And in that instant, Josh Newman realized that the world would never be the same again.
—–
Fleming tossed another invisible ball into the corner of the room. Josh Newman followed the motion of his boss’s arm.
—–
“I’ve been practicing, John,” Nick Fleming said, sliding toward the open cellar door, shoving Josh Newman farther down the stairs.
—–
Josh Newman nodded; he knew the shop.
—–
Josh Newman waited until Scathach had rounded the end of the corridor before turning to his sister.
—–
Josh Newman jerked open the door of the black SUV and felt a wave of relief wash over him.

IS THERE ANY OTHER GUY NAMED JOSH IN THIS BOOK? IS THERE?! NO, THERE ISN’T.

Aside from that the characters were just very wishy-washy. I liked Scathach, she seemed to be the only sane person in a pile of people I couldn’t possibly make sense of. Flamel is a bit like a Dumbledore figure, except that he doesn’t look his age – but he isn’t likeable like good old Dumbles. I just found him very shady. Josh is an obnoxious teenager who thinks he’s the smartest but doesn’t know when to shut up. Of course he suffers from jealousy later on. Sophie is… around. That’s it. She’s a plot device. That’s all there is to her. Occasionally she shushes her brother, but in general both kids are mostly just plot devices. Unless there is something for them to be doing plot-wise, they’re just standing around. Sometimes literally.

The adaptation of myths in the book started out great until it was just as if the author had taken literally every mythological thing he had ever heard of and just stirred it all together. Arthurian legend. Norse myth. Egyptian myth. Irish myth. Flamel himself, of course. It’s all there. I don’t mind that it is, but there wasn’t much of a connection between them and I for one would’ve enjoyed actually reading a paragraph or two about why the heck two or three gods from different myths are apparently the same guy. Or something like that, I’m not sure I actually understood most of this book. It’s all tell and no show at all, I’m afraid. Then there’s the repetition of certain things. Yes, thank you, I got it the first time when it was said that the twins’ parents are archeologist. Again, thank you, I really did understand it the first time when it was mentioned that if you died in a video game you could just start over and real life was nothing like that. I got that.

Add to that the constant name dropping of certain brands and I was eerily reminded of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Sorry, but listing five different video games, a tv show and a film that your character likes doesn’t give him a personality. Nor do I really care whether or not the bad guy has the X-Files theme as his ringtone. Amazing, I know. What is also amazing is that this is set in 2007 where good old Sophie Newman uses a bluetooth headset to phone her friend, but her brother has to use Altavista to figure out the spelling of Scathach – and then once he knows that he moves on to Google so he can get to Wikipedia. Uhm. Right. I doubt somebody as versed in the ways of modern technology as Josh Newman would actually use Altavista, even if it is 2007. I mean, come ooooon. :( All the random name dropping and brand dropping just irked me a lot, because it wasn’t necessary at all. Nor were all the myths necessary. It just gave me a feel of a slightly altered Rule 34: If it exists, it will be in this book. Except for Harry Potter. Those books clearly do not exist in this universe (why? The Simpsons and The X-Files and Shrek and Myst and X-Men exist as franchises, but Harry Potter doesn’t?) because these kids have never heard of Nicholas Flamel before.

All in all it was a very disappointing read. It had so much potential – magic, alchemy, Nicholas Flamel, Elder Gods, Irish myth! But it just wasn’t polished enough. Even the ending was disappointing. I suppose it’s meant to be a cliffhanger, but it just felt like it randomly stopped. I know that as a reader I’m meant to be intrigued for the next book (there are five sequels, holy banana boat), but I’m not sold on it, unfortunately.

I wanted to like the book and I know lots of people do, but it was just not for me and I wouldn’t recommend it either.

I picked this up at my son's book fair thinking that it would be a fun read given his interests in chemistry and history. I turned out to be the one who got hooked. While the writing itself is basic the story is engaging and fun. I find myself wanting to return to it to see how the last cliffhanger resolves itself. It's an engaging book that can appeal across a variety of ages. I'm looking forward to the sequels.

Let me start by saying that I have read all of the Harry Potter books about a dozen times each(no exxageration) and liked them all, and I have found this series to be better for many reasons,some of which I will now list.

- All of the characters(excluding Josh and Sophie) are real.

- I found the writing style to be less childish.

- It introduces you to many of the world's lesser known myths.

- The plot too is much less childish, (instead of dealing with just one overblown freak baddie,you deal with many,and the baddies in this are much more sinister.)

- They only go to real places, so you can go to google earth and follow their very footsteps.

For all the above reasons, and many more, I would recommend this series over Harry Potter.(And I am speaking as a 14 year old, name Coco Jumpylumps.)

Within just a few paragraphs it had me sucked in. I'm not going to nit pick whether or not Orjai had any civil war burial grounds or not because i have no idea..the scene he paints in the fights are so vivid and intense(to me) that I cant wait to complete the series.. Yes its a "Teen fiction" but I think that some teen fiction is better than adult..plus im only in my mid 20's :)
If you liked the Loren Legacies you will really enjoy this as well..it really reminds me of it

This book begins well enough, and the writing flows at an OK pace - I agree that there is some OVER mentioning of things through out the story, but I guess i started to tune out certain parts of the story to go along with the major part of the tale - I enjoy the amalgamation of Myth and History in a modern day - I enjoyed the read but I did not LOVE it - I may continue to read this series at a later date, but only if I can find the next few books cheap and used - this is not worth the newsstand price in full - however, it was entertaining enough to finish, I just do not feel like there was anything new offered - just a story with others myths thrown in with a new twist, in that they are "real" and what-not - over-all, I give it a three out of five due to being different, just not "unique".

I was actually a little turned off by the cover, it made me think that the book would be all about stodgy boring spells and incantations but it really is a very action filled book. The base of the story is that 15 year old twins are present when nicholas flamel's book is stolen in front of them and they are able to retain 2 pages. The rest of the book is an extreme adrenaline rush as they and nicholas flamel try to evade the "dark elders" who are trying to complete the book to destroy the modern world of mankind. The chasing and running and magical battles are very spellbinding and more than make up for some of the threadbare explanations and details in the book. The excitement kept me glued. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next chase and magical confrontation in the next book.

My daughter (9yrs.) and I both read this book. It is a great story and although an easy read for adults, its very good for tweens. There is the whole magic element and fantasy battles, but no inappropriate language or sexual content, which is hard to find in children's literature today. The story itself is a lot of fun with interesting folklore, mythology, and fantasy abounding with two kids summoned to save the current day world. I, as an adult, enjoyed the story and found it mysterious, adventurous, alluring, whimsical, and wonderfully written.

So far, as I have read into the book in the earlier teaching or earlier writings their is a secular misunderstanding of the placement of the book. It has a little bit misunderstanding of the scenes. Are they in a tree house? Are they in a car? They stay very consistent with the character development. However, the earlier writings in the book really haven’t depicted the true meaning behind the actual characters.

As I have already read, they talk much about were boars and other creatures, hopefully setting up a plot later on the will thoroughly describe more climatic action in the later writings.

The talk , of the car scene and the tree really give a great Harry Potter feel of the book.
As it stands in the book, “The SUV rolled into the bushes and trees, and for a single instant everything went dark and chill, and the air was touched with something bittersweet like burnt sugar . . . and then the path appeared again, curving off to the right.”(pg.108). This scene alone resembles mostly of what happened in the movies. It’s very true telling.

Thus, far as you get past chapter eighteen, you start to really, reach a climactic experiences. What first feels like scrambled texts, in the earlier chapters and also through chapter ten through fifteen, ends up becoming quite elusive. Almost as if sipping a potion that transcends the reader throughout a time travel from various location. This is really were the part of the book speeds up. So far as to the battle of multiply goddess and warriors. Very translucent to Game of Throne and later writing of Guild Wars.

Perenelle’s character development is very complex. She is very confident, direct and also sincere, as the plot thickens. Flamel’s character build very slowly, which i thought was very outgoing for the author to build such a developmental character, in hopes of the book series to later implore as the book gets closer to the end. We also learn a lot of Flamel's actually teachings and practices that later brings him to the form of character that he posses and the powers onto which he creates amongst Perenelle and the Twins.

There is further descriptive teaches of this book that make for great climatic teaching of what would appear to have come out of a video game, such as “They’re burning the World Tree”. This alone gives a good sense of James Cameron's Avatar.

My overall thoughts on this book, are very delightful. I definite read for those whom enjoyed, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Harry Potter. Nothing to different from those books; however there is some transparency and qualities that this book has that the others do not carry in their writings.

This book was incredible! I really enjoyed it and will definitely be continuing the series!

I highly, highly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys fantasy books. I will definitely be getting the rest in the series soon!

I couldn't figure out a succinct way to summarize this book so I recommend checking it out on Goodreads.

I recently read this book, and I must say that it wasn't anything like what I expected. First, I expected it to be a fantasy in the regards to castles and knights, taking place during Flamel's life. It doesn't, and that isn't a bad thing. I love bridging the gaps in history and legend to that of the present. Second, being found in the YA section, I expected a bit higher of a reading level. Once again, it isn't a bad thing. There are some questionable parts, but, if you keep in mind that this book is more for the really young YA (readers that young generally don't over-analyze like older ones, or English majors, for that matter), it is quite enjoyable. The incorporation of not just one mythology is great, especially the explanation of how different areas had similar gods/goddesses. It also delves into the paranormal, giving an explanation to those myths as well.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick read, or for younger readers that have finished the Percy Jackson series but aren't ready for Harry Potter (or haven't read PJ). I see it as a stepping stone into the more advanced young contemporary fantasy--it's a great starter book. I'm looking forward to see if the series will be as dynamic as HP or as static like PJ (static isn't bad--it makes for an easy read).

Happy reading!

I've been dying to get my hands in this book for a very long time.
And after reading six chapters, I couldn't help but to feel a huge pang of disappointment.
No matter how much I tried to get on with the plot of the story, I just couldn't grasp it thus making me put it down.

I love this book. It is a good idea if you or the person you are sending it to as a gift is over 12. (like it says in the description)Not because it is a gory book or has bad words, it doesn't, because you will get much more out of the book if you have some knowledge of mythology.I have seen tons of characters and creatures pop up in different stories because they are all referenced in mythology. If you like the Harry Potter series, books by Rick Riordan, and/or the Artemis Fowl series, this will be a good book for you.

Terrible, terrible writing. Couldn't finish it at all. This person summarized exactly how I thought, please read their well thought out review: http://www.the store.com/review/R3D2PMWLO8D1JC/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0385736002

What originally motivated me to read this book was the fact that it was about Nicholas Flamel from Harry Potter. And when I started into it my good attitude slowly started to fade. It seemed that there would be a really interesting part and then the next half hour would be really slow. Instead I would highly recommend Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger.

Blending actual historical figures with mythological monsters and pagan deities, the world of the Alchemyst blurs the lines of reality to the point of surreality. Potter Fans will remember Nicholas Flamel as a maker of the Philosopher Stone in Book 1 of that series. Well, let's say that in the world of The Alchemyst, Harry and Co. are popular fictional characters, just as they are in reality. Where as Nicholas Flamel is an actual historical figure, born in France in the fourteenth century.

This book, the first in a series of I believe six, throws you into the action with very little preamble. A magic battle, mud monsters, a legendary book, and a 2,000+ year old teenage warrior-goddess punk rocker (seriously) come into the story within the first few chapters.

Author Scott has set himself a nice playing field for subsequent books in this series. And while not as detailed as some other books in the genre, it more than makes up for it with lots of action. The story of Nicholas Flamel has five more opportunities to flesh out its world. I am looking forward to spending more time there.

BTW, my magic smells like liquorice.

The Alchemyst: The secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel started off with Sophie and Josh Newman working their summer jobs in California. Sophie, Josh's twin, worked at a coffee shop across the street from the local Book store. The book starts off with instant action as a black car pulls up to the book store, where Josh Newman Works for his summer job, and suspiciously enter the book store dressed in black.
This book is very interesting to read. This book is about 400 pages in the paperback version, and had a terrific story line. I have read many fiction books, and this series is probably one of my favorites. Michael Scott did a wonderful job adding detail and many interesting conversations to this series. I have read all of the series except for the last two books. While this book is rated for young adults, I think anyone interested in Harry Potter would be interested in The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Most of the negative reviews posted here I believe to be by older adults, not younger adults. If they looked from a different perspective, I think they would enjoy this book more. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a good fiction read. I would also recommend the other books in the series.

Just finished reading this one aloud to my daughter, 11. She complained that it was a cliffhanger. I suggested that she get the next book from the library if she wants to know what happens next.

A shrug. "Nah."

As an aspiring novelist myself (check back with me in five years or so?), I feel compelled to congratulate Mr. Scott on his prolific and well-rated work. Writing even the most basically coherent narrative hundreds of pages long is no easy feat. That said, I feel hollow having exposed my daughter to such a threadbare…no, to call it a tapestry would abuse the metaphor. Sigh.

If you came here looking for more Harry Potter, you won't get it: Rowling's a "planner," Scott, I'd wager, a "pantser." But will you like it? If you like flashy visuals with a hollow core—Michael Bay's Transformers comes to mind—then I suppose I could recommend this book. It was not for me and mine.

I rarely finish a book within one month, let alone one week. I find I have to MAKE the time to read and I'm just too busy. But this book kept me up late nights. I agree that the author had plenty of references to mythologies of different cultures; while one reader didn't like that aspect of the book, I thought it was fabulous the way the author made it all work together. It was like a giant (albeit fictitious) explanation of how all myths are connected.

Why didn't I think I'd like the book? I'm 46. Most of the books I see teens reading (such as the whole Twilight series) bore me after the first page. Been there, done that, yearned for him and he broke my heart... yadda, yadda, yadda. This book was different. I think boys and girls (and adults!) alike will love it! I can't wait to read the next one!

I have greatly enjoyed reading this series of books. I picked up The Alchemyst on a whim while at the bookstore, and haven't been able to put these books down since! I just finished The Sorceress and can't wait to start the next one. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys children's/young adult fantasy. These books aren't a hard read, and have plenty of action to keep readers of all ages engaged.

The world building is well-researched and creative. The adventure is fast paced. However, the characters are only good, not great. I would have liked to see the noble side of Josh--mostly he complained and sasses people. And I'd have liked to get into the head and heart of some of the immortal helpers of the twins. They weren't super-relatable. But it was fun to read and I'll read the second book.

This book contains loads of shallow erudition -- the author paying lip service to just about anything he thinks is neato. I spent so much time rolling my eyes that I got a headache. Still, if I had a clever adolescent reader in my family, I would give him or her a copy of this book, because it might inspire further explorations into history.

I have an extremely advanced reader(she is 7yrs old) and it can be very difficult to find books she likes, this book did not disappoint, actually the entire serious was perfect. The story line was wonderful and fun, the character's were very well developed and we had a good sense of who they were and the roles they had, the action was wonderful but not gory or scary. We love these books and cannot wait for the last one to come out in may.

this in my oponion was one of the best if not the best books i have ever had the pleasre to read. and to think that it was my mom who had pressured me iinto it and i am already knee deep into the third book.not going to reveal spoilers but readers prepare yourself for a better book than even the hharry potter series. with so much action it is no suprise that they even have two video games based off the series.if you are to rea any book in your lifetime let it be this one. and dont critisize me on grammer because i am not an adult lie most others who take the time to write reviews. if i could i would give this book the largest thumbs up ever times 222222222222222222222.31154 to just begin my rant on how great this book is.

This is the first in a six book series by Irish author Michael Scott. A movie version also seems to be in production. When swinging over to the store to check out the ratings, I was satisfied with the high marks from over one hundred reviews, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Story overview:
---------------
In the modern world, Twin siblings, Sophie and Josh Newman (teenagers) work across the street from one other. One day Sophie notices shady looking characters entering the bookstore where her brother works. Among these characters is the underhanded John Dee, whose goal is to capture the owners of the bookstore along with a book that is definitely not for sale on their shelves.

This book is called the Codex, which unlocks many of the world's mysteries, including the secret to immortality. The owners of the bookstore are Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle (who both happen to be immortal, and very old). Dee manages to capture Perenelle and the Codex, but in the process Nicholas escapes with Josh and his sister Sophie. It seems as if all is lost, but then Nicholas learns that--during a struggle--Josh ripped out some of the pages in the book; making the important parts useless.

Once Dee discovers this, he pursues Nicholas, Sophie, and Josh to recover the missing pages. Why? Dee seems to be the representative of an ancient race called the Dark Elders, whose mission is to recapture the world from the humans, and somehow they need the book to do this. Nicholas, however, has other plans as he is convinced that these twins are part of an ancient prophecy. With the help of Scathach (a vegetarian vampire (yes, really . . .), and second generation Elder Race), the team goes on an adventure of discovery and retreat.

My thoughts:
-------------
OK, so I know this book sounds good. The ratings say it is good. But I had a hard time staying interested. Why? (1) The use of Third Person Multiple Points of View and Omniscient Point of View is jarring and disjointing. I feel as if the author was trying to get into too many heads. And really, I didn't care about John Dee; he was the bad guy, why did I always need to know his perspective? (2) It seemed to me as if there was too much needless information. There were a few times where I yelled, "I get it, you don't need to explain it any further!" Also, the actions of the characters mostly spoke for themselves, yet the author was always describing them, he described . . . everything. (3) Too much needless back story. A lot of it didn't seem to matter in the forward plot movement. So, my conclusion? I didn't like the writing style all that much. And the story itself didn't pull me in. But, that said, others did like it, so I suggest you see for yourself.

Things to consider:
------------------
There is mention of an old earth, as the Elders lived many years before man. Apparently men came from the apes and messed everything up. I know this is fantasy, but it does take place in the "real world" and more than subtly promotes the idea of evolution. That, and it highly promotes the modern idea that power comes from within each individual. These and other things mentioned in the story leads to me to wonder if the author's beliefs reside around the modern Humanist Manifesto. (Such as: "Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process." And that the universe is self-existing not created.) Just something to keep in mind. There's no real inappropriate language or sexual situations, and the violence level is fitting for this type of tale (and audience). The audience? Boys and girls, probably around their early teens.

James D. Maxon
Author of Traphis: A Wizard's Tale

I should have seen its for 13 year olds in the Audible listing, I could not find where to rate it in Audible. Its an adventure story, maybe not quite as good as the Harry Potter but definitely comparable. Its obvious the author knows nothing about REAL magic, the philosophers stone, or alchemy. But thats our culture, I was just looking for the real thing, having seen all of these first hand myself. Not really that hard to find with the internet actually, but beyond most people's comprehension.

THE ALCHEMYST is the first book in the "Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" series. The book introduces the story of a pair of fraternal twins (Sophie and Josh) who find themselves thrust into an epic and perilous struggle for ownership of a magic book of world-changing secrets, recipes, and prophecies. Nicholas Flamel, an alchemist (yes, I'm using the modern "American" spelling of the term), has lived for several centuries, protecting the book and using its recipe for the elixir of life to live forever. Now, Dr. John Dee seeks to usurp the book and its secrets for darker purposes.

The main plotline is fast-paced and fairly direct. Occasionally, with fantasy literature you come across books with complex, multi-threaded plots with so many characters, places, and events that the story becomes cumbersome and difficult to follow. In THE ALCHEMYST, Scott keeps the story uncomplicated, and even when the book darts between multiple locations and character perspectives, these diverging threads are still strongly linked to the central plot involving this "Book of the Mage."

The author employs a writing style that is easy-to-read, but also contains flashes of sophistication in word choice and imagery. It's a style that actually seems to parallel the juxtoposition of modern and magic in the story. One of my only complaints is that some of the "flashback" passages, where the author describes a character's history to provide insight into his/her thoughts or emotions, seem to be inserted rather clumsily into the story. Many of these nods to a character's past are just interjected abruptly in the middle of the main story's progression. I would have liked to see more thought and organization put into their presentation.

My other real beef with the book is that the ending is too much of a cliffhanger. There is very little closure for the reader, and I don't really think the book can stand alone as its own story. With all of the loose ends left after reading the final page, it's basically mandatory that you read the next book to see what happens next. I suspect this is a theme that continues until the final book.

History buffs will either love or hate the many references to historical figures, ancient mythology, and legends. The author puts his own twist on all of the references he incorporates into his book. Even main characters, such as Nicholas Flamel and Dr. John Dee, were real people in history. I personally thought that the references were fun, if a bit hokey at times. I will say that the author's knowledge of all of these people, philosophies, customs, and locations mentioned in his book is rather impressive.

Overall, I found the book compelling with lots of fun twists on historical references, but some of the clumsy execution and lack of resolution at the end of the book holds me back from giving it a higher score.

Reading this book lead me to Scott's others in the series. Fantastic plot. It sets the stage beautifully for all that came afterward. For me it was a page turner. In reading this as a writer and then the following books, The Alchemist clearly showed how to lay a base that can explode in even better, later work. As somehow who has worked extensively with teens, I can see how they would be enthralled.

The Alchemyst had a lot of potential, but suffers from quite obviously being the set up to a longer series. It was frustrating that I read 300+ pages and none of the conflicts were ultimately resolved. Every time that it looked like we were going to get some answers or some closure, more questions come up and it was just a hair-pulling experience. In fact, it was so disappointing that, rather than wanting to read the sequel to find out what happens, I am left eeling like the rest of the series won't be rewarding.

Furthermore, though the mythology kitchen sink has the potential to be interesting, stealing a bit of this and a bit of that left the mythology feeling kind of haphazard and shallow. Scott obviously knows what he's talking about when it comes to myths and legends, but they could have been used to better effect.

Also damning was that the characters felt rather flimsy and tallow. It was hard to get invested in any of them. Overall, the effect of the book was one big "meh," but I read the whole thing and didn't hate it, hence two stars rather than one.

alright well i dont know my roman mytholgy i know my greek but not roman. thats sad because this book is almost all about roman mytholgy but i finshed it (i had to for class they said a book a week and someone recomened it to me so what the hay!)well if this were about greek mythology than i probley would have given it four stars but its not the authors fault that i dont know my roman myths. anyways i had other problems with this book i though the characters were two demiontional all of them in fact. i hated the way the elders were portraied and i felt we needed to see more of hedkas (yes i know i spelled this wronge) house becaue that was a instereing topic and micheal scott should have elaborated more on that. but i thought that josh was whiney and i wanted to punch him at times. also i thought the book was a little bland for my taste or anyone with sence for that matter! the author need to elaborate a little and use bigger vocab (dont fear the dictionary!) well i could go on but i hate long reviws even more than this book.

this book is simply amazing. I recommend it to anyone who's into fantasy such as harry potter. Im an adult and i still enjoyed this book of adventure. The story is amazing it hooked me from beginning to the end. I finished the book in 2 days cause i just couldn't help find out what happened in the next chapter.
Pick this book up, you wont be dissapointed. PS. can't wait to start reading book 2

I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars, I really enjoyed the action, kept my minds attention, all the characters were interesting. Josh turned out to be a bit of a dork that annoyed me. Our book club is on to The Magician the second book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Pick this book up it is a must read!!!

This book is amazing. I bought this book and I couldn't put it down. There is magic and Greek mythology. It grabs you and you constantly wonder what will happen next. The characters Josh and Sophie are easily relatable and are normal teenagers until they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. There is alot of action but it isn't action all the time and there is actually a real story and plot that is easy to keep up with. I highly recomend this book to kids who like Harry Potter or the Percy Jackson series or even for kids who disliked these series.

This book is awesome! The book's plot is simple. (don't call me out because I haven't read this in a while) Sophie and Josh are twins who work right next o eachother. Sophie works at the coffe shop next to where Josh works: at mystrerious book shop owned by Nick Flamel. One day, a mysterious man named Dee shows up and steals Nicks prised posession, and his wife. Sophie and Josh are whisked into this amazing adventure. Starts off slow, but its such a good combination of sci fi and history. Totally worth the buy!

I had been looking forward to reading The Alchemyst for several years, so when it finally became available for the Kindle through my local library, I was ecstatic. Sadly, the book did not live up to the hype the wait had created. Admittedly, the book was a fun romp, but it lacked depth and development, especially of the characters.

Praises:

- Imaginative premise - Two twins are pulled into the adventure of a lifetime when a powerful book is stolen from the immortal Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. While running from the malevolent John Dee, the twins meet legendary figures, goddesses, and a host of friendly and not-so-friendly creatures. The involvement of the twins in this adventure may not be by chance as they learn more about the Codex and what role they may play in the prophecies it contains. Their journey takes them through Californa, into the Shadowrealm of Hekate, and back out into a small Californian town, which heralds an uncomfortable surprise.
- Incorporation of mythology - Other reviewers have listed this as a negative quality, but I enjoyed reading about a multitude of mythological creatures and beings. The book provided a solid explanation for their existence that tied together mythology from various cultures, including Greek, Celtic, Roman, French, English, and Egyptian. Their inclusion in the novel was necessary as a basis for the author's explanation of their origin as an Elder race that once populated the Earth.
- Magic - The depiction of auras and how they can be channeled to produce effects was a unique explanation of magic unlike any I had previously read. The descriptions of these effects were vivid and detailed, and really gave the magic a life of its own.
- Action - The twins are thrust from one adventure to another, without much of a rest in between. This must be a little tiresome for them, but it certainly keeps the reader entertained. The fight scenes were all unique and variable. The magic used within each action sequence was well detailed and completely different from scene to scene. For example, in one sequence, the protagonists are bombarded by a multitude of violent birds, whereas in another, a horde of undead rise to reap death upon them.

Critiques

- Flat characters - This was my biggest issue with the book. The majority of the characters were one dimensional and lacked development. The most extreme case was the male twin, Josh. Although he is fifteen, he displayed the emotional maturity of a nine year old. The majority of the time he was feeling one emotion, which was akin to constant irritation. His general thoughts were always either A. mistrust of one of the various characters, B. Unhappiness at being treated like a kid, or C. concern for his sister. His concern should have been touching, but since it was always misguided and paired with either A or B, any empathy I felt for him quickly vanished. The other characters fared slightly better, but we never truly got to know or understand any of them. We were told occasional surface thoughts or feelings, which never displayed any depth. Scathach was introduced with a unique and quirky personality, but it quickly vanished and she began to act exactly the same way as many of the other characters. John Dee, the villain, did not even get his own personality - many times he seemed like an older Josh, even complaining about the dark Elders treating him like a child. I was hoping for some character development over the course of the book, but sadly it never happened.
- Repetition - Certain facts are stated over and over, which may be helpful for someone with short term memory loss, but was just tiresome after a while.

Overall, I really liked the book's plot and mythological elements, but that was not enough to make up for the lack of character depth. Having sympathetic characters and likeable protagonists is key to a fantastic novel. Sadly, this book had neither. As amazing as the magic was, I didn't care about the fate of the characters (I even wanted to see something bad happen to Josh, to punish him for his terrible attitude). I would recommend this book for anyone who likes magical battles and doesn't mind shallow characters. Otherwise, save this one for later and pick up a book with a little more substance.

Nicholas Flamel was originally introduced to me in Harry Potter. I now have found him in many books and was curious on how this one would play out(and some of the other characters here also). I loved this book and am continuing to read the series. This is not your ordinary use of mythological beasts, gods, people, and fictional folks. It is a well written rollercoaster ride that you don't want to get off.

When i first got the book for Christmas I thought I would love it . After the first 7 chapters or so i started a new book. I have so many books and get a lot of books do not get read. But I came back to this book and thought I would give it another try. Well, i am so glad I did because i'm not even half way through it and i LOVE it! I can not believe I had stopped reading it. Great book so far!!!!!

This book was AWESOME! The Alchemyst is a book about two teenage twins who have parents traveling the world, so they are staying with their Aunt Agnes (not really their aunt). The boy twin(Josh) has a job at a book store. His boss is a man named Nick Fleming and his wife Perry. His sister(Josh's sister Sophie) works at a coffee shop across the street. Then one day Sophie see's something strange out the window in front of the book store... read more to learn more
I love books where the main characters have no idea what's going on until like the second book which I have read (I've read the first five waiting for #6) READ THE ALCHEMYST NOW!!!!!!! (Written by my 11 year old son)

I loved this book I am a battle of the books student and was reading this book for the competition. It was kind of hard to get into it at firs but the more I read the more I loved it. I wish you would have focused more on the twins butit was still overall a very exiting book that had me genuinely surprised at parts.

This is a comment on the series to date. They are entrancing books. Once I turn page 1.....I'm done and nothing else happens in our house till the last page is turned and I've checked when the next one is out! (For the HP lovers there's a nice link to DD's old friend Nicholas Flamel.)Currently I'm awaiting The Warlock and wondering how Michael will bring this interesting series to a close with the Enchantress. Michael takes key historical characters, sets them in this world of mobile phones and computers and proceeds to spin a rich alternative reality of their place in history, admixing human and archetypal characters alike. The series would make a wonderful film series! Great read for all ages.

This is a fun read with fast-paced action from the very beginning. The author also does include slow moments that build emotions, and explain the universe he has created. He also brings into the story myths from various cultures. The major shortcoming is that the mythological creatures/deities he introduces get no background. In the Percy Jackson series, each god or myth is given a good and accurate background story so that Percy's adventures are put into perspective. However, in this novel, I had no idea in where/why The Morrigan was worshipped or where the Scathach legend originated even though these are two important characters in the story. Only by going online myself, did I learn more about these two. Perhaps it is because Scott wants to use these characters independently and not based on the original myths, but it can create confusion for the reader. On the other hand, it is a fascinating story. The beginning is weak in my opinion, but the end makes up for it. The other shortcoming, which prevented me from giving it 4 stars, is the lack of feeling for the characters. I could not connect to the two main characters as much as I did in books like Percy Jackson or The Mysterious Benedict Society. Josh and Sophie are twins and protective of each other, but other than that, they seem rather superficial. On the whole, the world he creates is amazing, the story is exciting, and the reader can learn a lot.

Maybe I am just reading too much of this genre, but I was not overly taken with this book. I have seen it often but ignored it for a long time because the name "Nicholas Flamel" made me (wrongly) believe it was riding on the coat tails of Harry Potter.

In fact this is an original tale using the quasi historical Flamel and just about every other mythological and quasi historical character to make a far reaching story about twins with special powers.

There is a good amount of orginal research in this book, but the story itself seemed to be very much like a number of other stories rehashed. Younger readers will probably not notice that or care, so recommended for young adults, but nothing deep or meaningful or highly original in this book.

Nevertheless don't take my words to heart. I mean - twins with special powers - that just has to be a book young adults will love.

A friend recommended this series to me as "the next Harry Potter". I don't think these books are quite as good but I did enjoy them. I think part of what was missing for me was the quaint "English-ness" of the Potter books - the characters of Josh and Sophie Newman are a little too...modern or American or...something. It might also be that I am not actually a young adult and thus not the primary target audience. But I liked the Nicholas Flamel character and I loved the introduction of so much actual mythology and history - it was fun to wikipedia the various characters and get more of their backstory.

Overall I recommend this book - it's a fast and satisfying read.

I really enjoyed this book! It combines many historical facts along with lots of mythology to bring about an incredible story and adventure. The story mainly revolves around two teens, twins, Sophie and Josh. They are kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time and find out all about Nicholas Flamel and the Codex book. Their lives change in an instant as they are whisked away into a world of magic and mythological folklore. A great adventure, and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

Readers grade 5/6 and up may enjoy this fast-paced mix of myths, the myriad of characters, the inclusion of modern gadgets and the easy sentence structure. However, most characters are flat, cliffhangers at the end of each chapter remind us of "The Da Vinci Code", and the author's habit of endlessly repeating facts and sentences really spoils the fun.
The author doesn't give anyone the smallest change to wonder about the character's feelings or motivations: We are being TOLD, without mercy!
Events are piled up, monster upon monster, challenge upon challenge, barely time to catch a breath and all in two days' time. No wonder, the main characters- the "twins of legend" (and don't you dare forget it!) Sophie and Josh, are exhausted all the time and Nicholas Flamel ages before our very eyes.
And yet, I will probably read the sequel to find out what happened to Scatty.....

This accidental find is a fun, 'clean' fantasy series that weaves a great story. I am on The magician now and can hardly wait for the next one. I listen to the audio version while I commute. It provides a great escape into a world that may or may not really exist. Open yourself up and let your imagination run free!!

I really like this book. English is not my native language, so the way the author writes id very easy to understand and the history really captures your attention. While reading the book I was always excited to know what was going to happen next. I highly recommend it!.

This was a fun story! I'll withhold final judgment until I've finished the series. But for now I'll say that I'm plesently surprised and happy to have found The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel!

******

All done! Here's the series review:

[...]

OK, I read the reviews before I picked this book up and I knew I'd really enjoy this because I'm a big nerd about mythology, anthropology and religion. Michael Scott has done a fantastic job with the research and character development- I'll say that much- also, he has a brilliant imagination. This book is good for us older folks who are aching for a replacement for HP, although I definitely would NOT recommend it for younger readers- the army of the dead in the end might be a little too scary. This is not a book for a person looking for something that will encourage their religion- Mr Scott used many forms of mythology and legend as basis for this story, and if you don't like to read things that don't validate your spirituality, this is not for you. I had the feeling that Christianity was skirted around in the story so as not to offend most of America along the lines of the Da Vinci Code. If you do like religion and mythology, this is definitely one of the best novels of 2007, so far!

This book is filled with magic, socerers, necromancers, alchemists (of course) and lots of adventure. I am 10 years old and love Harry Potter and other magical books. The story is about some teenage twins who change from ordinary to unordinary. The twins learn to be magicians. This is the first book in the series and I can't wait for the next book, The Magician. There weren't any really scary parts and I think your parents would be ok if you read this book. If you read this book I think you will agree that it is hard to put down and leaves you wanting for more.

The Alchemyst is one of the best books I have ever read. It is about these twins Sophie and Josh who come upon the famous alchemyst Nicholas Flamel. They go on a wild and crazy adventure to learn magic powers and get the Book of Abraham the Mage bake from Dr. John Dee. I won't tell everything , but I promise you once you start you won't put it down.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and it's sequel. It is such a welcome trait to base your plot on real historical places and events. I loved it with Dan Brown and I love it here in The Alchemyst.

Being a Pagan and worshiper of Hekate I was somewhat disappointed with parts of it (I won't reveal the plot), but I guess for someone outside the religion it wouldn't be obvious.

The only real problem that I have with this book is the writing style. While it's very engaging and keeps you want for more, Scott makes too many repetitions of sentences. It's a well known technique to make the book larger, but I don't like it and it's kinda annoying.

Other then that, it's a very good read and I recommend it to all fantasy lovers out there.

5 stars/

POTTER HAS A WORTHY SUCCESSOR

I first read about Nicholas Flamel in HP1. But I never realised he was a real character until a friend told me about The Alchemyst, and said that I had to read it. If you have finished HP and are looking for a new series to dive into, then this is it. Set in the contemporary world, it is the story of two ordinary 15 year olds who discover that magic is real and that the gods and creatures of mythology are still around. The entire story takes place over two days and just zooms along. When I finished, I immediatly started again, reading it more slowly and this time I had just as much fun checking up on all the characters Scott mentions in the book. I especially love Scathach - the 2,500 year old female warrior, who is also a vegetarian vampire. I love the fact that JKR herself mentions Flamel again in HP7, it is almost as if she is passing the baton onto Michael Scott. The first chapter of book 2, The Magician, is included in this book. I need to read the rest, right now.

It's no Harry Potter, but it almost has a Dan Brown quality to it, that each chapter leaves you on a cliffhanger wanting to read the next chapter. I will definitely continue to read the series. I think people who enjoyed Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books will enjoy the Alchemyst as well.

Great book, fantastic read. Blends historical and mythological figures into an intriguing fictional story. Moves at a good pace with plenty of action and mystery. would recommend it for teens and adults as well.

I started this book thinking it might have something to do with the Harry Potter series - it doesn't. I read the entire book even though I was disappointed that it wasn't what I thought.
Turns out though - it's a great book !

Borrowed this book from the local library on my kindle. Was not what I was expecting. Was interesting enough to keep me reading but not interested enough to get the next book in the series. Lots of mythological references. Interesting premise..

This was an easy read from beginning to end. Light enough to go through in a day or so but with enough thought to make me curious about the rest of the series. I give it 4 stars based on the promise I see in this story.

This is a very interesting story. There are some new ideas put forth that make this more than just common fantasy fare. This is not a Harry Potter copycat or remotely related to Harry Potter as the title may lead one to believe (due to the name "Nicholas Flamel", which consequently, is not a name unique to the Harry Potter story.)
I just finished book 1- The Alchemyst and it abruptly ends leaving you on the edge of a cliff, so book 2- The Magician is necessary to truly finish the story it would appear---glad i bought both together... looks like part three is out already as well. May want to buy all 3 while you're at it and get yourself some free shipping...

The Alchemyst is a wonderful opening story about Nicholas Flamel and the knowledge he holds and passes on to two special siblings. The story is intriguing and grasps the reader's attention instantly. What makes the book and series even more captivating is that so much of it is rooted in real life and well-known myths and legends. Part of the fun is discovering how the different immortals' and elders' lives interweave and overlap. Would recommend this book to readers of all ages.

The Alchymest is the best book you will ever read. Sophie and Josh have a great relationship as twins. Their parents seem likable (until the last installment) and Hekate was magnificent. Curse John! The last thing I have to sah is that Scathacth of the shadows is amazing! Thank you Michael Scott for making a fabulous book.

This was an exciting and interesting read. This story marries an adventure story with interesting and believable characters with mythologicl figures. This could be labeled clssic good versus bad story, but I feel it is more exciting than that. The characters are confronted with situations which require working together as a team. I look forward to reading the other volumes in this series. I hope that you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

There are several typos in the kindle version (or wrong word choice). This wasn't nearly as annyoing as the author's need to repeat himself ie. I can't believe it was only yesterday... and (spoiler alert) the dumb codex prophecy being repeated so many times. I can remember two not so clever lines without hearing every character think them and then not have anything insightful to say.
OK Besides the above the book did set u a series while being somewhat conclusive in its own right. Though I downloaded this while planning to follow the series. All in all it is a pretty quick read, but I0m definitely a sucker for awakening type moment.

I love the way the story is woven with rich expresive language. The story engages you from the first page! Michael Scott has created a story that is familar and new all at the same time. I hated to see the story end and cannot wait for another installment from this author. An outstanding voice in Young Adult fiction has arrived!! Read the book or listen to the audio you will not be diappointed.

The Alchemyst is a great book don't get me wrong, but it runs into the same problem as every other first book in a series. While it is above average in most aspects its still too drawn out. The introduction to characters and the detail spent describing them takes away from the story. It's not Scott's fault though, I feel this way about most of the firsts in the series. Harry Potter did the same thing, actually I thought it took J.K. Rowling three books to get it figured out. I guess I'm giving this a 3 star rating because I have read the other books in the series and they are so much better than this one. The only thing that concerns me with Scott's writing is that while it is amazing, he likes to use an extreme amount of characters, which isn't a bad thing but it really hurt the story of The Necromancer. All in all this is still a great read. It's well written and thought provoking. Personally I love the way he takes The different mythologies and creates this epic story line from them all, and the swords of power, thats what made me keep reading. Nevertheless this is a must read!

I am a Potter fan and was having geek withdrawals and needed a new adventure type series to get into and I found these on the store and I love them. All of the characters exist in real mythology so it's fun to learn about them and study them separately. A great adventure, I have already pre-ordered the Sorceress.

an insane potpurri of al religions and mythologies i expected this to be a flop. the beginning is quite boring but then i just hits you, and for the next 5 books (6 in total) you'll just sail upon it's pages, stopping only to sleep and google the mythological heroes, gods, monsters to make it even greater. an incredible series, challenges you and makes you think!

loved it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZikvWB48LCQ
Please people with the money, if you buy a new book, include a used one in your shopping cart. That will help the store enormously in their storage, and it can help you too. At some places the price can’t lower to lesser a penny. Take a used book for a 0.01$ anywhere.
It has many usage including, “Cash4Books.net”
Recycle it or Burn it for survival heat. Use two books as spacers to raise your monitor because it’s always better to view at eye leveled to the center of your screen. Even better, send it to donation, any library would take it, or the third world too.
Do not fear a book because it has no teeth!!
When you open your used book, wear gloves if you have to, then you’ll realize, “This book ain’t that bad after all.”
Good read and peace!!
- Ricky

This book is amazing. It was exciting from the first paragraph. I’m in fifth grade and I loved it. it has a lot of magic, history, and really fun characters. Characters like Billy The Kid, William Shakespeare, and the Saracen Knight: Sir Palamedes. Micheal Scott also made up his own characters, like the main characters, Sophie and Josh Newman. Truly an action filled story.

I found this book to be an easy, entertaining read. The plot is basic and a little predictable but it held my attention. Most of the story is obvious,the author followed classic archetypes for the genre and the dialogue is simple. The stand out of this novel is the research and mythology behind it. "The Alchemyst" follows the story of Nicholas Flamel as he fights to maintain the human race and prevent the Book of Abraham from falling into the hands of the evil Dr. John Dee. All of the characters of the story were real people, with the exception of the teenage twins who stumble into Flamel and Dee and their battle of magic. The places and mythology, too, are factual which gives the plot a little more depth. There is really nothing bad about this book, but compared to others in its genre, it doesn't stand out as exceptional. This novel is actually very similar to the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series, but doesn't impress me nearly as much as the Percy Jackson books did.

Magic, mystical creatures, and of course alchemy are all wrapped up in "The Alchemyst," by Michael Scott, but do all of these factors really make up for the big faults with this book? Every book depends on great dialogue, great characters, and a great plotline to make the book interesting. This book seems to be lacking in all three of those departments. With all the cliché dialogue, an unrealistic plotline, and the unimaginative characters, this book is very bland.

Twin siblings, Sophie and Josh Newman, have their first encounter with the magical world of alchemy when Josh's employer "Nick Fleming" has his book store destroyed. The stereotypical heroic protagonists come to Fleming's aid to rescue the poor book store owner, and as they go to help Fleming the twins meet the evil alchemist, Dee. Dee begins showing off the powers of alchemy while trying to steal a powerful book, called the Codex, from Fleming's store. Just as Dee is leaving with the book, Josh stupidly runs up to the powerful Alchemyst and rips some pages out of the book. Dee successfully escapes obtaining the book that could destroy the human race , and capturing Fleming's wife. As Fleming and the children run away from the half destroyed book store they begin to roam around San Francisco. Nick Fleming then informs the twins that he is a powerful alchemyst, named Nicholas Flamel, they are the chosen ones who can save the Earth, and they all must all work together to awaken their powers so they can use them, while protecting the page's that Josh ripped out of the book. From there the rest of the book is about Flamel trying to track down elders that could awaken their powers.

One of the biggest problems with the plot is that the solutions to the main character's problems are very absurd. In the book the Codex is the most powerful book in the world and Josh, by luck, ripped out the only two pages that could end the human race. Flamel even notes how absured these chances are by saying "if Josh had wanted to take two pages from the book, rendering it useless, then Josh couldn't have chosen better than those" (pg.27).Out of the millions of pages Josh could have ripped out he ripped out two most important pages, and the probability for that seems highly unlikely. Later in the book Josh again has this miraculous luck again as he saves everyone from destruction by "running Dee over with a truck breaking the spell he was chanting" (pg.356). The author continues to favor using this technique of defying the odds by luck as though he had written himself into a hole, and that was the only way to keep the story going.

The character's importance and roles in the plot make them seem as though they should have personalities larger that life, but in fact the characters are very dry. Flamel's wife is the classic damsel in distress, needing to be saved by the hero. The twins are the historic good twin versus the evil twin, trying to fight to the death. Dee is the bad guy trying to conquer the world. Even their appearances seem stereotypical such as the evil alchemist being a "pale, unhealthy- looking gray- white skin man" (pg.5), and the twins being " blonde hair, and blue eyes" (pg. 16) . It's as though the author has based all of his characters off of old television shows, and movies that have the same stereotypical looking character for every role in it. He doesn't try to create any uniqueness with his characters by giving them flaws in appearance or personality. He makes all of his characters bland to the point that everything the characters do or say feel fake.

These characters fake persona is also paired with their cliché dialogue. In school, every English teacher tells their students not to use clichés in any of their writings, because it'll take away from it. If students know better than to use clichés, then why would an author use one? The dialogue is so predictable that when Sophie saves Josh they have a classic brother sister moment, where Sophie rescues Josh, anyone could guess that Sophie would say, "you're my brother! I'll never abandon you" (pg. 364). Any reader would assume that this wouldn't be so bad if the author only used clichés every once in awhile, but the author chose to use every cliché he possibly could. He even made the last sentence of the book cliché when Flamel's wife is facing her capturer, and he says "it is ending mortal "and she unoriginally says "one the contrary, it is only the beginning" (pg.369). One of the most commonly used endings, and out of all things an author could write for their ending, Michael had to use the biggest cliché there is. It's these kinds of things that make the book increasing frustrating to read.

The quality of a book comes down to the characters, dialogue, and plot line. Overall, this book is not fun to read. Everything is predictable, the characters are unimaginative, and the dialogue is very obnoxious to read because of the multiple clichés. This book is basically the same as ever other fantasy book there has ever been, because there is simply nothing new or original about it. Unfortunately this book seems to be a waste of time, even though it originally seems promising. This book is defiantly a letdown for all fantasy genre readers.

This book is a wonderful edition tot a library for someone who loves fantasy, especially books like Eragon, Harry Potter, and Ranger's Apprentice. As a avid reader, I can say this is one of my favorite books, and that I'll definitely by back for more of Scott's timeless adventures.

I was looking for something new after Harry Potter and saw this book on the New York Times Bestseller list. After reading several rave reviews, I decided to pick it up, then could not put it down! The character are based on real people who really existed and the story takes place in present day California. The story is also full of mythological characters. The first book takes place over two days and the entire six book series happens over two months.
What I most enjoyed about this book is the imagination of the author. His writing is very unique and he takes you into a world you could never imagine. Curious to see what challenges this will present for the movie version coming out in 2009.

I have to respond to the reviewer who compared this series to HP. There is none. Rowling's series is much better written and much more sophisticated. While the beginning of the Magician was fairly good, the quality was not maintained. The pace was frenetic without offering depth of characters or plotting. I felt very unsatisfied reading this series. I am a librarian and a huge HP fan. While Rowling isn't perfect, I feel she offers the reader much more in all facets of a novel. If you're pining for more HP, forget it!

My son picked this up at the bookstore (the cover is quite fetching) and I, his mother, couldn't resist reading it. He is a big Lightening Thief fan, so the possibility of more mythology was a big hit. How funny that both books pick Mount Tamalpais in Marin as an area of god-like importance.

The book hooks you from the start with a suspenseful scene. Later, I thought rough spots were a little too conveniently solved by a suddenly appearing power, so that you never felt they were actually in danger.

But I still enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel.

A pair of twins discover they're the center of a prophecy to prevent the dark elders from taking over. The story is basically: oh, no, another hideous creature is summoned by someone worse than the last villain both of whom are at least 10,000 years old. Repeat. In fact everything is older than you could imagine. Complete with parallel worlds in and around San Francisco, so careful as you drive around there - don't get caught on any unmapped roads. Also, the book seems to dwell on evil things too much and the main characters didn't really have a higher calling other than keeping the dark elders in check. The book does move along, has some funny spots, but ultimately wasn't working for me.

after summer break i was planning which book i should read to get points ( i go to my school library to read books and each one has points and this one was 14 points) and i looked at the shelf and saw a book called "The Alchemyst" and it sounded interesting so i checked it out when i got home i started reading it and i said "this is the best book i will read in a lifetime and i got that book a week ago and i am halfway there!!! u should definetly get this book on your kindle or look it up in your library or bookstore or etc,

Most of the time when I buy just the first book in a series I kick myself later for not just getting all or most of the rest of the books already published. Usually the first book is really good, enough to continue reading at least.

This was, surprisingly, not one of those times.

I've been seeing this series on bookstore shelves for a long time and was always intrigued simply because I like the cover treatment. For some reason I never picked it up until a couple weekends ago while on vacation. I read it and have no strong desire to continue the series. I'm not sure why; it's not a bad book (I'd like to give it 2.5 stars really). It's written very well and there's plenty of action and it has a neat premise.

I think the my lack of interest is because of the characters. I had absolutely no strong connection to any of them. Not the main characters, not the supporting ones, not the antagonist. None. I didn't care all that much what I was reading or who I was reading about. This book had a very strong omniscient presence, flittering around from character to character. Sometimes the description spoke of a specific character's thoughts in one paragraph and the next it was someone else's. It didn't really focus on one character per chapter, it focused on all of them at once, which left me feeling disconnected. There weren't a lot of secrets to motivation, I can already imagine where the rest of the books go in their plots.

I can't help but compare this to Rick Riordan's writings because they both use an influx of mythology mixed with modern day situations and characters. But I care so much more for Riordan's characters, and I think it's because he focuses on them closely. The Percy Jackson books were all first person, from Percy's point of view, so the reader really gets to know him. The Kane Chronicles are also written in first person, but every other chapter or so they switch between the two main characters (which can get confusing). The Heroes of Olympus books have one chapter per main character. Riordan's used all sorts of different ways to tell his stories, and his style is different from Scott's, but he didn't scatter internal monologues all over the place. He didn't focus on Percy and his thoughts in one paragraph and then on Annabeth's feelings in the next.

Sometimes I can forgive a cliche or weak plot if the characters are fun to read about, so much so I'll continue along in a series. Such is not the case here.

We listened to this book on CD on a family vacation...2 adults and 3 kids...ages 6-12. We really enjoyed it. Wonderful how the author brought together so many myths and legends and yet still a lively story.

A funny thing...as usual we were late leaving on our trip and had not yet made the trip to the library to pick up a bunch of Books on CD. I called the librarian and asked her to pull 4-5 Books for the kids age group. She gave us the Alchemyst in the bunch of books...it was our favorite by far. Talk about your cliff hangars though. When we stopped at a library on our travels, I sent a "nasty" gram to the librarian...complaining that she shouldn't have just given us BOOK 1...now we have to wait the whole trip before we can find out what happens. Now we all are looking forward to Book 2.

Let me first say that I am a reading teacher. I often pick up books like this to see if my students might be interested in it. I would expect my students (ages 10-14) would really enjoy this book. It is extraordinarily fast-paced, is very explicit in the plot line and there are tons of little myths, legends and facts spend throughout the book. The reason I don't give the book a 5-star rating is that I believe the author goes overboard with the pace and tells us things that would have been better shown or described. Of the series picks up fans i could see it being made into a movie though. It does have a really good plot and "universe" for the characters to run around in.

This book was surprisingly better than I thought. I read this book for my book club and it didn`t seem like my style but i read it anyway and was very pleasantly surprised. Scott wrote this book wonderfully. The Alchemyst is a tale filled with exciting adventures and intruiging characters, and there is always supense. You just cannot stop rooting for the good guys and hoping everything comes out ok. The Alchemyst got me hooked on the rest of the series and I cannot wait for Michael Scott`s newest book The Warlock!

Others have given an overview of the book. I have to say that reading it is like listening to Dennis Miller; the historical and mythological allusions fly thick and fast, and it's a mental exercise to keep in mind just who is who, and who they were once believed to be. If reading this book doesn't stimulate your interest in what humanity has believed over the millenia, and why, then you are dead to our world's culture.

I loved this book! I loved the mix of different mythologies and really connected to the characters as i myself am a twin. The history entwined with the plot was amazing. If you love fantady snd adventure, you'll love this book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

For some reason that I can't pinpoint, it took me a while (past half-way) to really feel IN to this book. One of the reasons: The author's note at the end was really helpful for framing the story-so why put it at the end? It doesn't give away any of the plot. I really would have liked to have read that before starting the book. In spite of the slow start of enthusiasm, I am very much looking forward to reading the next book.

This series has offically taken over my top spot as my favorite series. Previously the Harry Potter series and the Foundation Series by Issac Asimov were at the top. For that matter either, the Magician and the Alchemist books stand alone as my favorite two individual books.

Just outstanding.

I was not sure about this book but once I bought it I was hooked. The detailed characters which you can learn about their true lives is spectacular. It adds a new twist on what happened to Nicholas Flemel and his wife which have been mentioned in a lot of books and movies due to the mystery of their riches and deaths. Great for young and old.

I rarely write reviews on the web, however, I'm about to start after reading "someone's" review thrashing this book. I always hate reviewers that start with some lame justification that is supposed to point to why we should care what they think, when it is clear that "someone" has nothing better to do with their time. I'd never heard of Micheal Scott, but now that I have, I shall keep a very close eye on all his work. I haven't enjoyed a book this much, on ever level, in ages. It's young adult fiction, and accessible to all. (However if all you read in Jane Austen, number 1, I pity you, and number 2, this would absolutely be the refreshing break from the mind numbing English prose and archaic niceties that one would invariably seek! I'm surprised that the "someone" in question didn't extol Mr. Scott's virtues before they casually went back to reading Proust. Clean the palette if you will.). However, if that is not your approach to reading (a pastime akin to hunting quail...shoot me now!), and you simply like a good story to sink your teeth into...you shall not be disappointed one little bit. It's entertaining, smart, funny, historically accurate...and not that I've painstakingly checked, because, frankly I don't really care...it's FICTION, but the places, faces and events that I did recognize enough to spark my interest to research for my own memory bank, were all completely flawless and pleasing to my limited knowledge. (That's probably a knee jerk reaction to getting older and forgetting things.....like all the Jane Austen I have read....PLEAZE!)

BUY IT, READ IT, BUY IT, GIVE IT, BUY IT, READ IT.....and so forth. This is the next Harry Potter-esque craze. Mark my words Heathcliff.

The Alchemyst is a good, quick, bedtime read. The characters have ties to history and Michael Scott has a way with bringing these historical figures voice and life. The story is fast-paced and engaging, a good read for preteens and adults alike.

Fun simple historical fantasy. The general language and dialogue of the story are fairly straight forward and simple but the story unfolds mysterious worlds and characters to that are fun to disappear into.

The Alchemyst is a really great book with a good storyline. I loved how Michal Scott worded the book. The charechters had their own distinct personalities. I dreamt about it at night and when I woke up, I started reading about it. I loved the Alchemyst!

A fast paced exciting read for grades 5-8, it moves quickly and has lots of action. Characters are interesting and hold readers attention, but you are left hanging and can't wait for the next book, The Magician, which is of equal quality. A student of faith might come away with some quesitons, just remember it is "ficiton", but a great read.

I think many Harry Potter fans will notice the name Nicolas Flamell. When I first looked at it I didn't look like a great book, but then I started reading it and I started liking more and more. I guess I can say, "Don`t judge a book by it`s cover!!!" If you want to know the real story of Nicolas Flamell read the author's note. It contains surprising amount of information!!!!

This book kept my attention all the way through. It was simply spell binding. It sets up a great sequence of books. Its sequels have not disappointed yet. Great book and a great series. The historical references made me hop onto the internet to find more about the characters. One of my favorites.The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

This book is the most fun read I've had in a long time. It's geared for the young adult, but no matter, it's even fun for old adults. The plot and the characters will grab you by the neck and not let go until the end, which leaves you gasping for more. I read it in one sitting, just because I couldn't stop. Mr Scott's interweaving of multiple mythologies is amazing. I've been reading fantasy/SF for over 30yrs, and still had to look up a couple of characters. The use of actual historical characters is brilliant, and opens up a huge context for the future.

Darker, stronger, perfect for the graduate of the Potter books. Takes it to the next level in fantasy. Highly recommended for everyone.

I want the sequel now. I wanted the sequel right after I finished.

I read the book and devoured it and I needed more. I decided to pick up the audio tape so I could listen to it in my car. Even with knowing how it ends, it is so exciting and suspenseful! And being taken away to San Francisco and enjoy the fantasy that the characters are experiencing is magical!

The story is fascinating. The events that led up to up it are amazing. I want to go to Paris to visit the Flamel's home. It's incredible that it still exists and that it was the seed out of which this story grew.

Although I'm not one who usually enjoys children's books, I must say this may be one of the best books ever written!! Because of Michael Scott's carefully constructed multidimensional characters and his remarkable and captivating take on history and mythology, The Alchemyst is a definite MUST READ for all adults and children. This is a perfect gift for every kid as well as an amazing read for any book club. Only Flamel could make Potter passe. This is truly a page turner!!

Intriguing story but has a cliff hangar ending because of the sequals. Don't buy until book six (the last book of the series ([...])is out. This is NOT AT ALL related to harry potter despite suspicions because of the sorcer's stone was maade by nicholas flamel but nicholas is a common character because of his reputation. Book 1 The Alchemyst, Book 2 The Magician, Book 3 the sorceress, book 4 the necromancer, book 5 the warlock, book 6 the enchantress.

The Alchemyst caught my eye when I was at the library. I remembered the character of Nicholas Flamel from the Harry Potter books and was intrigued. The imagery was great, and the plot kept moving. Though the characters weren't the most detailed in the world, the story was compelling. There would be 5 stars if I didn't think he was trying so hard to be like the Harry Potter books....

The only problem I have so far is Josh's whining. So annoying. He seems more like a spoiled 12 yr old than a 16yr old. Otherwise an enjoyable read so far. Let's hope it gets better and Josh grows a set and stops being a self-centered baby.

Characters, except Perenelle, are flat and boring. Who they are is told, not shown through action and interaction. Things happen because the author wants them to happen, not because they drive the story.

Scatty is a terrible name. A chick whose name means poop is weak.

The twins don't feel like brother and sister. They just happen to be related.

Hekate is a particularly flat character. She doesn't seem to think or feel anything except what the author told her to.

The villains, although visual, are boring, doing what villains do because they are villains, not because they have a real driving force. They are hollow.

There is no real threat. What we are told could kill the twins, of course, doesn't, but we didn't feel like they were in any real danger in the first place.

I could go on, but why bother?

Maybe this was written for Jr High students. It just doesn't carry over into the adult arena.

By mixing in characters and references from other places and times, both real and myth-based, Scott offers his readers the chance to be engaged with many stories beyond this one. It makes for more interactive reading, but without actually requiring "homework" to understand and enjoy the book by itself. It's a fun read, and kids should be encouraged to do their own detective work and internet searches for further exploration of the mysteries, creatures and characters the twins encounter.

I will definitely seek out the next in the series.

Mr. Michael Scott is the most amazing writer of fiction ( or not ) I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The character developement, storylines are pure genius.
Why some Hollywood producer has not optioned his work is beyond me. For us adults, we finally have our own "Harry Potter" series.
A huge thanks.

Respectfully,
Robb Packer
author

This is the opening book to The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel series. This book was a quick and easy read and I could tell the author did his research. I think he tried to cram too much information from different myths into one book. There were moments when his imagery and imagination drew you in, however in other places it could have used a little more subtlety. I am interested in reading the others I just don't think they are quite good enough to buy so that I can accomplish this task.

I'm a theory of art student and I really liked this book. It is soo good and filled with so much mythology and real characters I had to look in a mythology dictionary to learn more about them. The author's style is so fascinating you just want to keep on going and going with this book. I really recommend that you read this book.

I believe this a great book for people who like magic and adventre. If you are intersted in these books, then read them all. My favorite part about this book is the non-magical people's ignorance after Dee's necromancy. Overall, I like the way Mr. Scott linked reality and the beliefs in the gods to his charcters. Thumbs up the whole way.

Just discovered a new series to sink my teeth into, and it is truly good! Combining elements, familiar characters, lore and mythology in a fast paced whirlwind journey that is exciting and fascinating. Can't wait to get my hands on the next book of the series.

THIS BOOK AND THE TWO OTHERS THAT FOLLOW IT HAD ME SPELL BOUND. I READ ALL THREE IN THREE WEEKS. THE LAST ONE, "THE SORCERESS" HAD ME SO CAPTAVATED I READ IT IN THREE DAYS! THERE IS NOT A WHOLE LOT I CAN SAY WITH OUT GIVING A WAY THE THE WHOLE STORY. THERE ISN'T ANY THING I COULD SAY TO DO IT JUSTICE. JUST READ IT! YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

The Alchemyst is a wonderful book, the writer has done a fantastic job not keeping the readers guessing as well as done their homework when is comes to history and the characters that were used though the book, I am greatful that I bought this book and I have read this book multiple times and it never gets old!

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a captivating story. The characters interact well with each other and the story line, for the most part. However, I found the use and mention of various new technology electronics was too abrupt. They seemed to be thrown in like raisins in rice pudding, rather than used to enhance the story, say - like cream in coffee.

I did find myself eager to return to the story as soon as possible after each time I had to stop and continue my own life's duties.

I would have liked to see Mrs. Flamel more intouch and more influential throughout the story.

I liked the questions that came to mind about Dee as he interacted with the boy.

This book is definatley worth reading. I guess I had too high expectations after reading HP(x6) by JKR.

This book was absolutely amazing. You just get sucked into the story. Once I picked up this book and started to read I had a hard time putting it down again. The lore entwined with the action in the story is also pretty interesting in my opinion.

This book had such a huge sense of depth and character, I would loose track of time while reading it! And the point of view of the story was changing with nearly every chapter which gave an amazing outlook on the story. Action wise, I couldn't have found a better book...A must read!

I think this book is the best book I`ve ever read in my life.Better than Harry Potter, actually. This book is basically about two twins who have silver and gold auras, the twins of the legend. Aparrently, the twins are the only ones that can save the world from the Dark Elders. When the book gets stolen by John Dee, it's up to Scathatch, Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel, and Sophie and Josh to stop his evil ways. I gave this book to my three friends and they loved it!!!!!!!!

Many compare Michael Scott's The Alchemyst to Harry Potter, and that is a fair comparison. Both books contain well-developed characters, mystical environments, and a completely entrancing plotline. The book protagonist, Nicholas Flamel, must struggle with good and evil in a modern society where magic exists, but hidden, throughout the world.

Nicholas Flamel and his wife are the guardians of a magical book called the Codex -- this book holds the secrets to ever-lasting life. One can only imagine the number of people after this book. Well, it doesn't take long for the book to be stolen. After the attack, Flamel suspects something odd about the mysterious twins he just met. Are they the ones the Codex referred as the ones who will destroy the world? Or are they here to save it? The action ensues as the four are of to discover the answers to these and many other questions.

The story flows smoothly and engages the reader at every turn. There are some low points, however. The book does get tedious at times, and makes the story predictable, but overall it is a great novel for the young-at-heart.........I also would highly recommend reading "Ashes Divide" by Clarence Cage: Ashes Divide I just finished reading it and it was spectacular...don't miss it.

What a hot mess of mythologies and pantheons with no real reason or system for their being jumbled together. Hecate lives in Yggdrasil? The Morrigan and Bastet are related? Seriously? I won't be continuing this series or adding the books to my classroom library. There are far superior mythology-based fantasies my students can be reading.

I am fascinated with the legend of Nicholas Flamel ever since I read Harry Potter. i thought this book will be more along the same lines. Perhaps I did not enjoy it much because I expected wizards in training and magical worlds with castles and a familiar wizard world. This book is completely different. I was not familiar with the names of creatures and mosters. The other worlds they Sophie and Josh Newman enter did not capture me. I did read the 2nd book to see if it will be better but I could not get past the unfamiliar names and monsters that did not belong with my idea of Nicholas Flamel and his legend and wizardry. There were too many elements together for MY taste. Old British and some I never heard of. I was looking for a book similar to Harry Potter and I cannot find one, maybe that is why i was disappointed. I found this book more age appropriate for 8-10 years old, unlike Harry Potter.

I purchased these books looking for something as good as Harry Potter, and I wasn't expecting much from these ones, but yes, they're good, for young readers and adults. If you like fantasy, and magic, you will find these books amazing. The characters, the plot, everything is really amusing. :)

For those that are Harry Potter fans, this is a must read. The adventure, not completed in this first book, leaves the readers impatiently waiting for the sequel. Michael Scott writes in both a character driven and a plot driven method that allows you to get to know the characters while at the same time, enjoying their adventures. Scott writes in a manner that appropriately allows a younger audience to enjoy this story as well as an older audience.

I was recommended this book by a friend and immediately fell in love with the story and its characters. Scott has truly created an incredible series. This book marks the amazing start to a brilliant series. This is a must read!

I wanted to read this book because I'm in a reading compatition called O.B.O.B. (oregon battle of the books). I got hooked I love this book. This book is good for anyone that loves mythology and magic. cant wait till i get the other books

What a wonderful surprise was this book! The characters were believable, and seemed quite normal, even the magical ones. The storyline galloped along. This was definitely a "can't put it down" read. I can't wait until the next one, The Magician. A teaser for the second in the series is at the back of book one. I understand that the author is planning 7! Great!

I've been a fantasy reader my entire life, and the storyline mixed in with mythology easily satisfied my needs. Michael Scott constructed the book marvelously and I couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the sequels and any other works from this talented writer.

We listened to this interesting audiostory on a long car ride since it is 10 hours long. It kept everyone captivated even the 8 year old and the teenagers. If you like fantasy books that include magic like the Harry Potter series, I think you will like this story. We were disappointed though when we learned that this is only the first book of a six book series and only the first book has been released.

This book is about twins Sophie and Josh Newman and there adventures with the immortal Nicholas Flamel after seeing him duel the evil magian John Dee. It is a great book especially for fans of myths and legends

I have one queston to all that have read this book. have you noticed that the name "Nicholas Flamel" have been mentioned with the first "Harry Potter" the sorrsers stone? becouse it is in there... just a thought:)

What a great read--I couldn't put it down. As soon as I'd finished my step-son began. Mr. Scott's imagination is boundless. I am grateful that through a fantastic page turner my step-children can be introduced to a wide range of historical and mythological characters. Leaves you on the edge of your seat. When will a sequel be available?

It would have been a much better read if the author used a variety of adjectives rather than the same ones over and over again. I read the whole book, so it must have held my interest enough, but I'm not running to the book store looking for another by this author.

I purchased the book yesterday and had it with me today at school. A seventh grade student asked if I had anything she could read as she had completed her work. I showed her The Alchemyst and she immediately began reading. At the end of the day the student reappeared in my room having completed the book in under four hours (and completing all assignments). She said it was fantastic and can't wait for the next book. She said she would have to get a copy for herself, I agreed and quickly put my name in my own! Now I look forward to reading it myself tonight.

Reluctantly, I have to give this one only a single star. Not that the story wasn't a good tale; it could have been better. Just to see what the end held, I jumped ahead to the last chapter, but still could not feel drawn to read either forward or backward.

Gretta Brannigan
Savannah Georgia USA

My 13 year old son and I were both hooked by the bottom of page one. And since then, we have been racing through the book-- devouring chapters. With fascinating characters and a truly compelling story, it has been a wonderful world to enter. Michael Scott is clearly a brilliant and thoughtful writer. My son and I both agree-- there better be some sequels in the pipeline!

I enjoyed the folklore and mythology. I thought towards the end it moved a little slow and seemed to drag along while you were waiting for something to happen. The leygate was a great way to change the story, end the book and crete a new saga elsewhere with new characters added.

Fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman don't believe in legends. What good would it do them anyway? Their parents are away the whole summer on one of their archeological digs, and right now all the twins care about is working hard at their new summer jobs to save money for their own car. By some stroke of luck, they find jobs in San Francisco across the street from each other --- Sophie at The Coffee Cup and Josh at The Small Book Shop. Books and coffee, an ideal combination if ever there was one.

On the surface, Nick Fleming and his lovely wife Perry seem like your typical bookstore owners. But then a strange group of men step out of a limousine at the curb, gray-faced golems lumber into the shop, the air smells like peppermint and rotten eggs, and explosive balls of energy get hurled through the air. Before Josh and Sophie even figure out what's happening, Nick and his wife kidnap them for their own good and flee the scene worried for their lives.

It seems that Josh's boss is not who he claims to be. Nick and Perry are really Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, and their secrets don't stop there. Records show that Nicholas Flamel was widely regarded as the greatest Alchemyst of all time. His wife died first, and in 1418 he followed her to the grave, nearly 600 years ago. If all this is true, then why are their graves empty?

Somehow, the Alchemyst is still alive.

Rarely have I read a novel that accomplishes as much as THE ALCHEMYST. By the author's own admission, the twins are the only invented characters; everyone else is grounded in history and mythology. The famous alchemyst Nicholas Flamel really married Perenelle. John Dee studied as his apprentice. The mysterious Book of Abraham was a real book made of bark. And to this day, Nick and Perry's graves lie empty. How did they get so rich? What happened to their bodies? Could they still be alive?

A skillful weave of history and legend, the first installment of this story leaves few ancient myths unexplained --- The Greek legend Icarus, the Great London Fire, the Viking god Odin, vampires, the Black Plague of Europe, the Island of Atlantis, the Irish Potato Famine, martial arts, witches, the Philosopher's Stone, and the secret of eternal life --- amazingly, though, none of them feels out of place. They help transform this fast-paced rollercoaster of magic, mystery and myth into a new legend that explains the stories of the past and holds the secret to all the ones to come.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

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i hade got this book over a week ago and was instanly hooked. At first i didnt know what to expect but as i started reading it i couldnt put it down i just reacently finished the series so ya all in all great book

I really wanted to like this book. However, the lack of thought put into story details and character development made me ditch this less than halfway through. It's really no better than a series of off-the-cuff bedtime stories. Read if that's what you're looking for.

On par with the Rick Riordan Percy Jackson series. Which is to say, entertaining enough story but a lot of holes and pretty bland characters. Very easy to see where the story is going. I probably would've loved this when I was in elementary school-- much as I loved any sibling adventures (Boxcar Children anyone?) And I'm well aware that the books I loved in elementary school would probably not be interesting to me now. But I was hoping for at least a middle school level of interesting here. That said, the mythology is interesting and if the characters were just a bit more interesting and the plot more complex, the rest of the series might be worth reading.

loved all the magic and suspense! who cares if there's a lot of mythology? i love fantasy, and this was an epic read! i also loved the perfect blend of history, and fantasy. WHY AM I SEEING ONE STAR REVIEWS!?!?

The Alchemyst was a great book. Although the character description wasn't the best, I couldn't stop reading. Also I did think the author made it a bit to much like Harry Potter. Beside that it was a great book and I cant wait to get the second one.

this is one of the best books i ever read the others being the other 2 books inthis stunning seriese i think the details were stunning and that the plot based on actual things is nothing less then geniuse. i give my highest recomendation to this book

I had to read this book fo a book report and I loved every second of it! Just imagine that one day you and your twin brother are going to your part time jobs turns into an international mystical adventure full of magic. Dont take my word for it and read the book!!!

My 16 year old daughter Grace burst into my den when she finished the Alchemyst and insisted that I read the book, "...immediately, mom. You won't be able to put it down." Grace doesn't read books - she devours them. She has often said that every book has boring passages. But the Alchemyst, she soon showed me - has none. We anticipate the release of book two even more than the next Harry Potter.

This is an amazing book! I loved the way it had the immortal Nicholas Flamel from mythology and Harry Potter, as I am the biggest Harry Potter fan ever! This is a must read for all you fans like me! ; )

Scott takes elements of history, mythology and current culture and weaves them into the beginnings of an exciting epic story. In this introduction we already get insights into a variety of characters inserted into an action loaded story. I can't wait for the second installment. The associated web site is also a load of fun.

this is one of the top five books ive read an amazing page turner about the life changing two days of a pair of twins and the continuing turmoil in the life of the immortal alchemist this is a book that all fiction and fantasy lovers should read i advise that everyone read this book!!!

it had a great plot but it was short and did not go into details often. in my opinion it had the potential to be great but it was lacking the details that would have made it better than good or ok. over all it was a good book and fun to read

...from the the hackneyed plot of this story while my family listened to the audiobook on the car stereo. The chaotic introduction of plot devices, the gratuitous re-interpretation of historical events and mythical figures, the plodding explanatory dialogue for the twins' (and reader's) guidance, the gaping holes in the plot...I had to put my earphones and turn on the music loud enough to drown it out. I got as far as Parinell pondering her escape. As the narrator tells us how the long lives of elder race cause them to plan at a deliberate pace, moving over decades and centuries, the plot then, jarringly, goes to a member of the elder race planning a rash attack, instead of letting Nick Flemel age and die, since in five centuries he never bothered to make a copy of the oh-so-valuable codex and can't make his life-extending potions anymore. Did the author even read his own manuscript?

In fairness, the voice actor did a good job, and with a decent concept and some interesting characters there is the kernel of a good story here, but that is not enough to save it from the horrid plot development.

Too poorly conceived for teens and adults, and too full of historical and mythical references for younger kids, I can't recommend this story to anyone.

What a great piece of fantasy escapist fiction that is steeped in mythology. So much more intriguing and intellectually fascinating that way than the Harry Potter books. And to think that this Flavell character actually lived--or is it lives? Take this one to the beach, to the cabin, into the garden with you for a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon or evening reading. And if you must, share it with your kids!

I have only read two books in an entire sitting in my life. Make that three. "The Alchemyst" is absolutely enchanting. This is a book for adults as well as kids. Michael Scott must have the greatest imagination of any living author. You are really going to love this one!

this was an amazing story there is so much going on but it all fits together and makes you want to continue to read. I had such a hard time putting this book down it was great i would recommend this book for anyone who likes magical fantasy.

When I finished the last Harry Potter book, I felt a little sad for the story to end. Then I found The Alchemyst and it's like an addition to the Harry Potter story! Excellent Reading and I can't wait to read the next book about the Immortal Nicholas Flamel!

I love reading a good book and that is what "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" is!!!!

I couldn't put the darn thing down and I'm now officially the biggest Michael Scott fan. I just loved, loved, loved this fantastic book!!!

The ideas behind the story for this book are interesting, unfortunately, the writing is not. I found the characters flat and one dimensional. I honestly found it difficult to care what, if anything, happened to them. I also found the writing style repetitive and overly dramatic. The book just couldn't keep my attention.. and with a story based on magic, elder races, immortal men and a fight for humanity.. it should have.

Such a shame.

I love The Alchemyst but having read the entire thing in like two straight days I need to know what happens next. I read in another review that this guy has three more books in the series yet to come out. I sense another epidemic of the supernatural spreading across America. A bit better than H.Potter because some of the main characters are based on real people in real places. Read it.

I love reading a good book and that is what "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" is!!!!

I couldn't put the darn thing down and I'm now officially the biggest Michael Scott fan. I just loved, loved, loved this fantastic book!!!

I think it was a great book and I already able to tell that the entire series is going to be great. I it was so good that I ripped through the book so fast I was sad when it ended. I hope everyone enjoys this book.

I haven't enjoyed a book this much in ages. If you are a mythology lover, quite a few of your old friends will be here. Packed with action, but well written to boot. I for one , am waiting anxiously for the next book in the series. Bravo Mr. Scott.

I am a big fan of the fantasy genre of books, and I had hear recommendations here and there for The Alchemyst for some time. So when it showed up as a borrowable book on Lendle, I decided to give it a chance. I gave it 40% on my Kindle, and finally decided that the plot was moving too slowly, and the writing was just too poor for me to continue. The idea that Sophie and Josh, the protagonists of the story, go from being normal teenagers to deeply involved in a prophecy they had never heard of before is intriguing, but the interactions between the characters (especially Josh & Sophie) were so unrealistic, as well as characters' reactions to certain events, that I had to stop. Certain words were used repeatedly, and this was quite annoying. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't do it.

Soulless. The author dishes out one magical wonder after another with little or no emotional involvement of the main characters and, therefore, the reader. There is no sense of mystery: everything is clear from page one, and abundantly explained each time in advance. After that, it's just a series of magical encounters, D&D style. While the author is describe as an 'expert on myth' on the back cover, he reads more like an expert in Google and Wikipedia searches. What a waste of (not that original) material. With one chapter of this, Meyer would have written an angsty 600 pages volume