The Alchemyst

Another book to ride on the coattails of Harry Potter? The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott certainly suggests so itself by including Mr. Flamel's name in the subtitle. I have a tendency to make a note of these books for the "Potterites" who are ready to move on, but let myself off the hook for not immediately devouring them. It is mostly because I desire something original and don't wish to insult the tastes of my young readers. For instance, I despise Eragon. You can hear the John Williams score from Star Wars playing in the background. That and a few other movies/novels. But the kids LOVE it, so I generally keep my mouth shut.

I think this book has been a sleeper in the children's department due to its massive size, however, its fast-paced action lends to a quicker than expected read. Imagine! The book covers only two days! This is the 1st of at least a four-part series. The Decatur Public Library already owns The Magician and The Sorceress. The Necromancer will be published this summer and is already in a book cart to be ordered. With the recommendation from the Rebecca Caudill Nominating Committee, it is sure to fly off the shelves.

I have learned that there are only two characters that cannot be googled for more information and they are the main characters. Fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, have just moved to San Francisco to live with relatives while their parents, archeologists, are away on a dig. (I bet the parents aren't googleable [my word?] either.) Sophie works at a cafe and Josh has taken a job with Mr. Nick Fleming in his bookstore across the street. The twins are ordinary teenagers. That is until the day that Sophie watches from the cafe window and sees a few unusual-looking, yet well-dressed, thugs enter the bookstore. Explosions follow and Sophie, joined by Perry Fleming, Nick's wife, run across the street to see if anyone is hurt.

The thugs were golems in disguise and the henchman of one Dr. John Dee. Dr. Dee's mission, given him by the Dark Elders, is to steal a book called the Codex that is guarded by one Nicholas Flamel. Yes, Mr. Fleming is actually the famous and supposed dead fifteenth-century alchemist. Perry is Perenelle Flamel. They happen to be the Guardians of the Codex, a magical book written by Abraham the Mage long before even they were born. Dr. Dee, an immortal like the Flamels, steals it so that the Dark Elders can reclaim the world from the "humani" who are considered a plague on the world. Dr. Dee steals Perenelle too. Fortunately, Josh accidentally tore the last two, and most important, pages from the Codex. Unfortunately, that means that the twins are no longer safe in San Francisco.

While the twins have yet to realize how much danger they are in, Nick thinks it is even worse that it appears. He believes that the twins are part of a prophecy in the Codex. "The two that are one will come either to save or to destroy the world." Sophie and Josh must be protected and trained against the chaos that will surely come. They may very well be the world's next great magicians, but they are hopelessly behind for the tasks at hand. Nick must find help and support from some very interesting characters.

The premise behind this series is that all of the gods from all of the various cultures do indeed exist. We meet the Greek Goddess Hekate of the three faces, the Egyptian Cat Goddess Bastet and her daughter, The Morrigan, called the Crow Goddess; we hear of many more. Many myths and legends are discussed in the book including the disappearance of Atlantis. Readers will wish to read even more about them. For instance, why is Hekate called the three-faced goddess? I will point out that the Great Flood is attributed to a war between the many gods and not to the Judeo-Christian God's wrath against the sinful. It bothered me and raised my hackles. I will continue to read this series, and I am positive I will enjoy for what it is - fiction. But I will want my children to be aware of the difference between this book and the Truth.