Customer Reviews
"I am legend. Death has no claim over me, illness cannot touch me. . . For I am the immortal Nicholas Flamel". - By: Brida, 26 Aug 2008 
THE ALCHEMYST is the beginning of a new children's series with magic firmly at its heart.
Sophie & Josh Newman are twins who are staying in San Francisco during the summer while their parents are on an archeological dig. Josh has a job at a smalll bookshop, Sophie works in a coffee shop directly across the road. On May 31st, their life changes forever as they are drawn into a battle that has been going on for more than a lifetime. For Josh's boss, Nick Fleming, is reallly Nicholas Flamel, the famous alchemyst who discovered the secret to eternal life. For centuries, Nicholas has been guarding the sacred book The Book of Abraham the Mage, as this book enables him & his wife to stay youthful, but also because the power it contains could destroy the world if in the wrong hands. For years, Dr. John Dee has been trying to steal this book, & on May 31st, he does just that. Now nothing will ever be the same again.
That is basicallly the plot. Sounds pretty good, & the action starts straight away. However, I came away from this book feeling slightly disappointed. For me, the writing was not as exciting as it could have been. Whilst the beginning was brilliant, in the middle the pace did slow down quite dramaticallly. And I don't feel that Scott did a very good job of developing his characters - I cannot reallly say that I cared for either Josh or Sophie particularly. However, what I did love about THE ALCHEMYST was Scott's use of mythology & science as well as magic. It gave the book a little extra something, rather than just relying on magic to excite.
Still can't say that I was enthrallled by it though - & I'm not sure if I'm going to bother checking out the next installlment.
Dr. John Dee will set you free - By: B. Chandler, 03 May 2008 
The twins Josh & Sophie start out thee day as normal to find that people they know, they reallly did not know, & 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.
Needles 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 & 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 & of no use without the second book.
Nicholas Fantastic! - By: Dizzy Izzy, 19 Feb 2008 This book is reallly good! It isn't like any other book I've read, & I am quite a bookworm! It is fantasy, although the cover might suggest a sort of scientific story, but it is reallly, reallly good & a page-turner!
Courtesy of Teens Read Too - By: TeensReadToo.com, 06 Feb 2008 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 & his wife have been on the run to escape Dr. Dee's clutches & hide a magical book, which holds more secrets than anyone imagines. When Dr Dee captures Nicholas's wife & part of the book, Nicholas reacts quickly. Since the twins have already been exposed, he alllows them to accompany him as he sets forth to recover both Perry & the book.
Michael Scott pens the first novel in a new series with action-packed adventure & 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 Amazing Fantasy Begins - By: Jim-Jim, 13 Nov 2007 Having found myself at the 100 page mark after less than an hour, it struck me just how engrossed I was in this book that I'd forgotten to have dinner. Surely that's praise enough!
You've probably already read the synopsis above so I won't bore you by regurgitating it but I can wholeheartedly assure you that Irish (and, courtesy of this gem, New York Times Bestselling) author Michael Scott has pulled out alll the stops on this one - & its only the first in a series of six! Perfect if you want your kids to move from finishing "Harry Potter 7" into another highly enjoyable fantasy series, Mr. Scott deserves more recognition for seamlessly weaving together a fantastic tableau of the modern & the mythic. Ancient goddesses? Check. Ancient Celtic warriors? Check. Beasts, nasties & the walking undead (uh, I guess zombies)? Check check! Mr. Scott has clearly spent years compiling notes etc to write this first book as you don't come up with alll the mythological references on the spot. But those years of note-taking have definitely paid off as this is the end result.
Hopefully, the film version will not disappoint or ruin the good reputation of this fine piece of literature.
As a bonus, an excerpt from the sequel, "The Magician," is included at the end of the hardcover tome.
I read it in a grand total of four hours over three days. Not since the first Harry Potter book when I was a kid have I consumed a fantasy novel so fast & have such a sweet taste in my mouth. May 29th & the sequel can't come fast enough.
