Book Review: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
Rated by 3 members
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that, despite the almost nonstop action
and fantasy violence, there is very little real violence, gore,
or anything realistic.
Families can talk about the world-wide mythology behind the
story and how allusions to Flamel compare to mentions of him in
the
Harry Potter books. Kids might also be interested in
reading more about the myths the author uses, and the ways in
which he has tried to make sense of the legendary past. If the
gods of the ancient world lived today, how might they appear to
human beings? What would you do if you were immortal? Are the
powers Sophie gains worth the pain?
Harry Potter fans will recognize the name Nicholas Flamel, and may be surprised to learn that J.K. Rowling didn't make him up. Irish author and mythology expert Michael Scott has taken elements from Flamel's legend, woven them together with myths and stories from around the world, and set the whole thing in modern-day California. The result is a slam-bang, fantasy-adventure, with enough action to keep the most rabid genre fans happy, and enough references to ancient stories to keep the mind working as well.
Though the good-vs.-evil and kids-with-secret-powers themes may be well worn by now, nothing about this story, from its setting and characters to its intricate use of myth to create an alternative history of earth, is typical. When Dee lines up the Celtic Crow-Goddess and the Egyptian Bastet (who lives in an L.A. mansion, of course) to fight against Greek Hekate, who lives in Yggdrasil, the Norse World Tree (currently located in a shadow world just off Mill Valley), you know you're not in Kansas anymore.
Though an appendix with references for all the characters and places mentioned in the story would have been welcome, this book, first of a planned series, is plain old-fashioned fun, with an intellectual gloss that will give fans something to look into while waiting for the next in the series. Put it together with The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, and The Corydon Trilogy by Tobias Druitt, and you've practically got a college course in mythology.
Harry Potter fans will recognize the name Nicholas Flamel, and may be surprised to learn that J.K. Rowling didn't make him up. Irish author and mythology expert Michael Scott has taken elements from Flamel's legend, woven them together with myths and stories from around the world, and set the whole thing in modern-day California. The result is a slam-bang, fantasy-adventure, with enough action to keep the most rabid genre fans happy, and enough references to ancient stories to keep the mind working as well.
Though the good-vs.-evil and kids-with-secret-powers themes may be well worn by now, nothing about this story -- from its setting and characters to its intricate use of myth to create an alternative history of earth -- is typical. Though an appendix with references for all the characters and places mentioned in the story would have been welcome, this book, the first of a planned series, is plain old-fashioned fun, with an intellectual gloss that will give fans something to look into while waiting for the next in the series.
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