Book Review: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, The Alchemyst

During my Harry Potter phase I decided I wanted to read an easy book pertaining to magical fantasy. After much research I stumbled upon this 6-part series written by Michael Scott. The first book in the series, The Alchemyst was written and published in 2007. I really wasn't sure what to expect but can surprisingly say I really enjoyed it. The book was very easy to read a true page turner, easy to follow and comprehend. But what I must enjoyed about the story was the historical and mythological references. During my reading I would quite often set the book down to look up a topic discussed in the book. I love a good story, but I love it even more when I can learn some real history or culture within it. 

The Plot

The story is set in present day San Francisco where two 15 year old twins, Joshua and Sophie Newman are both at work for the day. Joshua works at a book store, while Sophie works across the street at a coffee shop. They suddenly witness a mysterious man enter the bookstore and begin to attack it's owner in search of an ancient book. We later discover this mysterious man is the English alchemist John Dee, who served for Queen Elizabeth during the 1500s. We also discover that the owner of the bookstore is the immortal Nicholas Flamel, a French alchemist who lived during the 1300s. And his wife, Perenelle Flamel owns the coffee shop. A magic battle ensues in which John and his monstrous golem thugs capture Perenelle and walk off with the ancient Book of Abramelin the Mage. However John Dee is unaware that Joshua has ripped out that back two pages which are essential parts of the codex. 

Nicholas Flamel reveals all the details of his existence to the twins and warns them they are in danger, once John Dee discovers the pages are missing. They visit an old friend of Flamel, who happens to be an Irish mythological warrior, Scathach, who takes the form of a younger woman. Scathach explains that she is an elder, a second generation from the age of gods. They also believe the twins have powerful magic within them and are key to an ancient prophecy. Their meeting is cut short however when they are attacked by Dee's ally, the Morrigan, who also is an Irish mythological warrior. The Morrigan is like a witch of birds and sends all the birds in San Francisco to attack the group. With Josh at the wheel they just barely escape across the Golden Gate bridge and find refuge at the shadow realm of the Yggdrasil tree. Here dwells the three-faced Greek goddess Hekate.

Nicholas Flamel requests that this goddess of magic, awaken the powers within Josh and Sophie. Hekate is reluctant at first since the awakening is a very dangerous process that can kill a human. However when she discovers that Dee and the Morrigan have a recruited a very powerful ally, the Egyptian goddess Bastet, she decides to awaken the twins' powers. Hekate is only able to awaken Sophie, as she must then run to defend the attack on her home tree of Yggdrasil. Dee, the Morrigan, and Bastet have brought an army of cat-people and bird-people to lay siege to the massive tree world. As the fighting ensues, the tree is set to fire, which only further enrages Hekate. Dee then pulls out the ancient ice-sword of Excalibur and freezes the tree as well as Hekate. Flamel, Scathach, and the twins are able to escape the shadow realm before it is destroyed.

Having just been awaken, Sophie is in a very fragile state, overwhelmed by the heightened sensations she is feeling. The group journeys to the valley of Ojai, to seek the Witch of Endor who can help calm Sophie's awakening process. The Witch of Endor does this by transferring all her powers and knowledge to Sophie. Their meeting is once again cut short however when John Dee arrives with a new army of the living dead. Dee is almost able to convince Josh to join his cause who but has a sudden change of heart thanks to his sister. The Witch of Endor show the group to a magical portal, connected by ley lines, that will send them to Paris. The book ends quite abruptly at this point, a blatant cliffhanger to begin the 2nd book.

The Historical Figures

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  Nicholas Flamel (1330-1418): He was a French scribe and owned several book shops in the city of Paris. He and his wife Perenelle later became infatuated with the practice of alchemy. Nicholas wrote several books pertaining to hieroglyphics and philosophy. His true legend occurred after his death, where his body was found missing. It was later believed that he had discovered the philosopher's stone to turn metal into gold, as well as the elixir of life. Various accounts believed he had decoded the ancient Jewish Book of Abramelin the Mage.  
• Perenelle Flamel (1320-1397): She came from wealthy families in Paris and married Nicholas Flamel with an equal curiosity in books and alchemy. She and Nicholas were devout Catholics and contributed much of their wealth to churches. 
  
• John  Dee (1527-1609): He was a very influential advisor to Queen Elizabeth and considered a master of astronomy and alchemy. As a political advisor he advised the Queen when to be crowned and encouraged the colonization of the New World to establish a British Empire. He studied antiquities and had one of the largest libraries in England. His true passion was the study of Hermetic philosophy which branched into the supernatural practices of alchemy, divination, and even magic. He spent much of his life practicing occultism, spiritualism, and searching for the means of magic. 

The Mythological Figures

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  Scathach: In Irish mythology she is a Scottish warrior woman from the Isle of Skye known as the shadow or the warrior maid. In the Irish epic, The Tain, she trains the hero Cu Chulainn in martial arts and combat. She dwells in a fortress of shadows known as Dun Scaith and her greatest rival is her sister, Aife.
  
• The Morrigan: In Irish Mythology she is known as the phantom queen of war and fate, often associated with crows. In the stories of the Ulster Cycle she encounters the hero Cu Chulainn various times. She is often depicted as a trio of sisters; Eriu, Banba, and Fodla who are all associated as land goddesses. Due to her more enigmatic nature pertaining to war and fear she is often considered a darker figure. She is even associated with the banshees and ghosts of Irish folktales.
• Hekate: In Greek Mythology she is a three-faced/three-bodied goddess of crossroads, the night, the moon, and all practice pertaining to magic. With her knowledge of herbs, she provides protection against witchcraft, necromancy, and ghosts. She also serves as a goddess of doorways, entries, thresholds, gates, portals, boundaries, and the transition from life to death. 
• 
  Yggrdasil: In Norse Mythology it is the most sacred tree that serves as the root and source of all life and worlds in the universe. It is described in the Poetic Edda as being the tree at the center of the cosmos that reaches to the heavens. At the core of the tree many of the gods assemble as well as many other significant Norse figures such as the three Norns who shape human destiny.
• Bastet: In Egyptian Mythology she is a goddess depicted with the body of a woman and the head of a cat. She represents a fierce warrior and guardian, that of a lioness. Yet she also has a gentler feminine side as a goddess of fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth.    
  
• The Witch of Endor: She first appeared in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible as the witch who consulted the Jewish king Saul, and summoned the spirit of the prophet Samuel. The spirit of Samuel predicts that Saul's Israeli army will be crushed by the Philistines which happens the next day. Realizing that he has been defeated Saul commits suicide, which serves as a punishment for seeking counsel from a witch instead of God. From this biblical narrative the Witch of Endor has appeared in various other folktales, songs, plays, and operas. 

Book Review

I love how the author was able to merge different mythologies into one fantasy story. Furthermore they were all figures I knew little about. I know nothing of Irish mythology and became quite interested in the characters of Scathach and the Morrigan portrayed in this book. I also learned quite a bit of the historical figures in the book such as John Dee, who lived a very intriguing life. And of course Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle, who had managed to live for over 700 years. In their accounts are numerous references to historical events such as the Golden Age of Elizabeth or the London Fire of 1666. Even the codex, the Book of Abramelin the Mage is a real book believed to have been written in 1458 and published and translated in the 1700s. 

The story is a fairly easy one to follow pertaining to the American teenagers of Joshua and Sophie Newman. While they think of themselves as average everyday teenagers and siblings, it is quite far from the truth. The story becomes a coming-of-age story as they must not only adapt to this new magical world, but must also face serious adult situations. Both Josh and Sophie are faced with numerous life-and-death encounters, and it is there bond with each other that keeps them going. I am quite interested to see how these characters grow as they dive deeper into this intriguing magical world created by Michael Scott.