100 Books in 2010: 12
Posted by Adrienne on February 5, 2010 under Books | 
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I read two more books this week, which brings the book count up to a dozen. One of them, The Alchemyst, was one I had read before. What follows is my Goodreads review from July 2008:
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, but I’m a little miffed at the total cliffhanger ending (but mostly at the fact that my uber-cool ILL doesn’t have the sequel yet).
The Alchemyst is concerned with Nicholas Flamel, the man who found a way to make the Philosophers’ Stone, thereby becoming immortal. If you’re like me, when you read the words ‘Nicholas Flamel’ or ‘Philosophers’ Stone,’ you think of Harry Potter. And stylistically, the two books are slightly similar, as they concern magic in our own present world and time. Scott works in references to quite a lot of current technology (Google, iPods and Wikipedia all get several mentions) but the story is also bursting with myths, legends, and the creatures that populate them.
So Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle are still alive in 21st century San Francisco. But when the evil Dr. John Dee steals the instruction book for making the Philosophers’ Stone and kidnaps Perenelle Flamel, it’s up to Nicholas and two ordinary American teenagers, Josh and Sophie Newman, to get the book back and stop Dr. Dee from releasing all of the bad guys from the old tales on to the unsuspecting world. Fascinating, huh? The plot moves along fairly well, the characters are all well-rounded and the world is detailed and believable. Like I said, I’m waiting impatiently for one of the libraries in our consortium to get the sequel so I can find out what happens next!
*Upon reading the book a second time, I was struck again with how well Scott works many myths and mythological creatures into the story. Also, a second reading let me take in more about the characters, and I realized that, while Josh and Sophie Newman are believable protagonists, I really didn’t like Josh much. Perhaps it’s because of the way the plot moves, but Josh seemed to be kind of a pain and slightly whiny. He did not, however, keep me from wanting to know what happens next. Thankfully, for this second reading, I had Book 2 ready to go as soon as I finished Book 1. Here is my review:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book 2 of the Nicholas Flamel series picks up right where Book 1 left off, thrusting the reader back into the story of “ordinary” American teenagers Sophie and Josh Newman, and the myth-laden world they found themselves in after helping a man who turns out to be Nicholas Flamel, an alchemist from Medieval times.
Book 1, The Alchemyst, took place in California, but the action in The Magician has shifted to Paris. Among the twisting streets and alleys of Flamel’s native city, Sophie and Josh find that they aren’t ordinary after all, and that they have a part to play in the war that the Dark Elders are waging against humankind. But can they trust Nicholas Flamel? And what about his wife, Perenelle, who is trapped by dark forces on Alcatraz? Will they be able to rescue her before they are killed (or worse) by the nasty things hunting them in and under the streets of Paris?
Once again, Michael Scott weaves a fascinating and fast-paced tale laden with myth and legend (he also pauses to explain spontaneous human combustion, which was awesome) and populated with believable characters. Josh continues to be slightly annoying, but I have hopes that he will turn out better in Book 3. I like Sophie, though. And I want very much to trust Nicholas Flamel, but, like Josh and increasingly like Sophie, I’m not sure that I can.
Also, after another cliff-hanger ending, I hope I can find Book 3 soon, instead of having to wait two years like I did between Books 1 and 2!
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