Guest Blogger: Sarah B.

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
Michael Scott


I know I reference Harry Potter entirely too much, but I’m going to do it one more time; remember when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are searching for the key to the Sorcerer’s Stone in the first movie and one of the characters stumbles upon the name Nicholas Flamel? In the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this tidbit of information is in reference to the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary object that holds the secret to immortality and Nicholas Flamel, the man who discovered it ensuring he lives forever.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott (no not the Michael Scott from the Office!), is the story of twins Josh and Sophie Newman, fifteen year old siblings spending the summer in San Francisco while their archeologist parents are on a dig in the desert. The twins have the perfect jobs right across the street from one another; Sophie works at a coffee shop, while Josh works at the old bookstore for the hip Nicholas and Perry Fleming. Sophie and Josh’s lives are perfectly normal until one fateful day that changes everything. Witnessing supernatural beings attacking Nicholas and Perry, Josh and Sophie step in to help, and in turn set off a chain reaction that sends the twins and Nicholas on the run from the evil John Dee. Dee, who stole the Book of Abraham the Mage from Fleming, is holding Perry hostage in return for the two most important pages of the Codex that were ripped out of the book during the attack. These two pages hold the key to restoring the power of the Earth to the Dark Elders who once ruled it long before humans appeared. With no one else to turn to, it’s up to Nicholas, Sophie, and Josh to save Perry and keep the pages safety away from John Dee.

While in hiding, the twins discover that they may be the powerful magicians prophesized in the Book, and that Nicholas Fleming is in fact the legendary alchemist Nicholas Flamel. If the powers buried deep inside them are awakened, Sophie and Josh may be the difference between the survival or destruction of the planet. But with mythical Dark Elders like the Morrigan, the Scottish crow goddess, and Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess, after them, saving the planet seems far from easy. Lucky for them, Nicholas and the twins have the help of Scathach, an Irish warrior and vampire who is nearly as old as the evil Elders who wish harm on the group.

The Alchemyst is book one of the series, and so far I think it’s pretty good. Not knowing really any of the mythical creatures talked about in this book has made me want to research more into the different types of mythology around the world. I must say that I was very excited making the connection between The Alchemyst and Harry Potter because it was a pretty subtle thing in the HP movie. If you like fantasy and all things supernatural, I totally recommend this book.