The Alchemyst

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Book 1

By: Michael Scott

Narrated by: Denis O'Hare

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Nicholas Flamel appeared in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter - but did you know he really lived? And his secrets aren't safe! Discover the truth in book one of the New York Times best-selling series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel's tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives.

Nicholas Flamel is the greatest Alchemyst to ever live. The records show that he died in 1418, but what if he's actually been making the elixir of life for centuries?

The secrets to eternal life are hidden within the book he protects - the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed, and in the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it.

There is one hope. If the prophecy is true, Sophie and Josh Newman have the power to save everyone. Now they just have to learn to use it.

“The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel has everything you loved about Harry Potter, including magic, mystery, and a constant battle of good versus evil.” (Bustle)

A New York Times best-selling series
A USA Today best seller
A Kids' Indie Next List Selection
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
An ILA Young Adult Choice Book
An ILA Children’s Choice Winner

©2007 Michael Scott (P)2007 Random House Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

“[A] riveting fantasy . . . fabulous read.” (School Library Journal, starred)

“Readers will be swept up.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred)

“An exciting and impeccably thought-out fantasy, well-suited for those left in the lurch by Harry Potter’s recent exeunt.” (Booklist)

A bit cheesy

Admittedly, I didn’t really review for the target audience, rather I was in a rush hopping on a plane and purchased a book with a lot of decent ratings.

Not knowing the audience, I would’ve given a 3. Simply because it is littered with cliched and cheesy novelties. Obviously attempting to relate to and sympathize with teenagers specifically.

Loved IT!

I would agree with the other reviewers - if you liked the Harry Potter series you will like these books - yes at times predictable - but so are a lot of other books I have read. It moves at a fast pace and very imaginative - like the Potter series - which keeps it very interesting..

Interesting one time

This was creative but a bit long. Was surprised to see that there is 5 more. After the 1st audiobook I read the summaries to the next 5 and felt like I already got enough out of the 1st one to move on.

Awesome

loved it. just wanted it to keep going. great cliffhanger...but also frustrating. overall very entertaining on a long drive.

Very good

If you could sum up The Alchemyst in three words, what would they be?

Something my kids can read and yet it's got a good enough story I can still be interest and finish without rolling my eyes.

Very interesting but could be written better

Any additional comments?

The story is very imaginative and the inclusion of historical facts with a creative twist was very entertaining. I loved Scott's vision of how some historically significant individuals would fit into the modern world!

The writing was somewhat awkward at points and occasionally repetitive but I don't regret listening to it at all. I enjoyed it enough to drive my boyfriend crazy by talking about it all the time :)

Love this book and the reader

If your want a book that will make your go crazy then step right up. From the way the reader brings your in to the story itself. Let’s just say I started listening to it again! Best choice ever!

Wonderful!

by far my favorite series of all time I highly recommend to teen readers and new readers.

Give It Time

The story started off somewhat slow to me and I considered returning the book, I decided to give it some time to let the plot form and the characters come to life, since then I've went through the first 4 books in the series! Once the plot started to develop, I couldn't keep myself from listening to see what possibly could unfold next. The author does a great job of not feeding you the full meal, but giving you enough bits and pieces to make you hungry for the next book in the series. I enjoyed the reader as well, he did a great job with voices and reading the story in general. I would recommend to anyone looking for a magical fiction series to fill their Potter void.

amazing

I don't really think a lot of this is science fiction I believe that a lot of this is Life as we know it but it's easier not to pay attention to it because it would probably freak a lot of people out thank you for this book Blessings