Book Review: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 24, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385736002
ISBN-13: 978-0385736008
Buy the book: Amazon
Visit the site: http://www.dillonscott.com/

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

My Review

So, the first thought that came to mind upon picking up this book was, "Michael Scott isn't smart enough to write a good book!" My second thought was, "This dude stole Nicholas Flamel from Harry Potter!" Later discoveries proved both of these statements false. It just so happens that Nicholas Flamel was a real dude, born in the 1300s, renowned for his skills in "Alchemy". Also, Michael Scott (Not the Steve Carell character, as I had thought) is not only smart enough to write a book, he can also do it greatly.

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for over a year now, and somehow, I've never given it much thought. Something that I really don't like is when a book sits on a shelf, gathering dust. What's the point of a book if it isn't gonna be read? I can proudly and honestly say that I have almost read all of the two hundred books in my bedroom. The Alchemyst, along with it's sequel, The Magician, are some of the very few books in my bedroom that I have not picked up for quite a while. Until now, that is. The primary reason that I started reading this book is because there are so many people who said it was so good, and it is a pretty well-known book. It was pretty much a last resort for me reading it, I didn't really have anything else to read. So, before I started the book, I was like

But, by the end of The Alchemyst, I was like

I know, those guys look a lot like me. The resemblance is scary. So, yep, I was one happy camper. Or, I would be, if I read this book in a tent. Sadly, I didn't. So... yeah....

The Alchemyst is a book that can pretty much be liked by any teen. The main characters are twins, brother and sister. The book starts in a normal day, a fifteen-year-old girl working in a coffee shop, her twin brother working across the street in a book shop. I do not exaggerate when I say that the action in the book starts literally a few pages in. And the action ends on page 400. In case you didn't read the product description at the top, this is a 400 page book. This was a very high paced book that not only kept me entertained, but made me pick up the sequel to the book, The Magician, the second I finished it. I was very impressed while reading this book because it kinda seemed like Mr. Scott knew exactly the things I liked in a book. Not only did he write the book nearly perfectly, he also put in stuff like Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and a whole ship-load of other stuff (I am not intending any profanity when saying that; the amount of awesome stuff in this book could honestly fill an entire ship.)

Like I said before, this book is really one that a whole variety of peoples could love. Right now, I'm reading The Magician, and I must say that this series is going on my favorites list. I know, it seems like I've loved every book I've read lately, but this one is awesome. 'Nuff said.