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The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

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The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
File:Alchemyst Nicholas Flamel.jpg
First Edition cover of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
AuthorMichael Scott
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
GenreFantasy, Thriller, Fiction, Mythology
PublisherRandom House (U.S.A) Random House (U.K)
Publication date
22 May 2007 (U.S.A) 24 May 2007 (U.K)
Publication placeIreland Republic of Ireland
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages375 p. (U.S.A hardback)
ISBNISBN 978-0385733571 (U.S.A), ISBN 0385612931 (U.K) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
Followed byThe Magician 
Website[1]

The Alchemyst is the first novel in the six book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.[1] It's written by Irish author Michael Scott and was published in May 2007. The Alchemyst has been printed in 20 languages and is available in 37 countries,[2] The film rights to the series have been sold to Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Imdb now lists The Alchemyst film as "in production" [3]

Publisher's plot synopsis

"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.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time."

— Random House, The Alchemyst, Hardcover 2007

Characters

  • Sophie Newman - Is the older twin. Sophie worked at a coffee shop - The Coffee Cup - before Dee attacked. Her aura is pure silver (very rare aura) and smells like vanilla ice cream. In the first book, Sophie's powers are awakened by Hekate (an Elder) and she is trained in the Magic of Air by The Witch of Endor. The witch also imparts all of her knowledge to Sophie during the process. Sophie is agoraphobic, the opposite of her brother. She is less impulsive than her brother. She has blond hair.

"A silver glow had appeared around Sophie. Like a thin second skin, it hovered just above the surface of her flesh, winking in and out of existence. When she blinked, her eyes turned to flat reflective mirrors."

— Michael Scott, The Alchemyst, p.119
  • Josh Newman - Younger than his twin sister by only 28 seconds. Josh's pure gold aura is slightly rarer than Sophie's aura and smells like oranges. He worked at a book store - The Small Book Shop - under Nicholas Flamel before the encounter with Dr.Dee. He isn't awakened in the first book by Hekate because Dee attacks the Yggdrasill world tree that Hekate inhabits. Josh is undecided on his trust of Flamel; he believes he is putting Sophie in danger.He is quietly jealous of Sophie's powers. He has claustrophobia, opposite of his sister's agoraphobia. He is smart but impulsive and is scared of snakes and is a computer wiz. Josh, like Sophie, has blond hair. He is Awakened in the second book by Mars Ultor in the catacombs of Paris.

"The glow that covered Josh was a warm golden hue. It was concentrated mainly around his head and hands, throbbing and pulsing in sync with his heartbeat.The irises of his eyes were like golden coins."

— Michael Scott, The Alchemyst, p119
  • Nicholas Flamel - The titular "Alchemyst" of the novel. While disguised as "Nick Fleming", Nicholas owned a book shop while he protected the Codex (a.k.a. The Book of Abraham the Mage). His aura is green and smells like peppermint. Now that Dee has most the Book of Abraham (except for the two pages that Josh ripped out of the book), he has lost his immortality recipe that was on page 7, and becomes older by the day, and faster if he uses his aura in any way. One of the twins, Josh, dislikes the fact that the Alchemist doesn't always reveal all the truth. Nicholas is described as having 'colourless' eyes.

"I discovered the secret of the philosopher's stone hidden deep in that book of ancient magic: I learned how to turn ordinary metal into gold, how to change common stones into precious jewels. But more than this, much more, I found the recipe for a formulation of herbs and spells that keeps disease and death at bay. Perenelle and I became virtually immortal."

— Nicholas Flamel, The Alchemyst, p.21
  • Perenelle - Disguised as "Perry Fleming" until she was kidnapped by Dr.Dee. She is married to Nicholas. She is a powerful sorceress with an ice white aura that attracts ghosts of all kinds, however she has learned how to disguise her aura. She is a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, who can see and communicate with ghosts. Perenelle is described as having black hair shot through with silver.

"Opening her eyes wide, Perenelle concentrated on her own aura. Her natural aura was a pale ice white, which acted like a beacon for the dead, drawing them to her."

— Michael Scott, The Alchemyst, p.77
  • John Dee - For centuries, Dr.Dee has been chasing Nicholas and Perenelle to get his hands on the Codex and return the Dark Elders to power. Dee works with the Morrigan, a next generation Elder, she seems to be almost a second master to him, or maybe a go-between between him and his unknown master. Dee has failed many times to retrieve the Codex and capture the Flamels. Dr.Dee, like the Flamels, is immortal. His immortality was bestowed upon him by his Dark Elder and could be revoked at any time if he continues to fail in his mission. He has his own business, Enoch Enterprises. His aura is a sickly yellow and smells like brimstone, or rotten eggs. He has in his possession the elemental sword of ice Excalibur, the twin sword of Clarent (fire).

"I rather like the smell of brimstone. It is so," He paused. "So dramatic."

— Dr. Dee, The Alchemyst, p.15
  • Scathach - Nicknamed "Scatty". She is known by the name "The Shadow". Scatty is one of the next generation elders, but believes that the time of Elders is past and the world belongs to the humans now. She works with Flamel and regards him almost like the father she does not remember. Scathach has trained many warriors over the past millennia. She is also a vegetarian vampire. Scatty is millenia old, but does not look a day over seventeen. She is commonly known as the Warrior Maid or the Shadow. Her aura is gray.

"In mythology she is known as the Warrior Maid, the Shadow,the Daemon Slayer, the King Maker, the.."

— Nicholas Flamel, The Alchemyst, p.59

"Oh, just call me Scatty," the young woman said, her cheeks turning the same color as her hair.

— Scathach, The Alchemyst, p.59
  • Hekate - 'The Goddess of three faces', a first generation Elder whose life was inter-weaved with the ancient Yggdrasil tree that she nurtured and grew in her Shadowrealm. She Awakened Sophie's powers. Hekate grows and ages throughout the course of a day, starting young in the morning and growing older as the day progresses, only to be renewed again the next morning. She was a powerful elder until Dee turned her into ice and shattered her with the ancient and mythical sword of ice, Excalibur.

"There is no daughter or granddaughter. The mature woman you saw this afternoon was Hekate. The old woman you saw this evening is also Hekate, and in the morning, you will meet a young girl who is Hekate as well."

— Nicholas Flamel, The Alchemyst, p.110

"The Goddess with Three Faces," Flamel reminded them.

— Nicholas Flamel, The Alchemyst, p.110

"Hekate is cursed to age with the day. Maiden in the morning, matron in the afternoon, crone in the evening. She is incredibly sensitive about her age."

— Scathach, The Alchemyst, p.86
  • The Witch of Endor - Is living as Dora Witcherly, running her antiques shop in Ojai (pronounced Oh-hai), California and has been alive for millennia. She gave all her knowledge and memories to Sophie when she taught her the Magic of Air. Dora is Scathach's grandmother. She uses mirrors to see, having sacrificed her eyes for the ability to see the strands of the future.

"The Witch of Endor had no eyes. There were just hollow empty sockets where eyes should have been, and nestled in the sockets were perfect ovals of reflective glass."

— Michael Scott, The Alchemyst, p.168
  • The Morrigan - The Next Generation winged Dark Elder (the Crow Goddess)- she has the ability to control crows. She is Bastet's and Hecate's niece. The Morrigan has three personalities after incorporating her sisters Macha and Badb into herself, the sisters are not heard from in The Alchemyst.

"The ancient Irish had called her the Crow Goddess, and she was worshipped and feared throughout the Celtic kingdoms as the Goddess of Death and Destruction. Once there had been three sisters: Badb, Macha and the Morrigan, but the others had disappeared over the years Dee had his own suspicions about what had happened to them and the Morrigan now reigned supreme."

— Michael Scott, The Alchemyst, p.52
  • Bastet - The Dark Elder with a cat head - has the ability to control felines.

"One of the most powerful members of the Elder Race, Bastet had been worshipped in Egypt since the earliest ages of man. She had the body of a beautiful young woman with the head of a cat, and Perry had absolutely no idea of the magical forces she controlled."

— Michael Scott, The Alchemyst, p.76

Plot summary

Sophie and Josh are working at a cafe and a bookstore when Dee comes for the Codex. Here, they witness Nicholas and Perenelle using magic, and discover that Nicholas is not a bookseller, but is indeed an ancient alchemyst being kept alive by making the elixir of life (a secret from the Codex) for him and Perenelle. He can use magic. He needs the Codex back to make the elixir of life again, or he and Perenelle will die before the month's end. Also, if Nicholas does not retrieve the Codex, Dee will summon the Dark Elders to destroy the world and return to an age in which humans are but slaves and food.

Flamel quickly takes them to a Dojo to enlist the aid of Scathach, an extremely powerful ally. Dee assaults the Dojo, but is thwarted by Flamel and Scathach. Flamel then leads the twins and Scathach to attempt to secure the aid of Hekate, who can awaken the twins' magical potential. Dee discovers this, and enlists the aid of Bastet, and the Morrigan. The trio mount a massive assault on Hekate's shadowrealm, attempting to destroy the Yggdrasill that is the heart of Hekate's power.

While the Yggdrasill is attacked, Hekate Awakens Sophie; she does not Awaken Josh, as the Yggdrasill is then lit on fire and she rushes to defend her home. After a long, grueling battle, Scathach clears a path for the twins and Flamel. While escaping, they encounter Dee, and witness the power of the ancient sword known as Excalibur, which he draws. They see him transform a wereboar into pure ice, then shatter the statue. Scathach remarks that she thought that Excalibur had been lost when Artorius died.

The twins, Scathach, and Flamel escape the shadowrealm rapidly after, shortly before the destruction of Hekate, the Yggdrasill, and the entire shadowrealm. As they escape, Dee uses Excalibur to freeze the Yggdrasill, and Hekate, whose life and power is linked to the tree, transforms to ice as it does. As this occurs, Dee is informed that Flamel and Scathach have escaped with the twins. In his rage, he shatters the Yggdrasill, which crushes Hekate into dust, killing her. At this point, they travel to Scathach's grandmother, the Witch of Endor (also called "The Mistress of Air"), who teaches Sophie her magical secrets quickly by giving the girl all her memories.

While they are there, Dee has found out that the prophecy in the Codex speaks of Sophie and Josh. He tempts Josh to join him, while practicing necromancy and raising thousands of corpses to assault the Elders and Sophie with. Josh almost agrees, but at the last moment he realizes he will lose Sophie if he agrees, and distracts the necromancer long enough to escape with Scathach, Sophie and Nicholas using a leygate (where lines of energy, or ley lines on the globe cross) to escape to Paris, where the book ends. The book ends with the conclusion that the Witch has survived and Dee is still searching, leaving the book without any information about what happens next.

Book of Abraham

Also called the Codex, The Alchemyst centers around a prophecy in the Book of Abraham. The Book of Abraham is an actual book, but the prophecies described in the The Alchemyst are the fictional work of Michael Scott. The prophecies describe the return of the Elders - a race of magically powerful beings that seek to return to power and rule the Earth - and contains a spell that will achieve just that. Nicholas Flamel is the protector of this book and seeks to ensure the Elders never get their hands on it. When attacked by John Dee, the book is stolen. Luckily, Josh Newman manages to rip the two most important pages from the book - the Final Summoning, the one spell to summon the Dark Elders to take back Earth, and possibly raise Danu Talis (Atlantis) up from the waves.

Also contained in the Book of Abraham are the secrets of immortality and the philosopher's stone. The secret of immortality is held on page 7, according to Michael Scott. It is believed that Nicholas Flamel learned the secrets of the Philosopher's stone from the Book of Abraham in 1382. And in the book it refers to him as the next to last keeper of the book. And Sophie and Josh as the Twins (as said in the book) Either to Destroy or Save the world. Nicholas thinks one has the power to save and one has the power to destroy.

Mr.Scott has stated that he is not referring to The Book of Abramelin, as that book came into existence much later.

Online Games

The first related online game to be launched was The Codex Master[4] The game is to guess a secret code composed of a sequence of coloured orbs by inputting various sequences and using logic. When a sequence is entered, indicators show when the player has the right colour and also when a colour is in the right or wrong position to enable them to apply logic and guess the correct sequence.

To celebrate the release of The Sorceress an online game was created.[5] It was called The Challenges of the Elder[6] and launched on April 21st, 2009. Players are guided through the game, which is a set of four challenges, by video scenes featuring Michael Scott. The first task, the Alchemyst's challenge, required players to assemble a moving jigsaw of the series' logo against a countdown clock. The second task, the Magician's challenge, required players to turn over two books from a series of books and find matching symbols, when a matching pair was found both books burst into flames and disappeared. The task was complete when all the books had been matched. The third task, the Sorceress' challenge was a colour sequencing game where players chose coloured flasks and would have to repeat the sequence that they were shown in. Players then advanced to meet The Elder, who asked them a set of knowledge questions about the books and were given a coloured aura depending on their scores and time taken to complete the tasks.

Audio book

The Alchemyst is also available as an unabridged audiobook. It was released by the Listening Library on May 22nd, 2007 and narrated by Denis O'Hare. The ISBN numbers for the audiobook are: ISBN: 0739350323 (UK), ISBN: 978-0739350324 (U.S.A)[7].

Award Nominations

  • Irish Book of the Year 2008[8]
  • Kentucky Bluegrass Book Award[9]
  • Maine Student Book Award[10]
  • Nevada Young Readers Award[11]
  • NCSLMA YA Book Award - 2010[12]
  • Rhode Island Book Award 2008- (Winner)[13]

To win the Rhode Island Book Award the Alchemyst had to beat 200 other titles that were entered[14].

Sequels

The series continues in the sequel The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel which was released in the UK on June 5, 2008 and on June 24, 2008 in the US. The third book The Sorceress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel was released on May 26, 2009 in the U.S. and on June 25, 2009 in the U.K. Three more books, The Necromancer was released on May 25th 2010 on the official site www.dillonscott.com, The Warlock: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and The Enchantress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel have yet to announce a release date or book cover.

Film Adaptation

Film rights for this book have been sold to New Line Cinema and Mark Burnett Productions.[15] The film is currently in pre-production. This has been reported at IMDb. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the writer hired to pen the script is Eric Bress. He is well-known for writing the scripts for the popular television show Kyle XY. It has been reported the producer is Mark Burnett and that he bought the rights to the book in an auction many months before the book was published. The movie is TBA 2009 (To Be Announced)so most likely another year.[15]

On November 19th 2009 it was announced in Variety Magazine[16] that Lorenzo di Bonaventura had bought the film rights to the series. Michael Scott and Barry Krost will be the executive producers. The script writer has yet to be announced.

"Well, I have been promising news of the Flamel movie. Here's the press release. The movie was set up with New Line, but New Line were absorbed by Warner and the rights reverted to me. There has been tremendous interest in the series and eventually, it went to Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is the man responsible for bringing Harry Potter to Warner when he was there. He genuinely loves this series. The next step now is to attach a writer - I will not write it, I have 3 more books to do!"

— Michael Scott, Posted by him, on his Flamel's Secret Fan Forum. "Link to his full post".

Give Away

In April 2009 American publisher Random House offered free copies of the book online as a PDF, but this offer was only valid for one month and has since expired.

The Series

In chronological order:

References

  1. ^ Staff writers. "Michael Scott-Author spotlight-Random House". Random House Inc. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  2. ^ Michael Scott. "Michael Scott-The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel-The Alchemyst". Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  3. ^ Staff writers. "The Alchemyst: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (2009)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  4. ^ Random House, Teens (2007). "The Codex Master Game". Random House, U.S.A. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  5. ^ Maughan, Shannon (April 30th, 2009). "The Sorceress' Heats Up with Marketing Muscle". Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved November 25, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Asylum, Creative (April 22nd, 2009). "The Challenges of the Elder". RHCB. Retrieved November 25, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "The Alchemyst Audiobook". Amazon UK. Retrieved November 28th, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Staff writer (March 27th, 2008). "Book Award Shortlist". RTE.ie. Retrieved November 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Staff writer. "2009 Master List @ The Kentucky Bluegrass Award". K.B.A. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  10. ^ Staff writer. "Maine Student Book Award 2008-2009". MSBA. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  11. ^ Staff writer. "Nevada Library Association - Nevada Young Readers' Award". NYRA. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  12. ^ Staff writer. "NCSLMA YA BOOK AWARD 2010". NCSLMA. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  13. ^ Staff writer (March 19th, 2009). "2009 RI Teen Book Award Winner". O.L.I.S. Retrieved November 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Staff writer (March 17th, 2009). "2009 RI Teen Book Award Winner - Press Release" (PDF). R.I.T.B.A. Retrieved November 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b Staff writers. "Movie profile: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel". TheMovieInsider.com. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  16. ^ McNary, Dave (November 18, 2009). "DiBonaventura sets up 'Secret' Company to produce 'Nicholas Flamel' series". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2009.

External links


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