The Alchemyst Review

Today I want to review a FABULOUS series of books for geeky boys.  Two summers ago my son had just finished the Harry Potter novels and felt a need to start a new series.  I looked around and found the usual suspects - Twilight (um, no!), Hunger Games (not him), and so on.  After much debate and a lot of reading I found the Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott.  We picked up the first book and with very little hope that they would EVER be able to compare to our beloved Harry Potter, we read.  I was very surprised by what we found.  The book was action packed from the very first chapter.  It punches you over and over again with a high adrenaline read!  I couldn't believe our luck.  Here was a book and series worth reading after Harry Potter. 
Now if I am being honest here, the narrative is not nearly as strong as the Potter books and the characters are not as lovable.  However, what Scott manages to do is to give us a series that is purely action.  It is engaging and enriching at the same time.  It is also worth noting that they are a very fast read, in case you are in a pinch for those dreaded reading requirements. 
Like Harry Potter this is a series that forces you to bite finger nails until you get that next copy.  Lucky for you all the books are currently on the market for sale.  My poor son got all the way to the last book and had to wait an entire year to get it - it reminded me of the good old days of waiting for the Harry Potter books! 

The books are in order:

1. The Alchemyst
2. The Magician
3. The Sorceress
4. The Necromancer 
5. The Warlock
6. The Enchantress

As a parent I am always on the look out for books that will keep my child engaged even after the pages are closed!  The unique angle that Scott takes in his books is the fact that all the characters (minus the twins) are real historical or mystical beings.  The places they visit and the sites they see are real locations on our planet!  What this angle allowed was for my son to read and research outside of the series.  Who was Nicholas Flamel?  Who was Billy the Kid?  Where is the prime meridian?  All these questions required research and I made him do it!  It also forced him to engage in a lot more reading and no parent can argue that. 

What these books are about:
"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." - Thank you Amazon!