The Alchemyst is the first book of a 6-book series called The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Nicholas Flamel was a real person, an alchemist said to have discovered the elixir of life which would make you immortal. The records showed that he died in 1418. Josh and Sophie Newman are two twins living in San Francisco during the summer. Josh is working at a bookstore and his boss is a man named Nick Fleming. However, one day, mysterious creatures come to the bookstore and attack, kidnapping his wife, Perenelle, and a special book. Fleming reveals to Josh and Sophie that he is Nicholas Flamel, and the book has his secret to long life, along with many other spells. He suspects that they are the prophesied "twins of power," who would have a big impact on the future of the world. According to him, there are creatures called Elders who used to rule the world before humans, but now some of the evil Elders are trying to recapture earth once again. The twins are rumored to be able to stop them. He takes the twins to prepare to fight against the evil. In this book, the twins meet some good Elders including one goddess named Hekate, who are going to try to train them, however, the evil Elders discover their existence and come to Hekate’s kingdom to try to kidnap the twins for themselves and their own uses. Will the evil Elders capture the twins, or will good prevail?
I loved this whole book and the entirety of the concept behind it! I found it mesmerizing how author, Michael Scott, was able to incorporate the gods of so many different religions into this book. The storyline was very interesting and there were many cliffhangers throughout the book that made it hard to stop reading. Anyone who enjoys mythology would love this novel. Because of all this, I give this book a five out of five.