Tagged: litha
The Warlock by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
The twins of prophecy have been divided—the end has begun.
Alcatraz:
Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Fransisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race.
Danu Talis:
The Shadowrealm that Scatty and Joan of Arc have entered is far more dangerous than they could have ever imagined. And they haven’t landed here by chance—the warriors were called for a reason. So were Saint-Germain, Palamedes, and Shakespeare. The group was summoned because they must travel back in time to Danu Talis and destroy it. For the island of Danu Talis, known in humani myth as the lost city of Atlantis, must fall if the modern world is to exist.
San Fransisco:
The end is finally near. Josh Newman has chosen a side, and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He will fight alongside Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare.
Unless Sophie can find her twin before the battle begins, all is lost—forever.
Unlike a lot of people who have read The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, I like how Josh’s character has developed Although Dee and his kind would like to see the Elders return to the world, which would be bad, the true motives of Nicholas Flamel are shrouded in mystery. In the first few books of the series, there was a clear line between good and evil, but now everything is in shades of grey. And since Sophie and Josh are reunited at the end of The Warlock, it will be interesting to see what side they take, especially when we find out who Dee’s mysterious Elders are.
As usual, the plot zips by at an incredibly fast pace as Litha approaches. Old enemies become allies and old alliances have changed as the battle for humanity’s future draws ever closer. I think you’ll be just as surprised as I was at the interesting turn my favourite villain, Machiavelli, takes in this book. It was very unexpected when it happened, but in hindsight Michael Scott had been dropping hints about the change throughout the series. If you’ve read all the way up to The Necromancer, The Warlock is a must-read that you will thoroughly enjoy.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
San Fransisco:
Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home. And they’re both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they’ll need to protect themselves, they’ve lost Scatty, and they’re still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel? Can they trust anyone?
Alcatraz:
Dr. Dee underestimated Perenelle Flamel’s power. Alcatraz could not hold her, Nereus was no match for her, and she was able to align herself with the most unlikely of allies. But she wasn’t the only one being held on the island. Behind the prison’s bars and protective sigils were a menagerie of monsters, and now Machiavelli has come to Alcatraz to loose them on San Fransisco.
Perenelle might be powerful, but each day she weakens, and even with Nicholas back at her side, a battle this size would be too much for her. Nicholas and Perenelle must fight, to protect the city, but the effort would probably kill them both.
London:
Having been unable to regain the two final pages of the Codex, Dee has failed his Elder and is now an outlaw.
But the Magician has a plan. With the Codex and the creatures on Alcatraz, he can control the world. All he needs is the help of the Archons. But for his plan to work, he must raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. For that, he’ll have to train a necromancer.
Despite what this gigantic blurb may make you think, The Necromancer is not an overly complicated book, I promise. The only thing you should take away from this blurb is that whoever wrote it desperately needs to learn the art of summarizing. Moving on…
As usual, Michael Scott’s writing is pared down and easy to read, which also makes for a nice, fast-paced plot. He knows just when to switch to another thread of the storyline to keep the plot moving along quickly. It is incredibly hard to put The Necromancer down and, as usual, it kept me reading until the very early hours of the morning.
Aside from the excellent pacing, the thing I love most about The Necromancer is the character development. Michael Scott allows his characters to develop at a natural pace, so they feel a lot more authentic than most characters in fast-paced novels. Alliances change and the line between good and evil blurs as Sophie and Josh Newman are put to the test again and again as Litha approaches. They are supposed to be the ones to save the world, but the ending of this book will leave you in severe doubt that there will be a happy ending to the series. Trust me, you won’t see what’s coming, but the cliffhanger at the end makes sense when you look at the series as a whole.
I give this book 5/5 stars.