Tagged: michael scott
The Sorceress by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
Paris:
Dr. John Dee has torn the city apart in every attempt to intercept the immortal Nicholas Flamel and Sophie and Josh Newman. Paris’s streets are in ruins, Notre Dame destroyed, the Comte de Saint-Germain’s home leveled. Dee has the book of Abraham the Mage, but he’s still missing the two pages the Dark Elders need for the Final Summoning. Without them the spell cannot be cast, and Dee is well aware that the Dark Elders will not rest until they are in power and the human race is destroyed—or he is.
London:
Nicholas Flamel’s heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was demolished by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of legend, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.
But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped on Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.
If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find someone who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only being who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane.
I’m a sucker for tragic characters, I must admit. Lancelot, Hamnet and now Gilgamesh, the oldest immortal human. He has lived so long that his mind is fractured, but because he was made immortal by his friend Abraham the Mage instead of an Elder, he cannot die. The saddest thing of all is that he writes things down to remember in his periods of lucidity because he knows his mind is going. After living for so long, all he wants to die is finally die, which is why he makes the twins promise to bring him the book when they obtain it. And who can blame him?
Michael Scott not only has a gift for creating memorable heroes, he creates memorable villains as well. What makes The Sorceress so much more enjoyable for me is the fact that Niccolò Machiavelli plays a much more important role. I love my villains and Machiavelli is one of my favourites, so you could fairly accuse me of being biased. Nevertheless, Michael Scott’s characterization is excellent and it is part of what keeps readers coming back for more.
Michael Scott superbly weaves mythology and history into his fast-paced narrative, which is why his series is so popular. He combines better known Greek mythology and famous historical figures like William Shakespeare with Celtic mythology and more obscure figures like the legendary Palamedes. Of course, the fact that his plot is very fast-paced helps quite a bit.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Magician by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
California:
In the hands of Dr. John Dee and the Dark Elders, the book of Abraham the Mage could mean the destruction of the world as we know it. The most powerful book of all time, it holds the secret of eternal life—a secret more dangerous than any one man should ever possess. And Dee is two pages away from the knowledge that would bring the Dark Elders into ultimate power.
His only obstacle? Josh and Sophie Newman—who are eight thousand miles away.
Paris:
After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris. The City of Light. Home to Nicholas Flamel. Only, this homecoming is anything but sweet.
Niccoló Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, lives in Paris and is working for Dee. He’s in hot pursuit, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenelle. Every day they spend without the book, they age one year: their magic becomes weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophecy is clearer and clearer. It’s time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic.
Fire magic.
And there’s only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel’s old student the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star.
Josh and Sophie Newman are the world’s only hope. If they don’t turn on each other first.
The Magician is a great second book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, with its fast-paced plot, new and more terrifying creatures and amazing characterization. It’s actually one of the rare second books that I like better than the first book.
Michael Scott continues his amazing characterization by introducing new and far more interesting characters like the Comte de Saint-Germain, Joan of Arc and the infamous Niccoló Machiavelli. Sophie and Josh are given much more depth as Sophie learns new magic and as Josh grows more jealous of his Awakened twin. We also learn more about Nicholas Flamel, Scatty and Dr. John Dee, who is one of my favourite characters, aside from Machiavelli.
What I love most about The Magician is that Michael Scott does not neglect his villains. Dee and Machiavelli are very interesting and are given realistic motivations for following the Dark Elders. They also think they are doing the right thing, which is better than your typical YA villain that thinks they truly are a villain.
By far the best thing about Michael Scott’s writing is that he blends mythology and legends from many cultures together. We meet Mars from Roman mythology, Nidhgg and the Valkyries from Norse Mythology and even Dagon from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. I love mythology, but even people with no prior interest in it will love The Magician.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly seven hundred 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.
Do you love mythology? History? Fast-paced adventure? Then this is certainly the novel for you!
Michael Scott masterfully intertwines history and legend together to create an action-packed, magical thriller that will keep you reading until the early morning hours. This great start to a superb series combines elements of Greek, Roman, Norse and Egyptian mythology to create a believable, magical universe.
Up until the end of the novel, everyone’s intentions seem clear to Josh and Sophie Newman. But everything is not so clear by the end as they begin to realize nothing is in shades of black and white anymore. They discover powers they never knew they had, meet figures of legend and learn a lot about themselves. Filled with interesting points on life and plot twists, The Alchemyst is a highly recommended read.
I give this book 4/5 stars.