The Alchemist's Cat (The Deptford Histories, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Robin Jarvis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

The year is 1664 when young Will Godwin comes to London. In order to survive, he becomes an assistant to a wicked alchemist, Elias Theophratus Spittle. On an errand one freezing night, Will finds a mother cat and her three kittens, and brings the family back to his master's lab. Among the bubbling bottles and evil smelling jars of his master's apothecary shop unfolds an extraordinary tale of villainy, sorcery, and murder. The Deptford Mice trilogy witnessed the harrowing battles between the mice of Deptford and Jupiter, lord of darkness and treacherous disguises. Now in this gripping prequel, Jupiter's secret history is revealed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–In this prequel to The Deptford Mice trilogy, Elias Theophratus Spittle, an evil alchemist, tricks Will Godwin into working as his assistant in his apothecary shop. Sent on a hideous task, Will stumbles onto a cat with three kittens in a dreary graveyard. Chilled to the bone and starving, the felines are rescued by Will and brought back to the shop. Convinced that he is in need of a familiar, Doctor Spittle agrees to let them stay. Will's act of kindness leads to a spiraling tale of sorcery, betrayal, murder, and eventually the evil rise of Jupiter, Lord of All. The book is filled with adventure, suspense, and a feeling of dread. However, parts of it move very slowly, particularly in the beginning. Still, Jarvis closes with an unexpected cliff-hanger that will have readers craving more books about Jupiter. Fans of this series and the "Redwall" audience will enjoy this book.–Christine McGinty, Newark Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This creepy, atmospheric horror tale, the first in the Deptford Histories and a scary prequel to the Deptford Mice trilogy, reveals how Jupiter, Lord of the Darkness, became so evil and so powerful. Orphaned Will Godwin arrives in London in 1664, summoned by an uncle he doesn't know. After being falsely accused of murder, he flees a mob and ends up in the hands of a wicked alchemist, Elias Theophratus Spittle, who forces Will into servitude. On a late-night errand in winter, Will is pursued and almost caught. He finds refuge in an overgrown graveyard, where he comes upon a mother cat and three young kittens, which he carries back to his master's apothecary shop. The streets of London are vividly realized in all their smell, filth, and disease, as is Spittle's laboratory with its noxious potions, smoke, and evil doings. Jarvis delivers a vivid tale of treachery, cruelty, and sorcery, leavened only by Will's innate goodness. It's also a real page-turner, guaranteed to mesmerize readers of the trilogy. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587172577
• ISBN-13: 978-1587172571
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Alchemist's Cat, January 30, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Alchemist's Cat (The Deptford Histories, Book 1) (Hardcover)

I got this book because I liked the Deptford Mice books. But this one was incredibly boring, like reading a textbook for history class. With the exception of the very beginning, the very end, and one or two places in the middle, this book was a snoozefest. Take my advice and get the other Deptford Mice stories: (The Dark Portal, Crystal Prison, Final Reckoning) and ignore this one, because you can do without it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring, July 6, 2005

By 

SIS - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alchemist's Cat (The Deptford Histories, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Unlike the Deptford mice stories, this book is incredibly boring. I couldn't make it through the dull middle, and the only parts I found remotely interesting was the beginning and the end. The author spends way too much time on the creepy setting and the characters aren't sketched out very well. The whole thing isn't very well explained, its as if it needs a prequal to tell you how Dr. Spittle and the others actually ended up where tehy were at the beginning. You don't have to read this one to read the Deptford mice books, so I'd suggest reading those instead, and skipping this one.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great intro to a wonderful series, July 30, 2005

By 

behappy2005k - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alchemist's Cat (The Deptford Histories, Book 1) (Hardcover)

This book was very, very, interesting. It wasn't quite the same as the rest of the books in the series. The rest of the series had more magic, while this one had more history and realistic adventures, but it still had plenty of magic in it. I thought it was well thought out and I was a little more fond of the charicters in this book then the ones in the others, probably because I like human charicters better then animals.

I recommend this book and all the others in the Deptford Mice Trilogy because it is a truly amazing series!