Customer Reviews

The Alchemist's Code

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like fantasy, I like mysteries, and I like historical novels. The series of which this is the second but not, I hope, the last, manages to combine all three genres and do it very well.

While nobody else seems to have noticed it, both books in the series have an unacknowledged co-author--the ghost of Rex Stout. Nostradamus and his apprentice are their own characters. But they are also Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin transformed to a very different setting. The author has fun slipping in bits from that world along with passing hints at other sources ranging from _The Princess Bride_ to "My Last Duchess." A lot of fun, and some of the best entertainment fiction I have read of late.

I'm not an expert on 16th century Italy, but the historical elements felt right, including a convincing picture of renaissance magical beliefs. I am giving the book four stars not because there is anything wrong with it--so far as I can tell there isn't--but only because I prefer to reserve five stars for books that are not only very good but extraordinary.

I love fantasies, historical novels, and humor and this book has it all. Duncan also excels at cleverly drawn characters and the ability to keep the story moving. No extraneous detail here (sorry, the huge fantasy volume I read just before this book could have used some editing so I really appreciated the flow of this story) Reading it brought me back to my childhood, reading my father's Rafael Sabatini collection - books that took place in the Italian states. If you enjoyed the first of this series or Duncan's King's Blades series, you should enjoy this one too!

Everything Dave Duncan writes is wonderful. The only problem, is that once you've caught up with ALL his books, you have to wait for months and months to get a new one. This year we get two, though!

The Alchemist's Code is great. I spent the first two nights I had it doing nothing but reading. One line (with no spoilers) was so good I had to call my husband on a business trip to share it with him.

Alfeo narrates the Alchemist books, and sometimes he talks directly to his readers, which adds a wonderful reflexivity to parts of the book.

Read the books. Duncan can say more in a sentence than I can in a page.

The Alchemist's Code is the sequel to the Alchemist's Apprentice. In this book an ordinary case of a missing girl turns serious when Venice's Council of Ten asks Nostradamus to find a spy. Nostradamus's only clues lie in a ciphered message that hasn't been decoded.

Dave Duncan does it again with the Alchemist's Code. I really enjoyed this book; the second book in the series. Duncan continues to build the main characters from the Alchemist's Apprentice. I'm starting the Alchemist's Pursuit soon, the third book in the series.

The Alchemist's Code (2008) is the second fantasy novel in the Alchemist series, following The Alchemist's Apprentice. In the previous volume, the procurator Bertucci Orseolo was poisoned at a private book showing. Later, Alfeo was assaulted by six bravos and almost killed.

Nostradamus staged a reenactment of the crime and solved the case. The hired killers were beheaded and the confessed instigator was strangled. The issue of the lost manuscript was dropped.

In this novel, Maestro Filippo Nostradamus -- nephew of Michel Nostradamus -- is an astrologer, clairvoyant and alchemist as well as the best physician in Venice. He is the Doge's personal physician and friend.

Alfeo Zeno is a young, impoverished nobleman. He is an apprentice and protector of Nostradamus. Alfeo is also the Maestro's legman for gathering information.

Violetta Vitale is the most expensive courtesan in Venice. She lives right next door to Alfeo and they are occasional lovers. Being a courtesan, she manifests various personalities with different clients. Violetta as Aspasia is a very astute observer of politics and politicians in Venice.

Danese Dolfin is a former acquaintance of Alfeo from San Barnaba. They had not been friends per se, but knew each other quite well.

Zuanbattista Sanudo is the former ambassador to Constantinople, where he won major concessions from the Sultan. He has been elected recently as one of the six ducal counselor. As advisor of the Doge, he is an ex officio member of the Council of Ten and other important governmental bodies within Venice.

In this story, Alfeo meets Danese on Sunday in a narrow calle outside a theater. They exchange greetings and family news, but neither states their current circumstances. Alfeo does learn that Danese is living somewhere in Cannaregio.

The next Saturday, Zuanbattista and his wife Eva Morosini arrive at the front door of the Ca' Barbolano. When Alfeo admits them, he states that the Maestro is expecting them. That statement sets the right mood of astonishment and belief, at least in the Madonna.

The couple explain that their daughter Grazia has been taken from their home. Both Alfeo and the Maestro suspect that she has eloped. The Maestro gets the relevant details -- including her birthdate -- and agrees on an exorbitant fee. Alfeo shows the couple out of the casa.

Alfeo goes next door to consult Violetta. He learns more about the Sanudo family, including Zuanbattista's son Girolamo. As he tarries there, the Maestro performs a clairvoyance to find the girl.

Afterward, Nostradamus and Alfeo ponder the quatrain to determine the time and place. The location is obvious, but the time is the next morning. Unfortunately, anything can happen during the coming hours before the rendezvous.

Alfeo prepares two copies of a contract and takes it to Zuanbattista for his signature. This agreement gives Alfeo permission to accompany Grazia to her home. The next morning, Alfeo takes Bruno with him for the confrontation at the Riva del Vin.

Alfeo is surprised to find Danese with Grazia. A short fight ensues between the young nobles, in which Alfeo forces Danese to drop his rapier. After discussing the situation with the lovers, Alfeo takes the couple back home to the Maestro.

This tale gets even more confused after the confrontation. Elements of witchcraft are manifested in an old document. An old lady also turns out to be bewitched. Encoded messages are exchanged between an agent of the sultan and a traitor.

The story conveys a strong taste of sixteenth century Venice. Ancient buildings and a multitude of canals are an integral part of the tale. The next volume is The Alchemist's Pursuit. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Duncan fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of Venetian society, international intrigue, and young lovers.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This is a fast review since others have leapt on it! Dave Duncan has many fine books (my OTHER favorite series of his, in addition to Alchemist, is the "Mother of Lies" trilogy which is wONderful).

The Alchemist series is three and counting and I hope many more to come. It's in mighty Venice with Nostredamus as sage and Alfeo as apprentice BUT...

For those who love Rex Stout, think Nero Wolfe and Archie, because that's the vibe I get.

That said, Duncan's work stands on its merits and is a thoroughly entertaining read so get started as soon as you can and keep up!

"The Alchemist's Code" is the fantastic sequel to "The Alchemist's Apprentice." Alfeo Zeno, apprentice to the philosopher and astrologer Nostradamus, is about to become entangled in another mystery. It begins when he runs into an old acquaintance at the theater. It continues when Nostradamus is hired to find the missing daughter of a wealthy noble family (for an outrageous fee), and gets complicated when it turns out that that missing daughter ran off with Alfeo's childhood acquaintance, Danese Dolfin, who is known by most to be a user with little or no morals, suspecting to be using the girl to get in with a rich and influential family. On top of all this, the Council of Ten has hired Nostradamus to track down a spy, a traitor to Venice who is selling secrets to an ambassador somewhere in town. As the stories play out, it becomes clear that they are connected, as evidenced when Danese turns up dead in front of Ca' Barbolano. Who is responsible? What is the identity of the spy wanted by the Council of Ten? How are these cases related? It is up to Alfeo to find out.

I loved the first book, and I equally love the second. Duncan does a great job blending history, fantasy, and mystery together into an invigorating story that hooks and won't let go until the mysteries are solved. I love the first person narrative; telling the story from Alfeo's point of view is a great way of giving you all the information needed at just the right pace, so that you can follow along without being able to guess what's coming. I like the characters too, and their interactions are well written and fun to read. This was a fun book, and I am definitely looking forward to the further adventures of Alfeo!

Dave Duncan creates an interesting character as usual, quick reading but not so compelling as some of his other books - Maybe this character just needs a bit more time to grow up? Interesting happenings at the famous alchemists (and a bit of magic too) at a time of the inquisition, creates a delicate dance between heresy and god-given knowledge. A fun read.

Finally, I found the time to read the second volume in Archie Goodwin's (oops, Alfeo Zeno's) adventures. I liked "The Alchemist code" more than the first installment in the series, probably because now I knew what to expect: the historical mystery with a touch of magic. In "Alchemist" series, Dave Duncan does not design strange alternative words, as in his previous books; instead, he is carefully constructing the alternative history in the very real (or not?) medieval Venice. There is another reason for me to enjoy the second book more than the first one: the plot is less predictable, and all the magical components (Tarot cards, clairvoyance and pyromancy) feel more natural and a little bit more necessary for plot development, than in the first book.

It is a good reading for fans of mystery and historic novels, less so for fantasy fans. I gave the book four stars, since my five star rating normally is reserved for books that I know I would be able to re-read. It is rarely the case with mystery novels. However, I still enjoyed the book and I felt that Dave Duncan also had fun writing it.

I enjoy historical mysteries as well as fantasies, so this richly detailed portrayal of late Renaissance Venice, with its ancient palazzos, labyrinthine politics and committees, old noble families and a soupçon of magic, very much as the first book in this enjoyable series, is a great read for me.

Nostradamus's resourceful, witty apprentice with attitude, Alfeo Zeno is once again involved in a mystery that is intellectually and physically challenging. As his master's amanuensis, he braves kidnappers and spies and swordsmen and plots and set-ups that may lead to prosperity and renown or to prison and torture. It begins with an old and powerful family with a missing daughter who may be kidnapped or more likely has eloped, who request Nostradamus to find her. Woven into this is a mysterious spy that the Committee of Ten want found. Nostradamus and his apprentice work through ordinary means but with a dab of the supernatural--always careful not to slip into witchcraft and sorcery which could end up with burning at the stake. The supernatural elements are in accordance with the period and not high fantasy stuff, and it's more the little grey cells that are used to solve the mysteries, which are intriguing and involved. And Zeno's personality is fun, fresh and lively.

I hope this series continues, and that fantasy fans and fans of historical mysteries will find these books and enjoy them as much as I.