The Sorceress [Hardcover]

Michael Scott (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Delacorte Pr; 1St Edition edition (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385613121
• ISBN-13: 978-0385613125
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,945,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Some stories wait their turn to be told, others just tap you on the shoulder and insist you tell them."

By one of those wonderful coincidences with which life is filled, I find that the first time the word alchemyst--with a Y--appears in my notes is in May 1997. Ten years later, almost to the day, The Alchemyst, the first book in the Nicholas Flamel series, will be published in May.

Every writer I know keeps a notebook full of those ideas, which might, one day, turn into a story. Most writers know they will probably never write the vast majority of those ideas. Most stories wait their turn to be told, but there are a few which tap you on the shoulder and insist on being told. These are the stories which simply will not go away until you get them down on paper, where you find yourself coming across precisely the research you need, or discovering the perfect character or, in my case, actually stumbling across Nicholas Flamel's house in Paris.

Discovering Flamel's house was the final piece I needed to put the book together. It also gave me the character of Nicholas Flamel because, up to that point, the book was without a hero.

And Nicholas Flamel brought so much to the story.

Nicholas Flamel was one of the most famous alchemists of his day. He was born in 1330 and earned his living as a bookseller, which, by another of those wonderful coincidences, was the same job I had for many years.

One day he bought a book, the same book mentioned in The Alchemyst: the Book of Abraham. It, too, really existed and Nicholas Flamel left us with a very detailed description of the copper-bound book. Although the book itself is lost, the illustrations from the text still exist.

Accompanied by his wife Perenelle, Nicholas spent more than 20 years trying to translate book. He must have succeeded. He became extraordinarily wealthy and used some of his great wealth to found hospitals, churches, and orphanages. Perhaps he had discovered the secret of the Philosopher's Stone: how to turn base metal into gold.

Of course the greatest mystery linked to Nicholas Flamel is the story of what happened after he died. When his tomb was opened by thieves looking for some of his great wealth, it was found to be empty. Had Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel been buried in secret graves, or had they never died in the first place? In the months and years to follow, sightings of the Flamels were reported all over Europe. Had Nicholas also discovered that other great mystery of alchemy: the secret of immortality?

What writer couldn't resist a story that combined magical books, an immortal magician and grave robbing and, even more excitingly, that had a basis in fact? It begged the questions: if he was still alive today, where would he be and what would he be doing? Obvious really--he would be running a bookshop in San Francisco.

The Alchemyst was a tough book to write, probably the toughest of all the books I've done so far. It is the first in a series, and because the story told across all six books is so tightly integrated, keeping track of the characters and events means that I have to keep extensive and detailed notes. A minor change in book one could impact dramatically book three. There are tiny clues seeded into the first book that pay off in later books. The time frame for the entire series is very tight--The Alchemyst, for example, takes place over two days--so I too need to keep an hour-by-hour breakdown of events.

For people who like to know the practicalities, I write every day and sometimes all day and often long into the night. Nights really are the best time for writing. It's that time the conscious side of the brain is starting to shut down and the unconscious takes over. The following day I'll read what I've written the previous day, then edit and rewrite. I work on two computer screens; the story on one screen, notes and research on the second screen.

And now let me answer the question you are about to ask me because, sooner or later, everyone asks, "What is the secret of writing?"

A comfortable chair. A really comfortable chair--because if you're a writer, you're going to spend a lot of time sitting in it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, May 31, 2009

By 

Julia R. Pike (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) (Hardcover)

I have been wating for this book for about a year now, and it was well worth the wait. I read it in one sitting. This series is fast paced, inventive, and full of very developed characters. As an adult reader, I could obviously tell the book was written for a younger set, but it is just something to remember when judging this book and the rest of the series. The only bad thing I can say is that I am not looking forward to waiting another year for the forth.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darker, stronger, June 6, 2009

By 

lgcbuilder (MIdwest USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) (Hardcover)

The roller coaster continues, but this time the dips are punctuated by glimpses of the darker history that predates the current story. A more interesting book than the previous two, smaller, more private battles, both within the characters and between the characters. The first two books were fun, fun, fun to read. This one is also fun, but is more deeply plotted. Dr. Scott had me on the internet a couple of times looking up references to characters.

All in all, the best of the three. The first two were pure action adventure fantasy. This one begins to build a fantasy world that breathes and lives. Great book.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great edition to an already excellent series, June 2, 2009

By 

Lindsey Miller "Lindsey's Library" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) (Hardcover)

These are fast-paced can't put it down until your finished kind of books, and this edition to the series is no exception. However, I find myself wanting a lot more from them and the world that Scott is creating.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love these books, but I have a lot of general qualms with them. I want more magic, and I want to know how the magic is being created. When we all were transported to Hogwarts, there was an explanation of how the magic worked throughout the world, which had very particular rules about what one can do when and how long it takes to acquire that knowledge.

So, ok, I know that Scott is not trying to recreate the Potter world, but it would be nice to know what rules the magic of this world operates from. The best explanation that we get at any point from either of the twins is, "I don't know, somehow you just know how to do it." I think this is a travesty and is missing out on a crucial element of drawing us into the story. How are they developing these abilities? How do they feel as they're creating the magic?

Every once in a while we get a peek into the whole thing, but it's not nearly often enough. Even the other immortals have cool spells that I'd like to get a little more depth on. Most of the time, they simply say, a shaman taught me this, or I learned this from Circe. You learned what from Circe? Is it a spell that you say? How are you creating the magic?

Anyway, past all that, it's a fun read and, in my opinion, more engaging than the first two. Josh and Sophie have generally become less whiney and are starting to jump into this whole being special and having magical abilities thing. Also, not to spoil it, but there's an interesting plot twist that happens right at the end of the book.

-Lindsey Miller, lindseyslibrary