Customer Reviews

The Alchemists of Kush

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Expectations are a funny thing. For the sake of this analogy, consider Starbucks as an example. In my mind, speculative fiction, urban fantasy in particular, has been a lot like Starbucks. (I agree there are exceptions, of course, so untwist your chainmail BVDs.) A coffee purist might be quick to dismiss the ubiquitous coffee purveyor; bitter, over-roasted beans, calorie-laden menu, a macchiato that is anything but. However they have mastered two things: training the world to drop a five-spot n a cuppa joe, and meeting expectations. True, they might not be the platonic ideal of COFFEE, but it will be the same when you order it, whether you order it in downtown Seattle or the Great Wall of China. Likewise, it seems that urban fantasy has been largely a brooding loners, predominately Caucasian, confronting supernatural threats of a European nature -- not that there's anything wrong with that. Like Starbucks, it fills the need but rarely excites me for long.

Granted, it's a tortured analogy.

So, Mr. Coffee Snob, what does this have to do with this review?

Everything.

The Alchemists of Kush by Minister Faust is no Starbucks. In fact, it blew my expectations clean out of the water, so much so that I hesitate to call the novel speculative fiction at all! This, despite the fact that the bulk of the book is split between two parallel stories with 7,000 years separating them. In one set of alternating chapters, Faust tells us the story of Hru, a boy who survives the destruction of his village only to encounter the Swamp of Death and the forces of the mysterious, and aptly named Destroyer. In the other chapters, we get the story of Raphael "Supreme Raptor" Garang, also an refugee, now living with his mother in Edmonton, Canada, in a neighborhood that contains multiple transplanted African ethnic groups. Both young men get taken under the wing of a spiritual mentor who helps them find their own inner strength, transforming them metaphorically from lead to gold.

While the Book of the Then has all the hallmarks of fantasy, with magic and fantastic beasts, the Book of the Now could be straight up YA fiction with no fantastic elements at all. We fall even further from the folds of speculative fiction when it is suggested that the Book of Then is the basis for the spiritual teachings that the Supreme Raptor receives, acknowledging that story as metaphor and not literal truth. This begs the question, "What is the truth?" And more importantly, in matters of faith, is literal truth more important than the message being taught?

The importance of faith has been fresh in my mind recently. And as the novel is, at it's heart, about a spiritual awakening, it felt perfectly timed that I discovered the Alchemist of Kush when I did.

The twin stories and characters had me drawn in immediately, and it didn't hurt that there was ample name dropping of favorite musical artists (Gil Scott-Heron among them) and comic book characters (Static and King Peacock). The narrative voice for each section was different enough as well that it helped sell the story within a story. I found myself so invested in the characters that when Supreme Raptor makes bad decisions, I found myself wincing in empathy. And thank you, Mr. Faust for giving us heroes that are real enough that they make bad decisions and have to learn from them.

In fact, without a traditional antagonist in the contemporary timeline (I know, no villain in an urban fantasy? Heresy! Glorious, glorious heresy!), the Supreme Raptor sometimes pulls double duty as his own worst enemy. And while some problems are solved with violence, it is rarely the easy solution it appears to be. More often than not, a calm head needs to prevail, and problems need to be solved with words with hard work to back them up.

That alone would make for a compelling reason to read The Alchemist of Kush, but it's by no means the only reason. The characters are rich, their battles hard fought and heartbreaking. And the resulting affirmation of of love, community, pride, responsibility, and family makes this the caliber of book I would love to see as required reading at the high-school level.

Final verdict, highly recommended.

I have been an avid fan since his Coyote Kings novel and have been eagerly awaiting another novel and it doesn't disappoint. A truly epic story with a rare unique Canadian sensibility, I highly recommend it.

In his new book, The Alchemists of Kush, Minister Faust sheds light on the struggles of African Canadian youth in a way few other books have. The readers are given a glimpse into the world of these young men, their struggles and their triumphs. With half of the story set in what is known as Edmonton's Kush, it could not be any more personal. Weaving together stories from different times and places in a way that comes together brilliantly, this is a must read.

This book represents the first modern Pan-Africanist coming-of-age story, bringing together the traditional components of the Hero's Tale with a rich understanding of Ancient Egypt and contemporary realities for diasporal youth. The characters jump off of the page as he deftly moves back and forth between Ancient KMT and contemporary Edmonton. As an African American with strong USA biases, I would never have imagined that one of the best black male writers of my generation would come from Edmonton. Go figure.

Is this a great novel or what?
I really love the fact that you dont have to start from the beginning of the novel to really start the story.
In each chapter there's somewhat kind of a new story but are all interrelated. This is a MUST read. There is so many things you can learn...The Alchemists of Kush

This is the latest book by Minister Faust who's last book The Notebook of Doctor Brain was my intro to his literary prowess. This particular entry takes a very different literary turn in terms of tone and style. And I like it. Not that it reflects badly on Dr. Brain. This is simply a differently styled book which underscores the talent of the "good minister" as I like to call him. Without giving too much away, this is a book of two stories. Actually it's not. Well it is and it isn't. like the Kushite kingdom from which it draws from the book contains many layers of stories wrapped up in prose that is very poetic. As a matter of fact if the book hadn't been so long I would have thought it a long poem. This is a book that I would strongly suggest that parents of teenagers obtain and force to read. At gun point if necessary. No not really. My Mike Huckabee impression aside, I believe that many young people will benefit from a read of this book and are likely to relate to the characters.

It's been 3 weeks since I've finished the book and I'm still contemplating the scrolls. Pick up the book and you'll know what I'm speaking of. Trust me, I'm not the only one diggin' it.

This is a book that we all have to read.
Not because it's funny, aesthetic, and inspiring.
Not because it's raw, political, and horrifying.
It is all of those things, undeniably, but that's not why I'm telling you to pick it up.

I'm telling you this because The Alchemists of Kush taps into something much more impressive than just pure and masterful entertainment. This book engages in an exploration of the emotional truths regarding human identity, friendship, and love.
Its main protagonists, Raphael and Jamal, are heart and passion bubbling inside of your guts. Mr. Ani, mentor to the boys, is the role model every child dreams about finding. You'll be hooked from the moment you meet them, along with all the other intriguing characters.
Read this book because it tells the truth about life, about atrocities the human race commits against its children, mothers, and fathers, about the challenges facing non-white youth culture in Canadian urban communities, about finding the strength to still have faith in family, friends, and above all, in yourself.
Well played, Minister. Well played.

I always look for experiences, whether it's food, travel, music, books, or otherwise, that take me out of my comfort zone. This book did exactly that. This is not like any other book I have read. I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that is not the case. I was challenged by it. I am still working through some of the ideas discussed in the book. As with Coyote Kings (which was a different kind of new experience), Minister Faust has broken the mold here.

wow. the title alone hooked me...but the reading inspired me so much. i was sad when the book ended....felt like a whole entire world of its own coming to a close. so...yeah. buy it. its healing.

One of the things I love about The Alchemists of Kush is hearing the way the main character's mother speaks.

Yes, I said "hearing." Because you don't read this book; you hear it. You absorb it, and you learn it.

Minister Faust writes with impeccable rhythm and percussive language, describing each scene on a bassbeat of emotion. His words move like a camera through a movie scene, showing you what's most important and leaving out the chaff, the moment-to-moment detritus of the writer's craft that tend to only gum up the works. The author could have written this book on a turntable as easily as a keyboard, and the message would have been just as clear.

The book's two "movements" (The Book of Then and the Book of Now) are brothers, holding each other in high regard, informing and referring to each other in turn. Just as you start to feel that Now is reflecting Then, something happens in the Now that is later reflected in the Then. Minister Faust's foreword suggests that you could read the two books separately, back to back, but the way it's published, with Now interspersed with Then, seems pure and true, with Then laying a spiritual foundation for the events, decisions, and lessons of Now.

Minister Faust's characters are rich, stubborn, and complex, and he does a fantastic job of relaying the life within a Black society on the edge of Edmonton, Alberta. The conflicts, beliefs, culture, and fears are richly communicated with imagery and action, and reflected against the backdrop of a violent myth of slavery, escape, murder, and transformation, the trials of main character Rap/Raptor, his mentor Brother Moon, and his best friend JC/Jackal, come across as truth. Minister Faust revels in culture and educates about ways of life without pointing fingers or excluding readers who were raised outside of Kush (both the Black enclave of northern Edmonton and the location in Africa where the Book of Then takes place). His characters are Somali, Sudanese, Jamaican, Canadian, African, human.

The Alchemists of Kush teaches without preaching, as the protagonists learn alongside the reader how to transmute the lead of modern society into the gold of enlightened wisdom. It does so in a pulsing, thundering, and yet gentle and charming way, showing the horrifying dangers of the world of lead and the shocking calm of a heart of gold. It's not always fun to read, with its necessary scenes of brutality and violence, but it's always worth reading.

Fully recommended.