The Necromancer [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc.
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385618298
• ISBN-13: 978-0385618298
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,384,254 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

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of wonderful surprises!, May 26, 2010

By 

Kris "dreaming" (King of Prussia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

**Spoilers ahead** and - this review won't mean much if you haven't read the others to know who the characters are that I am talking about...

Surprises galore! This was filled with so many wonderful surprises about places, times and characters. We get so much more information about all the characters and the Elders. The dialogue between the characters was wonderful- as always. The plot was fast paced and kept me sitting on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen next. Mr. Scott tells excellent stories and knows how to weave clues into the smallest things. And there is so much mythology to embrace here - the real historical figures pulled in make this book - and series - a real treat!

It wasn't what I expected. Not that I mean that in a bad way. I did expect to see more necromancy - or really at least some - but unless I misunderstood, Josh calling Coatlique wasn't really necromancy. So, not seeing too much necromancy was kind of a shock. I would have liked to see more. I also would have liked to see a little more detail on some of the Elders who have now been identified. In the past, we have been given a little information about the mythology behind the Elders - here it at times felt like mere name dropping.

It was a great pace - I couldn't put the book down because it just kept moving us forward. It was great. I hit about chapter 25 (I think) and said "wow" to myself at the end of every chapter after that. I was shocked and amazed (happily, most of the time) at every thing that was happening. I loved the romance behind Germain going after Joan and it seemed a theme (Machiavelli seeming to waiver - and talking about his wife), Perry and Nicholas, Virginia and Dee (in it's own sick and twisted way)...

I admit to being more confused then ever with respect to Flamel's intention. Although it was telling towards the end when Dee told Josh that he never lied to him only Flamel lied to Josh - but we know for a fact (as seen right before that) that Dee did lie to Josh. It would have been cool to see the "reveal" of the identity of THE necromancer a little earlier, since I almost felt like the title was a little off since that was so far into the book. And darn it, Aunt Agnes... Is she really important? Or not. That's bugging me (but it's ok - there are more books to come, I know!) It was interesting to see the word "guardian" used to describe her - when I read the sentence where it says "Some guardian she'd turned out to be!" I myself wondered if there is more to the term "guardian" then just the whole in loco parentis thing and so I can't wait for the next 2 books to see what's up with her!

Also, the whole time travel thing - making my brain hurt. I don't do well with books that time travel. So I am a little nervous about the next ones. I am scared that I will get lost and not be able to have the finish of the series make sense to me. Darkness, creepiness, romance... You name it - if I am intrigued I will stick it out. Time travel, however, no so much. I am really worried that I will not really understand what I am reading if the time travel stuff gets too much heavier or too much more detailed. I just hope I am panicking about nothing and that it won't be too... Well... To complicated.

I mean it literally when I said I squealed with delight at the reveal of Musashi. He really is an awesome historical character to have brought in. I love that I am a little confused as to Quetzalcoatl and his role in things to come. And I loved the chat about his plumage! The discussions about the swords added to the story - and it seems like there is more to come - but I got just enough of a taste of them that I am eager for what ever is next. Aoife as a character - was a great addition. There was enough there to make me really like her (regardless of her neutrality) that when she died (if she is really dead) I was totally bummed. But at the same time, I love it when authors have the guts to kill off an important character. There were enough battle scenes to keep things moving. Prometheus is an awesome addition to the character list too - and Josh's learning of fire is probably now my favorite of the magic learning scenes. I like the addition of the latin/south American mythologies. And the flash backs where we learn so much more about the Witch were great. Now, I just need to figure out where they are all going to lead.

The link between Mars and Josh (and the few times that we are told that a person always has some ties to the Elder who awakened him/her was interesting - makes me wonder if without the whole mummy wrapping, what exactly the tie between Sophie and the Witch would be - would it really be any less, since Mars was able to control Josh and he didn't do anything quite as drastic?) has me thinking - and wondering. Since I personally am not attributing the fact that Mars gave Josh the "gift" he gave as being what made Mars able to control Josh - I think they are different. And, I am left, especially after reading the first chapter of the Warlock - wondering what side Mars is really on. The Witch too.

I thought it was much more fun and exciting then the previous installments and I loved them.

It was AWESOME!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Two That Are One and the One That is All..., June 13, 2010

By 

Taryn (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

I've been an avid follower of these books, as they are written with both complex and delightfully entertaining characters, while incorporating facets of historical events and figures. While the characters have always been the huge draw for me concerning these books, The Necromancer takes character development a step further with the evolution of Josh and Sophie, particularly Josh in this installment. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Michael Scott has been building up to the inevitable separation of Josh and Sophie in the previous books, foreshadowing the plot point with Josh's jealousy- and guilt-driven asides towards his sister. While we've known that Sophie has oftentimes regretted her Awakening, Josh has craved ultimate power and autonomy over his own destiny, and he has been cajoled by John Dee into believing that joining his side is the answer to all of his ailments. Scott begins to draw serious parallels between Dee and Josh, and although Josh hasn't quite decided whose side he is on definitively, it becomes glaringly obvious towards the end of The Necromancer that he's beginning to associate Sophie with the Flamels, his enemies at this point (or so he thinks). What's so interesting about this book (and the series in general) is that you're constantly guessing and questioning the motives of all characters, right down to William Shakespeare and Palamedes. Which side is the right side to be on when the end of the world draws near? Even Machiavelli (one of my favorite characters) begins to wonder whether he' truly has it all figured out, or whether he's just as much of a pawn as the humani he so carelessly discarded over the course of his immortality.

There are also distinct character changes in this book, or rather, revisions of the way some of the characters are perceived by the reader as we are given new insights and additional information through minor characters and through the shift in Josh's perceptions. Perenelle, for example, comes across as extremely frigid and non-maternal, particularly through her underlying intent to save the humani race at any cost. Will she sacrifice Josh and Sophie if it means saving the world? Are the Flamels truly any better than Dee? Are both sides so intrinsically linked in their self-righteousness that they're both completely off base?

Scatty, the Flamels, Dee, and Machiavelli all take (arguably) minor roles in this book, and the slow and inevitable rise of the world's most powerful Elders and Archons are falling into place. In the next book, however, we are promised a culmination of "the champions of the humani," splitting plot points and diverging characters who have spent most of the books together on very different journies. I'm also wondering if Scatty's intriguing sister, Aoife, will be reappearing somewhere down the line.

Overall, an enthralling read, with tons of significant character development for some, and promising plot points to come!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT!!!, May 27, 2010

By 

J. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

An AMAZING fast paced thrill ride weaving in and out of the real world and a magical world of mythology. The Necromancer, being the 4th book in a 6 book series, really sets the tone for the rest of the story as we find the twins, Josh and Sophie Newman, back in San Francisco. The first chapter started off making me think our heroes would have some time to relax before taking up the fight to the Dark Elders again... I couldn't have been more wrong, as by the end of the chapter danger finds them rather quickly! The ensuing barrage of twists and turns, magic and mayhem, Shadowrealms and swords make for a very entertaining read! It is really hard to find a stopping point to be able to put this book down!