The immortal alchemyst

Cover of the German first edition

The immortal Alchemyst (Original title: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Alchemyst ) is a fantasy novel by the Irish author Michael Scott from 2007 and forms the first part of the series The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel . The German edition was translated by Ursula Höfker and was published by cbj- Verlag on February 4, 2008 .

construction

In the house of Nicholas Flamel in Paris, the author came up with the idea of ​​making the alchemist the protagonist

The book has 416 pages and consists of a preface by Nicholas Flamel (“from the diary of Nicholas Flamel, Alchemyst”), 41 chapters (dated Thursday, May 31), an “author's note” in which Michael Scott of the Creation of this series reports, and an acknowledgment. In addition, the first chapter of the second volume was inserted before the acknowledgment . The dedication of the book reads:

"Of course for Claudette
iamque opus exegi "

" And already I've done the work "

- Michael Scott

title

The title refers to Nicholas Flamel, the protagonist of the series. The term "Alchemyst" is deliberately misspelled as it is an old English spelling. In German, the spelling is incorrect, but has been taken from the original. Also in the book, in connection with Nicholas Flamel, there is always talk of the "Alchemyst".

prehistory

→ Main article : “Worldview and Prehistory” in the article The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel

action

In San Francisco , Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel live unrecognized as booksellers

Fifteen-year-old Josh Newman is already saving on his first car with his twin sister Sophie and is therefore working in Nick Fleming's bookstore in San Francisco this summer . She works in the café opposite, the "Kaffeetasse". In disbelief, the two watch as Nick Fleming fights an unknown person in the bookstore using sheer magic . The stranger succeeds in stealing a book from the bookseller. Fleming's wife Perry is also kidnapped. Fleming is now gradually telling the twins the whole prehistory, about the Codex, the elders and the fact that he was the immortal alchemist Nicholas Flamel and the stranger Dr. John Dee who finally managed to take control of the Codex. However, Josh managed to tear a few pages from the Codex without which the book is useless to the elders.

Since Dee's return is to be feared, Flamel and the twins go into hiding with an old friend from the second generation, Scathach . After a fight with mutated rats and golems , the four escape in an off-road vehicle that Josh has to drive because neither Flamel nor Scathach can drive. After another attack by servants of the elders, this time crows , on the Golden Gate Bridge they all hide in the shadowy realm of the neutral goddess with the three faces , Hecate . There Flamel explains to the goddess that Josh and Sophie are the legendary twins and that Hecate must awaken their magical powers, otherwise they would have no chance of survival. Meanwhile, the twins make a vain attempt to escape from the realm of the shadows, because they don't want anything to do with the whole thing.

Together with the elder Bastet , who has set up an army of cats, John Dee attacks Hekate's realm of shadows. Scathach defends the empire along with Hecate's army. Hecate eventually begins to awaken the twins but only manages to awaken Sophie as the goddess is killed by Dee with his sword Excalibur . Again Flamel, Scathach and the twins flee. They drive Dee's car to Ojaj ( California ), where Scathach's grandmother, the witch of Endor , lives. This is supposed to convey her knowledge to Sophie so that she can better use her newly awakened powers. In addition, she should instruct them in air magic. Dee tries to win Josh over, who feels jealous after his sister is awakened, and instigates an army of the dead on Flamel. But Josh manages to distract him. Together with his sister, Flamel and Scathach, he enters a power gate that leads them straight into the Cathedral of Sacré-Cœur in Paris .

Perenelle Flamel , who was captured, is brought to Alcatraz Island after several unsuccessful attempts to escape , where she is guarded by a sphinx .

characters

The three-faced goddess Hecate

→ Main article : Characters from The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel

Michael Scott almost exclusively uses characters that are known from history or mythology . For the most part, their known properties and features have been faithfully adopted from the respective template; Deviations from this are listed below.

• The twins (Josh and Sophie Newman): They were born on December 21, 1991 (Sophie 28 seconds ahead of her brother) and grew up in New York. Both are blonde and can do taekwondo and karate . Since the parents (Sara and Richard) are archaeologists and therefore often travel, the family often changes residence and the twins are mostly alone. At the beginning of the story, the parents are excavating in Utah and the twins live in San Francisco with their aunt Agnes.
• Nick Fleming ( Nicholas Flamel ): He is a bookseller in San Francisco and is actually the famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel, who discovered the secret of eternal life.
• Perry Fleming ( Perenelle Flamel ): She is Fleming's wife and is actually the sorceress Perenelle Flamel who, like her husband, has achieved immortality. She is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and can therefore speak to spirits. Unlike her husband, she did a lot of magic.
• Dr. John Dee : He is another Immortal who is on the side of the Dark Elders and whose ruler is one of the most powerful Elders. He succeeded Roger Bacon , who had failed in the hunt for Flamel. He was once a student of Flamel, but was chased away by Flamel after he tried to steal the Codex .
• Scathach : She is recruited by Flamel to protect the twins. Like her twin sister Aoife ,she comesfrom the second generation. She lived in the human world for 2517 years and is also known as the shadowy, warrior princess, demon slayer and kingmaker. She comes from a vampire clan , but does not drink blood and is a vegetarian.
• Hecate : The first woman lives in a shadowy realm in California and is connected to the world tree Yggdrasil , in which she also lives. She can awaken magical powers and is enemies with Scathach. When John Deefreezes Excalibur with the sword, Yggdrasildies with her tree and two other shadowy realms.
• Morrigan : The crow goddess comes from the second generation and once seduced John Dee to steal the Codex from Flamel. She haseaten upher two sisters Badb and Macha so that they can continue to live in her body but cannot be released. She lives in an eyrie on the San Bernardino .
• Bastet : The Egyptian cat goddess lives in an underground Egyptian burial chamber in Los Angeles . She is the Morrigan's aunt and rules all cats.
• Dora Witcherly ( Witch of Endor ): She owns a shop in Ojaj ( USA ). She is actually the Endor Witch and a first-ever. As it turns out, she is the grandmother of Scathach, who is not very friendly towards her, as the witch once wanted to marry her off to Nebuchadnezzar . Because she sacrificed her eyesight for the gift of divination , she is blind.

Emergence

→ Main article : “History of origins” in the article The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel

reception

See also : “Reception” in the article The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel

The book was published in the original with an initial print run of 250,000 copies.

Reviews

Die Welt am Sonntag called the prelude “very promising” and also highlighted the “manifold references to old myths and legends” and the “breathtaking speed”. The series was seen as a Harry Potter successor, the lack of a "lovable and cozy boarding school atmosphere" was offset by Scott's humor.

Sabine Dillner wrote in the Bulletin Jugend & Literatur that the book is a fantasy thriller, the narrative style of which is reminiscent of “action-packed computer games”. The "spectacular story" is "fast-paced and by no means squeamish" and pulls both young and adult readers under its spell. The plot is exciting and atmospherically dense and satisfies “the expectations of even savvy fantasy readers”. The novel stands out from the "mass of similar literature" because almost all characters from mythology or history are known, which guarantees "aha effects" and encourages you to look up yourself.

For Lars Schiele from Nautilus magazine, the book is “an exciting novel about the incursion of magic into the USA today” with a “dramatic” plot. The background builds "on historically accurate observations and research". Only the character guidance is "sometimes very straightforward", but the "temptation of twin Josh by the evil magician John Dee" is an "extremely exciting scene".

Kirkus Reviews found that the juxtaposition of our reality and magic and myths is captivating if you overlook a little glitch in the design. The story has a breathtaking pace, with wild confrontations in between. At the end of the exhilarating journey, it becomes clear that the end is just the beginning.

Sue Giffard called the book “Captivating Fantasy” and “Fabulous Read” in the School Library Journal and awarded it a star. Scott create a gigantic painting and give the well-known theme of saving the world from the forces of evil a fresh coat of paint by bringing old myths and legends perfectly into the present. Even in the most gripping action scenes, Scott keeps an eye on the subtleties of the characters and dialogues and delivers captivating descriptions of people, mythical beings and places. The book had sufficient facilities to send readers to their lexicons as quickly as possible; if you just read, however, you will immediately be caught up in the captivating story. Ryan Henry reviewed the audiobook in the School Library Journal . He said the story would be well received by fans of fantasy literature and fans of the Middle Ages, and that it would contain enough action to interest reticent readers. Some references to popular culture would keep them current.

Also Publishers Weekly highlighted the extensive knowledge of the author in the global mythology and the "breakneck speed". The cliffhanger at the end increases expectations for the next volume.

Frances Bradburn called the book "intoxicating fantasy" in Booklist magazine . Scott submit a typical fantasy novel in which he ties in with mythology and spins it on without compromising the unity and momentum of the exciting plot. The text and storyline had a striking style that would have readers pull to the edge of a chair while they rushed to the last page, enjoying the author's vivid description of worlds and events. Readers would actively look for the good characters if they found out who they were.

Lee Gordon rated the book "Recommended" in Library Media Connection magazine ; there is never a dull moment and the mythological references require the reader to do their own research. It will (like the following volumes) be well received by Harry Potter fans. The book was recommended for reading in the magazine Booklinks ; the selection criteria were “flowing text, engaging story and appeal to a mixed group of young listeners” and “obscure secrets”.

Nominations and Awards

The book was nominated for eight awards, only of which it won the Rhode Island Teen Book Award .

• Irish Book of the Year - 2008
• Kentucky Bluegrass Book Award
• Rhode Island Teen Book Award - 2008 (Winner)
• Bisto Book of the Year Award - 2007/2008
• CBI Shadowing Award - 2008 (2nd place ex aequo with The Boy Who Fizzled By Siobhan Dowd )
• Maine Student Book Award - 2008/2009 (10th place)
• Nevada Young Readers' Award - 2009
• NCSLMA YA Book Award - 2009/2010

Placements

The book reached 38th place (hardcover / fiction) and 13th place (youth books) on the Spiegel bestseller list. The original edition reached number two on the New York Times bestseller list for young people .

filming

Mario Andreacchio has the film rights for AMPCO film acquired

Originally, Mark Burnett had acquired the film rights for New Line Cinema (even before the book was published), Eric Bress was the intended screenwriter. Toby Emerich and Mark Ordesky (also New Line Cinema) had also considered the series. In November 2009 it was announced that the film rights had been transferred to Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Michael Scott and Barry Krost were scheduled to be executive producers .

On March 14, 2012 it was announced that Lawless Entertainment from Los Angeles had been hired as consultant for the international co-productions . On June 20, it was announced that AMPCO Films from Australia had bought the film rights through the intermediary of Lawless Entertainment . Mario Andreacchio and Konstantin Thoeren were named as producers, and Stefan Brunner joined the executive producers . Michael Scott wrote the script himself; production should start in February 2013 in Australia and New Zealand. The title has been changed slightly from the book and reads The Alchemyst: Secrets of Nicholas Flamel . If the first film is successful enough, five more would follow; Producer Greg Coote will help with the financing. The cast will include both Australian and international actors.

particularities

As part of the Summer of the Sorceress campaign , the book was available free of charge on the Internet for three days from April 25, 2009. This was to promote the release of volume three, The Sorceress . The GaiaOnline website , which offered the download on behalf of Random House, recorded 6.4 million page views during this period; the free e-book was downloaded 13,000 times. From April 28 to May 8, the book was also offered for download by 14 dealers. Linda Leonard of Random House's Marketing Department said the campaign was intended to bring the book series even more public attention. Readers of the first volume would also want to read the following volumes.

The Weltbild Verlag in 2009 published a limited edition paperback edition of the German edition with greatly altered cover art (designed by Jarzina Communication Design wooden churches and Brigdeman Art Library Berlin ). The paperback was not published by cbj until a year later.

In the original, the book was re-published on November 28, 2010 (the birthday of Nicholas Flamel and Michael Scott) together with the subsequent volumes The Dark Magician and The Mighty Sorceress in a slipcase under the title The First Codex . These are the paperback editions.

Book editions

• Michael Scott: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Alchemyst . Delacorte Press, New York 2007, ISBN 978-0-385-73357-1 (American English).
• Michael Scott: The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel - The Immortal Alchemyst . cbj, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-570-13377-4 (American English: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Alchemyst . Translated by Ursula Höfker, hardcover).
• Michael Scott: The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel - The Immortal Alchemyst . cbj, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-570-40000-5 (American English: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Alchemyst . Translated by Ursula Höfker, paperback edition).

Audio book

The audio book was published on January 28, 2008 by cbj audio . The speaker is Andreas Fröhlich , it is an abbreviated reading of approx. 420 minutes.

The English audio book is unabridged and will be read by Denis O'Hare . It was released on May 22, 2007 by Listening Library. Ryan Henry wrote in the School Library Journal that O'Hare skillfully alternated between exotic accents and conveyed urgency in the many action scenes. Lolly Gepson noted in Booklist magazine that the narrator created a “frightening world with the occasional interweaving of humor” through the characters' characteristic voices and thus delivered a “diverse performance”.

Web links

• Official German website for the series
• The book in the publisher's online catalog
• Official American website for the series
• Official website of Michael Scott

supporting documents

1. ↑ Michael Scott: Title Figures of Volumes 1-3. In: Flamel's Secret Forum. June 30, 2010, accessed June 7, 2012 . 
2. ↑ Michael Scott: Why AlchemYst? In: Flamel's Secret Forum. January 20, 2009, accessed January 27, 2016 . 
3. ↑ Cecilia Goodnow: The Write Formula - The Alchemyst Could Be the Start of Something Harry Big in Young-Adult Fantasy . In: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer . June 11, 2007 ( online article [accessed February 7, 2014]).
4. ↑ The alchemy is right - is Josh the new Harry Potter? In: Welt am Sonntag . March 9, 2008 ( online [accessed November 12, 2012]).
5. ^ Sabine Dillner: Visitors from the past . In: Bulletin Youth & Literature . June 2008, ISSN  0045-351X , p. 16 .
6. ↑ Lars Schiele: The secrets of Nicholas Flamel: The Philosopher's Stone . In: Nautilus . No. 49 , April 2008, ISSN  0946-3534 , p. 27-28 .
7. ^ The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: Kirkus Reviews . Vol. 75, No. 9 , May 1, 2007, ISSN  1948-7428 , p. 456 ( online [accessed November 12, 2012]).
8. ^ Sue Giffard: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: School Library Journal . Vol. 53, No. 5 , May 2007, ISSN  0362-8930 , p. 142–144 ( online [accessed October 26, 2012]).
9. ↑ ^{a b} Ryan Henry: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: School Library Journal . Vol. 53, No. 9 , September 2007, ISSN  0362-8930 , p. 72 .
10. ^ The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: Publishers Weekly . Vol. 254, No. 10 , May 3, 2007, ISSN  0000-0019 , p. 61 ( online [accessed October 26, 2012]).
11. ^ Frances Bradburn: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: Booklist . Vol. 103, No. 17 , May 1, 2007, ISSN  0006-7385 , p. 86-90 .
12. ↑ Lee Gordon: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: Library Media Connection . Vol. 26, No. 2 , October 2007, ISSN  1542-4715 , p. 75 .
13. ^ Rob Reid: Reid-Aloud Alert: Solving Secrets . In: Booklinks . Vol. 18, No. 3 , January 2009, ISSN  1055-4742 , p. 54-55 .
14. ↑ Book Award Shortlist ( en ) RTE.ie. March 27, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
15. ↑ 2009 Master List @ The Kentucky Bluegrass Award ( en ) KBA Archived from the original on December 15, 2009. Retrieved on November 27, 2009.
16. ↑ 2009 RI Teen Book Award Winner - Press Release ( en , PDF; 851 kB) RITBA March 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 27, 2009. 
17. ^ Bisto Children's Book of the Year Award Winners and Shortlist 2007/2008 Cycle. (No longer available online.) Children's Books Ireland, archived from the original on February 24, 2015 ; accessed on January 18, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
18. ↑ CBI Shadowing Awards 2008 ( en ) Children's Books Ireland. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
19. ↑ Maine Student Book Award 2008-2009 ( en ) MSBA. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 16, 2011. 
20. ^ Nevada Library Association - Nevada Young Readers' Award 2009 ( en ) NYRA. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
21. ↑ NCSLMA YA BOOK AWARD 2010 ( en ) NCSLMA. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 19, 2012. 
22. ↑ Book on the book report bestseller list . Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 25, 2012. 
23. ↑ youth book bestseller list (s) , New York Times . August 26, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2012. 
24. ↑ Eric Bress Penning The Alchemyst. Comingsoon.net, accessed April 4, 2015 . 
25. ↑ Volume 1. Dillonscott.com, accessed on April 4, 2015 . 
26. ↑ Dave McNary: DiBonaventura sets up 'Secret'; Company to produce 'Nicholas Flamel' series. Variety.com, November 18, 2009, accessed April 4, 2015 . 
27. ^ Lawless Entertainment Appointed Worldwide Co-Production Consultants on Michael Scott's THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL Series. Lawless Entertainment, March 14, 2012, accessed April 4, 2015 . 
28. ↑ press release. (PDF; 421 kB) AMPCO Films, June 20, 2012, accessed on April 4, 2015 . 
29. ↑ Michael Scott: Announcement of the film. Flamel's Secret Forum, June 20, 2012, accessed April 4, 2015 . 
30. ^ Movie poster. (JPG) (No longer available online.) AMPCO Films, archived from the original on November 30, 2015 ; Retrieved April 4, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
31. ↑ Penelope Debelle: Filmmaker Mario Andreacchio believes he's found the formula for success . In: The Advertiser . September 21, 2013 ( online [accessed April 4, 2015]).
32. ↑ Shannon Maughan, 'The Sorceress' Heats Up with Marketing Muscle . Publishers Weekly . April 30, 2009. Accessed on September 14, 2012.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
33. ↑ Michael Scott: The Secrets of Nicholas Flamel - The Immortal Alchemyst . Weltbild, Augsburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-8289-9393-8 (American English: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The Alchemyst . Translated by Ursula Höfker).
34. ^ The First Codex . Random House. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
35. ↑ Michael Scott: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - The First Codex . Delacorte Press, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-375-87311-9 .
36. ^ Audiobook in the publisher's online catalog . cbj audio. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
37. ↑ English audio book ( s ) Random House Audio. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
38. ↑ Lolly Gepson: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel . In: Booklist . tape 104 , no. 1 , September 1, 2007, ISSN  0006-7385 , p. 139 .