I have found that just currently where I am in my life audio books have become an amazing way to enjoy books. One of the books that I recently listened to was The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. This is a series that contains a bunch of myths and legends all blended together.
The basic idea is that there was a time when all the big scary things that we consider myth were what ruled the world. Then one of their own created a book that could destroy them and little did they know it also contained the secret to immortality for humans. Nicholas Flamel ended up with the book and has been able to live for hundreds of years. The book starts out with a former protege of Flamel’s coming for the book because he wants to help the dark elders rise again. This begins us on an adventure where part of the book is lost and a couple of seemingly regular pair of brother and sister twins get pulled in to the crazy world of magic and mythology.
Creatures of Myth
The references in this first of six books so far is pretty good. We already have Morrigan, Hecate, Sphinx, Echidna, and Bastet. These are all figures from a variety of mythological backgrounds – Greek, British, Egyptian. Yet, their power has been long forgotten and while some have decided to figure out how to live alongside the current world, others would love nothing more than to regain the power that they formerly had.
Hecate is particularly fascinating in the story in the fact that in the morning she is young, the after noon middle age, and then by the evening she is an old woman, which is every day of her existence. Then the Sphinx, while only a brief mention is actually a creation of Echidna, who happens to be feared by the other Dark Elders because of her ability. I am excited to see what other creatures and figures are introduced in the later books.
Prophecies
Of course part of what happens in so many books lately is that there are prophecies and this one is no different. The twins with auras of gold and silver are tied up in this whole world that they know nothing about.
“The Two that are One, and the One that is all, One to save the world, One to destroy it.”
The belief obviously is that one of the twins will be for the power of good and the other will work or the power of evil. It seems pretty obvious that this prophecy is about the twins, but prophecies never seem to work out how the characters think that they will. It will be interesting to see how it actually turns out overall.
Verdict
I am enjoying the story. I think the characters are interesting and the reconfiguring of mythology makes it fun. So far most of the mythological figures I have recognized, but there have been a couple that I didn’t know before. I am intrigued enough to want to read the additional books, each of which seems to be focused on a different character. The first one obviously about Nicholas Flamel who is the Alychemyst.
Comparative Geeks 