The Magician

Continuing right where The Alchemyst left off, Michael Scott’s The Magician increases the action, adds some fantastic new characters, and left me desperate for more. The second book in his “The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel” series, The Magician continues the tale of twins Sophie and Josh as they follow Nicholas Flamel around the world to Awaken their powers and stop the return of the Dark Elders. From the heights of Notre Dame to the Catacombs of Paris, this young adult paranormal/adventure story spreads magic throughout the City of Light.

Sequels should expand on the worlds introduced in previous books, and Scott does an admirable job here by adding new historical figures as both friends and foes. He also keeps Perenelle separated from her beloved Nicholas by placing her on Alcatraz Island with her own battles to fight. As the action switches between Nicholas, Scatty and the twins in Paris and Perenelle on Alcatraz, the countdown to the Flamels’ final demise is accelerating. Every day is a race against time to Awaken and train the twins before Nicholas and Perenelle are gone forever.

There is nowhere else to start but with my favorite new character – the infamous Niccolò Machiavelli, author of one of the most influential books on leadership, The Prince, which argues that deception and lies are absolutely necessary for those in power. Not surprisingly, Machiavelli works for the Dark Elders who have ordered him to assist Dr. John Dee with capturing Flamel and the twins to obtain the final pages of the Codex that they have in their possession. I thoroughly enjoyed the smooth machinations of Machiavelli, and found him to be such an interesting character – intelligent, dangerous and a REALLY bad driver. He is easily the most well-rounded and intriguing character introduced in The Magician.

Assisting Nicholas and the twins are two other historical figures, the Comte de Saint-Germain and his lovely wife, Joan. The first is a former student of Nicholas while the latter is an old associate of Scatty’s. The flamboyance of Saint-Germain’s rock star persona (voted MTV Newcomer of the Year!) is off-set beautifully by the calm, quiet presence of Joan, and the two of them are a romantic team. Perenelle, in the meantime, is not without friends and foes of her own as she tries to escape Alcatraz. With the ghost of Juan Manuel de Ayala (the sailor who discovered Alcatraz) by her side, Perenelle has to deal with the legendary Sphinx, the return of the Crow Goddess, and a member of the Elder Race also trapped on Alcatraz by Dee – the ancient spider Areop-Enap. All of these characters bring so much color and excitement that the story just races along.

Something I particularly admire about this series is how strong the female characters are. There are no damsels in distress and everyone – on both sides – agrees that the most powerful and dangerous character of all is Perenelle. No one wants to go up against her unless they absolutely have to, and when they try disasters can occur – apparently Mt. Etna erupted due to a battle between Machiavelli and Perenelle that left her as fresh as a daisy and him on the point of collapse. With Scatty as the ultimate warrior, Joan as an ancient leader of armies, and Sophie empowered with all the knowledge thrust upon her by the Witch of Endor, no female in this series is the be trifled with. It is wonderfully empowering.

Almost a character itself is the city of Paris. Historical sites abound, with the Eiffel Tower, the church of Sacre-Coeur, and Notre Dame cathedral all making an appearance. Even the original home of Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel shows up, as Nicholas retrieves an ancient weapon hidden there that becomes a major player in the hands of Josh – Excalibur’s twin, the sword Clarent. But most fascinating of all are the sewers and Catacombs of Paris where an extremely powerful Elder is entombed – Mars, the god of war. I won’t say much about this section of the book because I don’t want to spoil anything, but it highlights a part of Paris seldom seen. In fact, Michael Scott’s “Author’s Note” for The Magician provides an overview of these historic depths that made me want to race right over to Paris and check them out for myself. With the major events that occur in the Catacombs and an explosive finale at Notre Dame, I was left with no choice but to buy book three, The Sorceress, to find out what happens next.

In Michael Scott’s YA paranormal/adventure The Magician, magic and Machiavelli meet in an explosive fashion. With its lively pace, fascinating twists on historic characters, and plenty of action, this series geared to the middle-grade crowd has more than enough to keep adults entertained as well. ( )

Another really good book from Mr. Scott. I really like how he weaves different creatures from many different mythologies into the storyline, and it always sounds plausible, and not 'I threw this creature in here because I know all about it, aren't I intelligent?' I found myself unable to stop reading until I really, really had to be somewhere else or doing something else. So, it didn';t surprise me that I finished it in a couple days. Now I need to get the next book, which has just recently come out. ( )

This second book continues the action with a little less reflection and a little more swords-and-sorcery. I would have liked more access to Josh's internal struggle, and more sense that his decision-making posed a dilemma for him in relation to his sister. Nice descriptions of the Paris catacombs. ( )

I still really like this series. I enjoy all the different mythologies and historical characters the author works in. It took me a lot longer than I wanted to get around to reading it, but I'm happy because book 3 is out and now I can read it right away.

(Also, I have to admit, I laugh every time I read the author's name because I imagine Michael Scott from the Office writing the book. If I hadn't read the first book on audio, I imagine Steve Carrell's voice would be the "reader" in my head.) ( )

Book 2 of the series. I think I like this book better than the first. Overall the series is fantastic and enthralling and I'm already starting the third book. It may seem like a young adult series (and it is) but the writing and the plot is so good. I think it deserves to be up there with Harry Potter. For any fan of fantasy and mythology and history, i recommend this series.

On to book 3! ( )