The Alchemist's Door

Read as part of my reading of novels set in Prague. Whilst not the best written (it is lighter to read than many of the children's and teen fiction novels I have read that are set in Prague) it is the one with the most historical and religious detail which pulled together and gave coherence to the many myths and beliefs surrounding Prague, especially the Jewish Quarter, that I have read about in other novels and the one which gave me the most sense of place. Things like the use of scrying mirrors and other alchemic rites touched on in other novels, here came to life. I don't think it worked terribly well from any other view point though. There were many extraneous characters and it was all a bit simplistic. It was an unusual portrayal show more of John Dee as essentially a good man, although this is set before he became consultant to Queen Elizabeth, but he was very irritating and a weak character.

In an exhibition I recently came upon a scrying mirror which belonged to John Dee and I was genuinely excited and a little nervous to look into it so Goldstein obviously brought the Jacobean sense of science and magic being combined vividly to life for me. show less

This is the real story of John Dee's trip to Cracow and Prague in the 1580s. Dee and his collaborator Edward Kelley are fleeing a demon whose attention they have attracted in their experiments in angel magic. Initially, they travel with Prince Laski, for whom the angels that only Kelley can see have prophesied that he will be king of Poland. When events do not proceed with the speed that Laski had hope for, and it becomes clear that the demon is still with them, Dee finds it desirable to move his family to Prague, and Kelley again accompanies them. Gradually, Dee realizes that Kelley is more interested in the wealth theoretically available from alchemy (if he can create a philosopher's stone and turn base metal into gold) than in higher show more knowledge. Even more gradually, he realizes that his wife Jane is right--Kelley is not his friend, and is not to be trusted.

While in Prague, Dee and Kelley are summoned to an audience with Rudolf II, and meets his very first Jew, Rabbi Loew, who has also been summoned for an audience. Dee quickly finds himself in deeper water than he ever imagined, as Rudolf wants both favorable prophecies from the angels, and the wealth that Kelley claims he's on the very point of being able to produce, and further meetings with Loew as well as some of the other seekers of occult knowledge who have gathered in Prague reveal that Dee's demon is merely a symptom of a far greater problem, one that endangers the whole world. There is a door between dimensions, and the door is has swung wide open. If the demons reaching through the door can find one crucial thing and accomplish one crucial task, they can remake this world according to their needs. Dee and Loew, sometimes barely able to communicate across the divide of their beliefs, experience, and prejudices, need to work together to close the door forever.

Most enjoyable. show less

[Amy] I'm actually pretty sure I bought this book back when I was in the midst of my quest for Apocalypse Door, because the similarity in title caught my eye. I've had it for six years or so without reading it, though, so I guess it didn't catch my eye too awfully hard. Having now read it, I can say that it's an interesting look at the late 16th century, and while it doesn't delve particularly deeply into the issue, doesn't shy away from the place of Jews in said culture, which is good. After all, in a book about, among other things, the creator of the golem, one would expect the author to include context (also, not to make unwarranted assumptions, but it seems at least possible that an author named "Goldstein" would find the context show more more readily accessible than some).

Unfortunately, the primary protagonist is not Rabbi Loew, but John Dee, and while the historical John Dee is a figure with sufficient mystery to have potential to be made an interesting historical fantasy protagonist, this one didn't manage. I found him boring, and had he been sufficiently interesting to motivate me to care about him one way or another, I would have also found him sufficiently whiny so as to want to beat him soundly about the head with a large skillet.

Kudos for at least trying to include in his parts the misogyny and anti-Semitism that was endemic among Christian men of the time, but it seemed a little half-assed, especially as he seemed to be mostly over both of them by the end of the book. I really doubt even the court wizard to Elizabeth I was that enlightened. Ah, well, I suppose modern sensibilities don't want to read about such things, but by my judgment, they were too present for modern-sensibility-comfort-saving but not enough for actual verisimilitude. In short, not a successful splitting of the difference.

All that said, I enjoyed the story, but rather doubt I'll be re-reading it again anytime soon.
[http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/zenos-library/2009/04/the_alchemists_door_lisa_golds.html] show less

While it was not all I was hoping for, I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Literally got sucked into the pages, so to speak. I thought it was a cute story, very preposterous, indeed, but a fun read that was well worth the time put into it. I have other books by Lisa Goldstein (walking the labyrinth, the red magician), but this was my first experience with this author. Won't be my last, either!

Would I recommend it? Hmmm...that's a toughie. If you want a good supernatural-ish/fantasy yarn, yes. If you're looking for something deeper, no. If you have to have everything believeable in your reading, then don't pick this one up. My advice: if you are looking for a fun way to spend a few hours, this would be a good choice. The story show more moves fast (in part because it is a little silly), and it will fulfill your non-serious entertainment quotient for the day.

A brief look at what's inside (no spoilers)

John Dee as you may or may not know, was an astrologist to Queen Elizabeth I, and was a practitioner of the hermetic arts (alchemy if you must). As our story opens, we find Dr. Dee, his family and his bizarre companion, one Edward Kelley, who may or may not have been a necromancer, going off to Poland, where Dr. Dee has been invited by Prince Laski. They had to leave England, it seems, because Kelley & Dee have called a demon into existence and it is tormenting Dr. Dee. His reasoning is that if he goes across water, the demon, who supposedly cannot follow, will remain behind and his life will vastly improve. He is urged on by Kelley, who predicts all types of dire things that will happen to Dee, his home and his family, so off the entourage goes. For a time, all is well, but Dee makes an incredible discovery while he's in Prague. A) the demon is still there, and B) that Prague is somehow the cosmic center of the universe and that there is a door that links the earth and the other plane that is demon riddled. In the meantime, Rabbi Judah Loew has been tasked with finding the 36th righteous man, who according to legend, keep evil at bay. None of these men (of the 36) know that they have this identity until they are on their death bed, and to maintain balance, any one of them dying must name an heir before he dies. The 36th man must be identified in order to be protected, because if he ceases to exist, the world will not only end but will actually start again and will be malleable to whoever can reshape it. Dee and Loew meet and together they take on the task of finding this 36th man. Dee's travels take him many places, none the least of which is Transylvania at the court of King Istvan (Stephen), whose cousin Erzebet Bathory (the heroine of Codrescu's novel "Blood Countess").

While Goldstein's message of "the union of opposites" rings through here, as does the true purpose of alchemy, it is as I said a little silly all around. I thought she portrayed Dr. Dee as a kind of bumbler, but it was fun. I'll definitely read more books by this author. show less

Interesting sort of historical fantasy mashup that works. Some social commentary, some spirituality, and some action add up to something worth reading. No big messages are really brought through but that ends up not distracting from the overall enjoyment.

I liked the swirl of historical characters and setting. But I think the multiculti mind of the author allowed for characters that were not enough of their culture or time. I say eh.

This was an enjoyable quick read.
I could not put the book down.
This is the second book I've read by Lisa Goldstein and I have to say she may become one of my favorite authors.