The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
- ISBN13: 9780385737289
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
The New York Times bestseller now in paperback!
In the second book in the New York Times bestselling series, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Light, home to Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Niccolò Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, lives in Paris and is working for Dr. John Dee. He’s in hot pursuit, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenell. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world’s only hope. . . . If they don’t turn on each other first.
? “Readers will be swept up.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“An exciting and impeccably thought-out fantasy, well-suited for those left in the lurch by Harry Potter’s recent exeunt.”—Booklist
“Fans . . . will certainly find much to love, root for, and fear in this successful second installment.”—School Library Journal
Rating: 
(out of 95 reviews)
List Price: $ 9.99
Price: $ 5.52
Review by stuartm for The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Rating:
I happened upon this and the first book in the series (The Alchemyst) just before July 4th and have quickly polished them off. For me the use of real historical characters alongside well-researched mythology is nigh irresistible.
The books move along smartly with plenty of action and a narrative that is propulsive and unrelenting. In many ways these feel more like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books than Harry Potter.
Note that these books are clearly written to be “safe” for a younger audience. No sex, and fairly restrained violence. These are exciting and tense books, but still PG (or maybe barely PG-13).
I am intrigued by the ambiguity around several of the main characters including Machiavelli and Flamel and am eager to see where these books go. Highly recommended.
Review by ellen for The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Rating:
I usually gauge a book by when I open it and start reading, how far it takes me in a sitting. I literally couldn’t put this one down, starting to read around 11 am and done by 10 pm! I have rarely done that since Harry Potter –
I love this premise and the series. Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, who have had the forumla for eternal life, meet prophecized twins who have the power to either save the world or destroy it. The Codex which holds all the spells needed to do so, including the recipe for the the elixer of life, was taken, but Josh, one of the twins, had the foresight to tear out the last 2 pages, saving the bad guys, Dr. John Dee, from Elizabethan England fame and his minions, from destroying things.
Perenelle is captured and is in Alcatraz. Nicholas and the twins, and Scatty, the vampire warrior flee to Paris.
There they encounter Macchiavelli and Dee. They do find allies there – St. Germain – and his wife – will not spoil the fun by saying who it is.
Sophie, who has been Awakened receives more training, leaving Josh with mixed feelings his twin has more power and is now different with that knowledge – the book deals with those feelings.
Although over 460 pages, the book flies by, and like Harry Potter, leaves you wanting more.
It is great fun for everyone. If you are remotely interested or knowledgeable in history, or historical figures, you will love this book as much as I do.
I had made a notation in the review of the premier book how come the Flamels don’t remember the recipe for the elixer for immortality after all this time, and the answer is given in this book. It is an inventive explanation and it works.
Fun for all ages –
Review by Jonathan Stephens for The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Rating:
“Two days ago Sophie Newman had been an ordinary American teenager, her head filled with normal everyday things: homework and school projects, the latest songs and videos, boys she liked, cell phone numbers and Web addresses, blogs and urls.” Now, life is drastically different. Her powers have just been Awakened by the Witch of Endor, who taught Sophie the Magic of Air and made her hypersensitive to all sights, smells, sounds, touch, and taste. She’s on the run for her life from the immortal magician and necromancer John Dee, and her twin brother Josh wants to be Awakened and equal to his sister. Jealousy is rearing its ugly head.
The immortal alchemist, Nicholas Flamel, leads their small band of fugitives to Paris in search of another Elder to train Sophie and awaken Josh. With them is Scathach, the Warrior, whose “fighting style is at the heart of just about every martial art.” Unfortunately, Flamel’s wife Perenelle is not with them. Imprisoned by a Sphinx on Alcatraz Island, Perenelle waits, powerless, for a chance to escape. She and Nicholas have less than a month to live. They’re ageing fast, their immortality draining from them, and if they do not reclaim the Book of Abraham the Mage back from Dee, they will die.
If only their deaths were the worst of it.
The Book of Abraham holds more than just the formula for immortality; it contains all the history and secrets of humanity, including spells that could heal the world and return it to Paradise, along with ones that could destroy everything, or even worse, hand everything and everyone over to the power of the Dark Elders. The bad thing is that Dee has the Book and wants nothing more than Flamel’s death and the rise of the Dark Elders to the rightful place of power. The good thing is that Josh has the two most important pages from the Book, and Dee can’t use the book until he gets the pages.
Even better is that Josh and Sophie appear to be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy — “The two that are one must become the one that is all.” Legend predicts that twins will be born with pure silver and gold auras, and that their powers will bring about the end of the age. Josh and Sophie have those auras, and Sophie’s powers have already been Awakened. The question is: what kind of end will they bring with them? Good or evil?
It all depends on who controls the twins, doesn’t it? If John Dee gets his way, the Dark Elders rule the world and humanity as we know it will end. If Nicholas Flamel gets his, he and Perenelle will survive, the twins will save the world, and the Humani will continue to flourish. But even that depends on whose story they believe.
Who is, in fact, telling the truth? Is Flamel really working for the good of humanity or does he have some other motive? Who really does he serve? After all, just a couple days ago, Josh and Sophie were regular teens and living regular lives. This whole world of magic and myth didn’t even exist! How are they supposed to know who to believe?
Picking up right where THE ALCHEMYST left off, this 2nd of 6 books does not disappoint. Conspiracies, magic, and battles mix with friendships, doubts, and betrayal to make for good characters and an entertaining read. As with the first installment, this book plays with myths and legends, combining them all into a single storyline that makes sense of everything. Remember, at the heart of every myth and legend lies a grain of truth. King Arthur and Excalibur, Joan of Arc, the great battle Ragnark, the disappearing islands, and the dark secrets of ancient Paris, along with legendary creatures like the Sphinx, dragons, oni, vampires, trolls, wyverns, boggarts, minotaur, and more. THE MAGICIAN is a mythological thrill ride you won’t want to miss. You’ll want to read the first installment before picking up this second part.
Enjoy them both . . . this ride is just getting going.
— Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens
— Copyright 2008 TeenReads
Review by Suresh Velagapudi for The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Rating:
The problem with intensive books such as the Magician is that you run out of information quickly and the books tend to lack depth. This is clearly not the case with the Magician. By using history, natural human instinct, and mythology, Scott takes what could be a 500 page story and translates it into a whole new world. Very well written book; it expresses everything and leaves little to imagination.
This book is 464 pages of fun, action-filled adventure. There is not a single dull moment in the book. Even without the fight scenes, something interesting is happening.
Serious kudos to Scott, what a hell of a book.
Review by Ande for The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Rating:
Amazing imagery and thoughful writing for this second book. I am looking forward to The Sorceress next…bring it on! Just the right balance of action, fear, intensity, and hope for what is to come. The imagery of Paris and the places that exist beneath the city are creepy intense which adds to this story. Not frightning, but compelling – Josh and Sophie have to learn quickly, but also get to learn a thing or two that the elders didn’t know and that makes me wonder what else they will discover that the elders weren’t prepared for…