Audiobook Review: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Books #1-3)

     

 

The Alchemyst (Book #1) by Michael Scott

May 22, 2007

Delacorte Press

375 pages

 

The Magician (Book #2) by Michael Scott

June 24, 2008

464 pages

 

The Sorceress (Book #3) by Michael Scott

May 26, 2009

488 pages

 

Source: Audiobooks on my Kindle via Audible

Goodreads Summary for The Alchemyst:

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.
 

My Review for Books #1-3:
Note: There are six books in this series.

My kids and I love to listen to audiobooks in the car while we travel, go on field trips, or are just filling time in the car. This is particularly helpful for reading books that are longer in nature, or a series, and I don't necessarily feel like reading out loud at home. Our most recent series has been Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. My boys and I actually attended Michael Scott's book signing this summer and have all our books signed, which was a real treat. Avoiding letting the books get ruined while they read them and pass them around is yet another reason we are listening to the audiobooks and saving the book bindings.

I'm only going to review the first half of the series in general, and avoid spoilers. First, I want to say that the person narrating the books does a nice job. Each character has their own voice, and although it is a man narrating, he still does a reasonably good job with the female voices. I think there was a slight change in voice with a couple of characters between the first and second books, but it is easy to adjust to.

Second, I'll say this is a great multi-generational series. My children are enjoying the story, especially my 12 year old. But I am enjoying it as well (I'm just a little older than 12 *wink*). The characters in the book are such a wide variety, from teenage twins Josh and Sophie, to immortal characters like Nicholas and Perenelle, to all the interwoven historical characters they encounter. I think anyone could enjoy this series.

I will say that at least these first few books take place in less than a week's period of time. So you can imagine, not only is there a lot of action taking place with the characters, there is also a lot of backstory, including the secondary and historical characters. I mean, many of these people are "immortal" so they have a lot of personal history that they draw from and bring to the plot. So be warned that it can feel like a lot to take in at times, but Mr. Scott certainly works hard to answer any questions you may have about the characters' past, present, and thoughts, as well as things you probably never thought to ask.

So overall, my sons and I are enjoying listening to this series in the car. We are not only well entertained, but we are also learning bits and pieces of history and geography along the way. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

4 STARS