The Alchemist
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Book Description
In a sweeping epic of dazzling magic, soaring suspense, and dark longing, three immortal souls are united by fate and a fearless ambition that will change the course of history–even as it destroys their own way of life. . . .
On an upper floor of a plush, high-security building on Central Park West, an elegant man sits in the office of Dr. Anne Kramer, confessing to the heinous murder that has horrified the modern world. Randolf Sontime is renowned for his personal charm, and Dr. Kramer is fighting to keep from falling victim to it. For the first time in her life, she truly understands the meaning of the word “charisma.” Not knowing that her own destiny is irrevocably tied to his, Anne Kramer listens to the story of Sontime’s life.
“It began with the magic, you see. And so, perforce, must I.” As a boy named Han at the House of Ra, an isolated oasis in the Egyptian desert of a far ancient time, Sontime lived in privilege. There the chosen were trained in the science of alchemy–magic, philosophy, miracles. Only two other initiates were as skilled as he: Akan, quiet and studious, a boy whose thirst for knowledge was matched only by his hunger for truth; and Nefar, beautiful and brilliant, a girl as filled with wonder and unfathomable ambition as Han himself. Together they discovered that in union, theirs was a power unmatched in the physical world.
But even in the House of Ra, there were boundaries to be observed, knowledge that only the masters understood and feared. As the threesome’s thirst for answers–and for each other–deepened, they were tempted by the dark arts that they had sworn to avoid. “Look at three magnificent youths who stand astride your world and scoff at the rules you must obey. . . . Look at us, and call us gods.” Their power was palpable, their desire total–until the fateful moment when their alliance was forever damned, their gifts horribly corrupted.
A seductive work that seethes with mystery and passion, The Alchemist hurtles readers back through time to an era when magic was sacred and the workings of the world lay in the hands of a few gifted, but tortured souls. In a stunning feat of unbridled imagination, Donna Boyd has created her most hypnotic novel to date.
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2 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A Poor Man's Anne Rice .... DisappointingFriday, August 20, 2004
While the idea is a good one, Boyd's history is shaky and her story painfully predictable. If she had fleshed out the story to include the colour of the various periods in history it might be more interesting, but as it stands, it is pretty shallow. The characters and their exploits are cliche and seemed to be taken from any one of Anne Rice's Vampire books. I was disappointed in the lack of richness and detail. This one man's redemption just isn't that interesting.
Would love a sequelFriday, July 23, 2004
This was the first book I read by Donna Boyd. I really enjoyed it. It was one of those stories that stuck with me long after I read it. The story was original and kept me guessing. Just finished Ramses the Damned, by Anne Rice, and found The Alchemist to have some similarities. I enjoyed the Alchemist more though; not as neat of an ending as Ramses. After reading The Alchemist, I followed up w/ The Passion and The Promise, Boyd's take on werewolves. Didn't think I'd enjoy those as much, but I did. All her stories got me quickly involved and kept my interest throughout. It was like watching a movie and I couldn't wait to find out the ending. I look forward to any sequels of Ms. Boyd's.
1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A strong first half, but lost steamMonday, May 03, 2004
I enjoyed The Alchemist, but I felt that it could have been a much better book if the second half had been as exciting and gripping as the first half.
The book starts in Ancient Egypt and ends in the present day, wending its way through history. Well over half the book is set in ancient Egypt. This portion of the book is exciting and unpredictable. It tells the tale of three young magicians and what happens when they combine their powers. There were several times when the twists and turns in the plot took me by complete surprize.
The second half sees the three separateds into various combinations of two and one. This part of the book is much less imaginative. I found some of things to be a bit predicatable, while in other places I just found the outcome slightly disappointing.
This is a good book, but the second half didn't live up to the promise of the first half.
1 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Dissapointed...Monday, February 23, 2004
I also was a HUGE fan of The Promise and The Passion. I had never read 2 books more engrossing and hypnotic as those books. With The Alchemist, Ms. Boyd loses a lot of the steam she had going with her first two novels. This book was boring. I kept telling myself to keep reading because I was such a fan of her Devoncroix werewolf novels that I just was expecting greatness, but it never came in this book. The descriptives are WAY too long and at some points you feel like you are almost drunk or high from the drawn out, pointless detailings. I found myself "reading", or basically just looking at words but not taking them in for almost half of this short book. The story was predictable. I knew the therapist was connected by blood from the very start. I just hope Donna Boyd comes back with her powerful, epic Devoncroix Dynasty series! This book was a huge let down. I'm sorry Donna Boyd...I loved your werewolf books, but this was just not a good one.
0 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Lisa from MichiganSunday, February 16, 2003
After reading the Passion and the Promist(two excellent books), this book dissapointed me. It was slow and I never had any emotional ties to the charectors.