By: Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, Bk 3
Paris suffered some serious destruction at the hands of Dr John Dee, who released the Nidhogg in a desperate attempt to get rid of Nicolas Flamel, the twins Sophie and Josh and retrieve the last two pages f the Codex. However Josh killed the Nidhogg and was finally awakened, and now the trio are in London searching for the oldest immortal, the King Gilgamesh. Nicolas hopes the King can train the twins in the mastery of water magic. FInding him is only part of the problem though as it turns out the Gilgamesh is quite mad. Added to that, London is Dr John Dee’s home ground and that is an advantage he plans on using every inch of.
The trio aren’t completely helpless. Nicholas still has some contacts and Josh is carrying Clarent, the sister sword to Excalibur, and it is a blade with a power that makes it almost impossible for it to be used without darkness bleeding into the wielder’s soul.
Meanwhile Perenelle is no longer a prisoner, now roaming free on the island of Alcatraz. As long as she can stay that way she is working on a plan to get her off the island and back to Nicholas and the twins. This battle is taking it’s toll and it is nowhere near over.
The pace doesn’t really let up in this the third installment of the Secrets of Nicholas Flamel. Mythical creatures come out of hiding to hunt down Nicholas and the twins so they must keep moving to stay alive and remain a step ahead of Dee. Scott whips us through modern day terrain blending in seemlessly the different mythologies and historical figures. (Seeing Shakespeare in this did bring a smile to my face). It is interesting to note that Scott’s characters are complex: one moment Sophie and Josh appear mature enough to handle what they’ve been thrown into, other times they are teenagers struggling to adjust to it all. Then there is Nicholas, who you think you should like, but with so many secrets you’re not sure you can. And somehow Perenelle, while trapped, still seems more of a threat.
Where as some books appear to painstakingly create complex layers in an effort to draw you in, Scott seems to let bits of information leak out while flinging you into the action and expecting you to keep turning the pages just to keep up.
Publisher: Random House
Published: 27 April 2010
Format: Paperback 502 pages
Categories: Fantasy, Family, Mythology
ISBN 13: 9780385735308
Purchase: here or use logo on side of page to go to Booktopia
TheKylieVerse 
Leave a Reply