The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott

This entry covers two of the three books in the Nicholas Flamel series, The Magician (2008) and The Sorceress (2009). I was immediately caught up in the first book of this series, The Alchemyst. Of course I was eager to read the next in the series. The Magician is as engaging and captivating as The Alchemyst however, I was a bit disappointed in The Sorceress. This later book brings in too many historical characters (Shakespeare, Billy the Kid) and becomes more of a "Terminator" distruction book than a fantasy exploring the lives and actions of mythological characters in present day.

I doubt that most teens/adolescents who are fans of the series would immediately detect the difference in quality. But, I've seen in my own children (now adults) the ability to "sense" when a book is somehow "off." I hope that Scott's next book The Necromancer will return to the more character-based stories of the previous two books in the series.

To fully enjoy any of the books in this series readers will need to do some independent research of their own on the various gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures included in the readings. Scott introduces these from all cultures and time periods. It provides the opportunity for a broad overview of the various mythologies and religions of the world.

Scott is a prolific writer and has many books that have not yet been published in the US. I hope more of them become available as the popularity of this series increases.