The Necromancer

August 1, 2010

Gr 6-10-Nicholas Flamel is dying, and the spell from the Codex that renews his immortality is in the possession of the evil John Dee. Reunited with his wife, Perenelle, Flamel hopes to use his remaining power to prevent the monsters now on the island of Alcatraz from escaping. Meanwhile, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid have come to San Francisco to achieve the opposite, releasing the monsters to destroy the city. Twins Sophie and Josh are also back in San Francisco, where Sophie is kidnapped by Aoife, the twin sister of Scathach, the Celtic warrior who had been protecting them. Josh is beginning to doubt whether he is on the right side of things. John Dee is now persona non grata with the Dark Elders, having failed to capture the siblings in London. Trying to escape his inevitable judgment, Dee teams up with Virginia Dare to find his way to Josh so that he can train him as a Necromancer. With this power, Josh can raise Coatlicue, the Mother of All the Gods, from the dead, and thus allow Dee to take over the world himself. Depending on one's point of view, all of these plot elements can either be disconcerting or can serve to create a sense of unrelenting forward momentum, taking readers breathlessly through to the end. The end in this case is a huge cliff-hanger, carrying with it an enormous sense of melancholy and moral ambiguity. This book will thrill fans of the series who are willing to stick with it to the conclusion.-Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2010
Josh and Sophie finally return home, having gained some mastery over their recently awakened magical powers. Meanwhile, Nicholas must try to gain back the twins' trust. Though the plot continues to drive its characters, the story line following the twins is engaging and the blending of historical people and mythology continues to be an entertaining signature of this series.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)