Published: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Random House
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Fiction, Mythology
A story divided in two parts, the famous Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel have one day left to live and a job to do, to defend San Francisco from the monsters gathered on Alcatraz Island from heading towards the city. Only with the help of other immortals and warriors from myth and history can they defeat them. But will they succeed or fall with the rest of humanity. In the fabled land of Danu Talis, the land known as Atlantis, the twins Sophie and Josh Newman have traveled ten thousand years into the past to Danu Talis with Dr. John Dee and Virginia Dare. Unknown two them, Scathach, Prometheus, Palamedes, Shakespeare, Saint-Germain, and Joan of Arc are also on the island. But caught in a web of mystery and lies no one knows who or what the twins are fighting for. It is today that the battle for Danu Talis will be won or lost raising the question if the twins of legend will stand together or will they stand apart—one to save the world and one to destroy it?
Intricately woven together tying together the former books masterfully, Michael Scott tells a tale as old as time with his story telling. The people from history who he chose to integrate into this novel was amazing. Billy the Kid and Machiavelli were a masterful team, one who was a genius and oh so very serious next to the Kid, who is very much as his namesuggests and as strong and clever as history presents. But Scott was able to modernize the character and bring to life the pair of characters. The mention to Star Trek the Original Series was hilarious and by far the most priceless moment in the novel as an entirety.
Elsewhere in San Francisco you have the heroes fighting for their lives knowing that death is likely to befall them. The Dark Elders have risen and shown themselves, entering the war they have created themselves and taking steps to ensure their victory they are established as gods from history we know of too well. Bastet especially. All around you have adventures and fight scenes twined with magic, battles that bring to light monsters from myth, legends and history. It’s an amazing take on mythology and worldwide folklore.
Furthermore, the way the past connected to the beginning was amazing. The story really does come full circle without any discrepancies to the plot line. In fact it all tied together perfectly, especially the way that battle of Danu Talis itself. It was an incredible turn of events, throughout the novel, you think one of the twins is darker than the other twin but at the end the realization the light and the hope, and bittersweet ending, it was simply beautiful. Many of the scenes could have been a little more detailed to ensure that the reader would not get lost in the speed and amazing novel, it was just written so well that you are sucked in and driven to find out what happens next and next that here and there, a detail or two is easily overlooked. Other than that, it was a great conclusion to the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. ★★★★ (A+)