The Necromancer by Michael Scott, UK edition cover.

Title: The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Author: Michael Scott
Genre: Young Adult (YA), Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: 5th August 2010

Blurb:

Trust no one . . .

Josh and Sophie Newman have finally made it home – but San Francisco is no longer a safe haven for the twins. They have not yet mastered the magics they desperately need for protection against the Dark Elders, and Dr. John Dee is still hunting them down. Worse still, they are no longer sure if they can trust Nicholas Flamel – or anyone.

Perenelle has escaped from Alcatraz and must now fight with Nicholas to protect Josh and Sophie. But she was not the only powerful weapon hidden on the island – an army of monsters is about to be unleashed on San Francisco. With their powers weakening by the hour, the Flamels know that this battle may kill them both.

Having failed to retrieve the missing pages of the Codex for the Elders, Dee is now an outlaw – and the new prey of all the creatures formerly sent to hunt down Nicholas Flamel. But Dee has a plan – to raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. To achieve this, he must train a necromancer. And the twins of legend will make the perfect pupils . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a fan of the series, and have been following it for a while. This is the fourth book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. It continues the story-arc from The Sorceress and brings the end of the world ever closer. In this book, perhaps more than in any other in the series, there is a definite sense of battle looming in the background – it feels like the Apocalypse will occur within days of the events of the book. There is a very definite sense that the events of this book will set the stage for what is to come.

I enjoyed reading this book. When I picked up this book I immediately fell straight into the story, despite the fact that it had been around nine months since I finished reading The Sorceress. I fell straight back into the complicated and dangerous world that Scott had created. The characters of Sophie and Josh came alive on the page, and the growing distance between them became almost touchable by the end of the book – these were two very different people from those Scott first introduced the reader to in The Alchemyst. Some of the change in them is good, some was necessary, and some . . . well, we’ll have to wait and see.

The Necromancer takes place from Tuesday 5th of June to Wednesday 6th June. For such a short period of time, a lot happens. But then, one must not forget that the start of the story in The Alchemyst began on Thursday 31st of May; over the course of just seven days (and four books) Sophie and Josh’s lives change inconceivably. Yet, despite the fact that The Necromancer covers just two days, a lot happens – Scott skillfully reveals new plot strands and concludes old ones. The pace of the story is incredible. Yet, not once did any of the plot strands merge and become difficult to follow.

Although The Necromancer continues Sophie and Josh’s story, it does not conclude it and as such at the end of the book we are left with a cliffhanger. The basic plot of The Necromancer is concluded, and almost all of the plot strands are wrapped up, but there is a driving force of momentum from the series which pushes us on to the next book in the series (which unfortunately isn’t out yet). There are still questions Scott purposely leaves unanswered, and plot twists that need unraveling.

If you’re a sword and sorcery fan, then I recommend this book – and this series – to you.