The Alchemist

By Donna Boyd

Book Overview

In a sweeping epic of dazzling magic, soaring suspense, and dark longing, three immortal souls are united by fate and a fearless ambition that will change the course of history-even as it destroys their own way of life. . . .

On an upper floor of a plush, high-security building on Central Park West, an elegant man sits in the office of Dr. Anne Kramer, confessing to the heinous murder that has horrified the modern world. Randolf Sontime is renowned for his personal charm, and Dr. Kramer is fighting to keep from falling victim to it. For the first time in her life, she truly understands the meaning of the word "charisma." Not knowing that her own destiny is irrevocably tied to his, Anne Kramer listens to the story of Sontime's life.

"It began with the magic, you see. And so, perforce, must I." As a boy named Han at the House of Ra, an isolated oasis in the Egyptian desert of a far ancient time, Sontime lived in privilege. There the chosen were trained in the science of alchemy-magic, philosophy, miracles. Only two other initiates were as skilled as he: Akan, quiet and studious, a boy whose thirst for knowledge was matched only by his hunger for truth; and Nefar, beautiful and brilliant, a girl as filled with wonder and unfathomable ambition as Han himself. Together they discovered that in union, theirs was a power unmatched in the physical world.

But even in the House of Ra, there were boundaries to be observed, knowledge that only the masters understood and feared. As the threesome's thirst for answers-and for each other-deepened, they were tempted by the dark arts that they had sworn to avoid. "Look at three magnificent youths who stand astride your world and scoff at the rules you must obey. . . . Look at us, and call us gods." Their power was palpable, their desire total-until the fateful moment when their alliance was forever damned, their gifts horribly corrupted.

A seductive work that seethes with mystery and passion, The Alchemist hurtles readers back through time to an era when magic was sacred and the workings of the world lay in the hands of a few gifted, but tortured souls. In a stunning feat of unbridled imagination, Donna Boyd has created her most hypnotic novel to date.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034546236X
• ISBN13: 9780345462367
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An very well written and imaginative tale!

I picked up this book thinking it was the well known Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, after reading it and enjoying it intensely. I saw Paulo Coelho's Alchemist and read his, needless to say, it was quite disappointing in comparison. Donna Boyd has an incredible imagination and captivating way of writing. I really enjoyed her book and was amazed that everyone has read Paulo Coelho's meager book and not hers. It is an excellent read!

Simply Amazing!

This is quite possibly my favorite book. The story is, as the title suggests, magical. This is the only Donna Boyd book that I've read but I am excited to read her many others. The story is captivating and really excites the mind. You'll be reading one page while anticipating the following page. The imagery is well described, though can be a bit too overdescriptive. The dialogue isn't drowning and boring. Characters are given life and you can feel their obsession as though it were your own. There is good pacing between chapters, which makes for an easy read and keeps it from boring you to death. My only gripe but probably my favorite aspect of the story is that at certain points the story can get predictable. I like this because I'll be enthralled at one part and then I'll get excited and try to guess how "this" connects with "that". All in all, this is a very good book and I recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy tales!

Would love a sequel

This was the first book I read by Donna Boyd. I really enjoyed it. It was one of those stories that stuck with me long after I read it. The story was original and kept me guessing. Just finished Ramses the Damned, by Anne Rice, and found The Alchemist to have some similarities. I enjoyed the Alchemist more though; not as neat of an ending as Ramses. After reading The Alchemist, I followed up w/ The Passion and The Promise, Boyd's take on werewolves. Didn't think I'd enjoy those as much, but I did. All her stories got me quickly involved and kept my interest throughout. It was like watching a movie and I couldn't wait to find out the ending. I look forward to any sequels of Ms. Boyd's.

Donna Boyd tells a magical tale

Well I'm coming off of reading her other book "The Passion" which I thoroughly enjoyed (see my review)and I just bought her other books under the name of "Rebecca Flanders" I really like this author's style. I chose to take a break from the Werewolf topic because I just finished "Circus of the Damned" by Laurell K. Hamilton and it dealt a lot with Were-people and this was a welcome diversion. This book started out so engaging it got me from the first chapter and kept me. The whole premise is that there are 3 gifted students at the House of Ra, when these 3 students combine their magical energy their power is unmatched, however something happens early on and they do not complete the training they needed. Consequently their magic is flawed.... but they don't realize that, their young and think they are invicible. This book has Magicians that are immortal, Dark Magic that goes wrong, Incest, Betrayal and all of this spans from the time during Pharoah to the present day. I recommend this book for a break from the norm it's great storytelling, if you like books with twist, you should enjoy this one. In my opinion the end was not as satisfying as the rest of the book but I guess she maybe left it that way to do a sequel. Respectfully Reviewed