The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Lost Stories Collection

by Michael Scott

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a collection of 9 short stories in the same universe and with the same/adjunct characters as Michel Scott's main series which begins with The Alchemyst, The Magician, etc. Released 2nd Nov 2021 by Penguin Random House on their Delacorte imprint, it's 512 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

These are engaging grand stories, beautifully written. For fans of the main series, these stories are side trips, with more thorough explorations into the background of many of the characters who are secondary in the books (Aiofe, Scathach, Billy the Kid, Machiavelli, and Virginia Dare). This collection induced a deep and heartfelt "aaaah" from me because I found myself in the novels really -wanting- to know more about them, and this collection does just that.

The author has a rare gift with characterization and descriptive prose and all of the stories flow very well. Ostensibly marketed as YA, fans of speculative fiction will be enthralled whatever their age. I'd recommend that readers be at the higher age end of YA; there's some fairly hefty action contained here which might not be entirely appropriate for younger readers. Nothing egregious, but a couple descriptions scared my socks off.

Top shelf fiction, wonderfully written and transporting. For readers who only know the name Nicholas Flamel from Harry Potter - this is not even tangentially related. For readers who seek out this collection because of Scott's main series, you're in for a treat. I also loved the generous length of these stories. The author isn't afraid to give them the length and development they need. A couple of the stories could probably be more precisely described as novella length.

Five stars. I can only think of a couple times I've rated story collections or anthologies 5 stars, and this collection richly deserves the distinction.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.