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L'alchimiste De Khaim (2014)

by Paolo Bacigalupi(Favorite Author)

3.7 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Au Diable Vauvert

review 1: The Alchemist shares a world with Tobias Buckell's The Executioness. It's obvious that these two authors, both masters of world building, had a lot of fun collaborating on this world of forbidden magic, bramble, and deadly politics because it is the strongest part of both stories. Which is not to say that the characterization or plot is lacking in either one, just that it is a slight step away from the rich luster of the world itself.The eponymous alchemist is a man who has given years of his life and his fortune to finding a way to stop the growth of the bramble and restore the use of simple magics to the city in an effort to save both his daughter and the world she must live it.Like its' companion piece, The Alchemist suffers a little from a lack of space. Aside from ... morethe central protagonist, the characters are two-dimensional with no real substance aside from how they relate to our hero. The plot, likewise, is good, but would benefit from having more space to develop as the conclusion feels a bit rushed. Then again, the final element of the plot caught me by surprise, so what do I know?At any rate, lest this sound like damming with faint praise, I really enjoyed the novella. I hope both authors write more, and longer works, in this shared world. I kind of hope they open it up to other authors much like the Borderlands or Liavek collections of old.Highly recommended.
review 2: The Alchemist is sent in a faraway land that has a terrible problem--brambles that grow to astonishing speed to cover the land whenever magic, a part of the land's life, was used. Each day men would clear space to use from the bramble and by night, more would grow back faster, denser and hungrier than ever. A lowly alchemist finds the secret to ridding the land of bramble and freeing the people once and for all; but can he do it in time? A wonderful book, but it seems...unfinished to me. I think it would make a wonderous series! A book great for a quick read and well worth your time. less

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