The Book of the Alchemist
On sale
10th June 2010
Price: £7.99
Andalucía, 1938. The Spanish Civil War is drawing to its end. Desperate Republican soldiers holding hostages in a cathedral, plan a last, explosive act of death and destruction. One of their prisoners, ex government minister Professor Pinzon, has already lost his son to the war. He determines to save his grandson at any cost.
The discovery of an ancient book in a hidden space beneath the cathedral is a welcome distraction. But as Professor Pinzon reads aloud to the frightened hostages, he discovers that this tale of medieval Andaluz and the friendship between three young men – an alchemist, a mason and a prince – besides connecting two ideologically torn worlds 1000 years apart, might also offer a route to freedom . . .
The discovery of an ancient book in a hidden space beneath the cathedral is a welcome distraction. But as Professor Pinzon reads aloud to the frightened hostages, he discovers that this tale of medieval Andaluz and the friendship between three young men – an alchemist, a mason and a prince – besides connecting two ideologically torn worlds 1000 years apart, might also offer a route to freedom . . .
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
The perfect book for curling up with at the weekend
Williams handles his material deftly, draws pertinent parallels and builds the tensions in his interlinked tales well
A terrific yarn and a moving portrait of the power of love and friendship
A thousand years go by in a flash as Williams spins a yarn uniting childhood camaraderie in the 11th century with the violence of the 20th-century civil war. Prepare to be captivated
Rewarding novel of love and friendship connecting worlds a thousand years apart
Epic adventure
An epic historical and romantic story as well as an impressive first novel.
'This book is poetic and romantic in parts, harrowing and tragic in others' ****
A rattling good read. Full of love and loss and guts and gore and derring-do, this is as good as an adventure story gets . . . Williams is a master