Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Doctor Illuminatus: The Alchemist's Son Part One
Fiction Series
For ages 12 and up
Little Brown, 2006 ISBN: 978-0316012850
When they move into their new home - a renovated old house dating from the middle ages - Pip and Tim don't expect to find someone living beneath the house in secret. And yet this is just what happens. Sebastian is a twelve year old boy who just happens to have been born around the time when the house was built. Sebastian is the son of an alchemist who was burned at the stake for witchcraft. Not long after the burning the person who helped to bring down Sebastian's father, a man called de Loudeac, drank a special potion that put him into a state of suspended animation. Determined not to let his enemy escape, Sebastian also drank the potion and he is now fully awake, six hundred years later, ready to fight against the dark forces that de Loudeac uses to get what he wants.
And what does he want? Great power. To get this, de Loudeac plans on building a homunculus, a soulless being who will do whatever de Loudeac wants. Sebastian is determined to stop the evil alchemist from achieving his goal and Pip and Tim agree to help him. What they do not expect is that de Loudeac is a very dangerous, very powerful, and very ruthless adversary. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Readers who enjoy a good adventure with plenty of suspense, a fair bit of gore, and a dash or two of magic will greatly enjoy this title. The author handles the battle of good versus evil in a unique way, and he combines science, mythology, history, technology, and religion beautifully, making the story incredibly compelling and quite addictive.
This is the first book in what promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable series.
