The Final Alchemy edition by John Wilson Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : The Final Alchemy edition by John Wilson Literature Fiction eBooks 
An old man sits by the dying embers of a fire in London of 1669. The ghosts of the past surround him and a decades old guilt weighs him down. As a young man, Robert Bylot did it all journeyed to the magical Spice Islands on a quest for the alchemist John Dee, communicated with angels through Crystallomancy, and searched for the fabled Northwest Passage with Henry Hudson. He has survived plague, mutiny and fire, and found happiness with an extraordinary woman, but nothing has assuage the ancient guilt that tortures him—unless the old, stained book on his lap contains the answer. The book might be his salvation, or his damnation.
Through Bylot's memories and the words written in the book he holds, The Final Alchemy recreates a world at the tipping point between the mysticism of the Middle Ages and the rationality of the Renaissance. The possibilities for glory and profit appear limitless, but the risks are horrifying.
At the centre of this world stand two men Dr. John Dee, alchemist, magus, mathematician, advisor to kings and queens, and believer that England is destined to recreate an empire descended from ancient Troy; and Thomas Smythe, founder of the East India Company, and believer that future empires must be based solely on commerce. Both base their murky plans on fragments of an ancient map, a portolan, that seems to show the unknown parts of the globe in stunning and impossible detail. The conflicting machinations of these two men and the promise of the portolan ensnare Hudson and Bylot in a complex web of intrigue, ambition and betrayal that offers fame or destruction.
The Final Alchemy edition by John Wilson Literature Fiction eBooks
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and that formed the excitement of reading this exceptional novel. There are intrigue, magic, a quest for the four Alchemic elements for a mysterious wizard, all woven together with the sketchy geography of the early Age of Discovery and the journeys of Henry Hudson through the unknown waterways of an unknown world. The Furious Overfall seems to permeate the myths of this early navigation, and the strange names given to countries we take for granted today will keep the reader guessing about where the devil Henry Hudson is at any given time in the narrative. The story takes the form of journal entries taken from the various players in this great age of discovery, and, while the mystery of Henry Hudson's fate is never quite solved, the ledger writers offer haunting bits of detail and leave the reader to guess. I have never read anything quite like this book, and I am a voracious reader. You must wait for the close of the story for the "final alchemy," but it is well worth the journey. Highly recommended.Product details
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The Final Alchemy edition by John Wilson Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
The Final Alchemy by John Wilson is to a historical fiction lover the way a box of chocolates is to most of us -- delicious, luxurious, self-indulgent pleasure. To the author's credit, it's a great way to give those familiar with the Hudson Bay and the Northeast coastline of the US a new perspective on the history of it's exploration. This novel is a time capsule, a Tardis that will take you from this world and into the intriques of the exploration industry of the 1600s.
Many think of Henry Hudson as the sort of explorer that Columbus was, opening up our lands for development. Here the perspective is on the Englishman Henry Hudson, who was an explorer in the employ of commercial investors seeking the Northwest Passage to the Orient for the profit and commerce to be gained by the shorter route. As an added bonus, this is a "book within a book", in that Hudson's story is told by his own journal as well as through the reminiscences and perspective of fellow captain in the industry and one time first mate, Robert Bylot. Bylot serves as narrator, as main character of his own story, and as the voice of moral reason as he looks back on life.
As any good HF should do, this book had me scurrying back and forth to get some historical facts, and in the process my curiousity has led to learning about Dr. John Dee, Magus to Queen Elizabeth and the John Dee Society, the impact alchemistry had upon the economics of building the British empire, the history of cartography and the process for mapping the world. The reader is fully drawn in to the whirlpools of the humanity of Henry Hudson and his family life, the stress, courage, hope, and desperate sacrifice that went into the journeys made to and around the New World.
Wilson is to be congratulated for mastery of techniques that plague many authors. He is able to transition the book between time, places, and even two main character voices clearly and easily. The dialogue rings true to the times and to the personalities as they unfold. His characters are all three dimensional and they serve up plot twists and transmute themes with understated eloquence. Get this book just before the next snow storm keeps you indoors, make a mug of cocoa and light the fire, you're in for a great journey!
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and that formed the excitement of reading this exceptional novel. There are intrigue, magic, a quest for the four Alchemic elements for a mysterious wizard, all woven together with the sketchy geography of the early Age of Discovery and the journeys of Henry Hudson through the unknown waterways of an unknown world. The Furious Overfall seems to permeate the myths of this early navigation, and the strange names given to countries we take for granted today will keep the reader guessing about where the devil Henry Hudson is at any given time in the narrative. The story takes the form of journal entries taken from the various players in this great age of discovery, and, while the mystery of Henry Hudson's fate is never quite solved, the ledger writers offer haunting bits of detail and leave the reader to guess. I have never read anything quite like this book, and I am a voracious reader. You must wait for the close of the story for the "final alchemy," but it is well worth the journey. Highly recommended.
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