Search - The Alchemaster's Apprentice: A Novel

Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com

Echo is a unique creature; on the surface, he seems to be a talking cat. But, there's more to him than just the ability to talk. Echo can feel, think, plot, and, best of all, survive. When his mistress dies, leaving him starving in the cold, the alchemist-in-chief of Malaisea takes Echo in on one condition. Unfortunately for Echo, that condition means he will die. Ghoolian, the Alchemaster, is too self-involved to notice, however, that Echo is not going to lie down and die without a fight.

This quirky story takes readers through the bizarre city of Malaisea, an extremely unhealthy place where sickness of both mind and body is common and the strangest collection of creatures lives side-by-side. As alchemaster, Ghoolian is feared and hated by the inhabitants of the town that he rules. His experiments are horrible and often result in death or disfigurement.

Little does this renowned expert realize what he will do to his own lifestyle when he attempts to create an elixir of immortality with the fat collected from a crat (the unfortunate Echo being his targeted crat).

Echo and his friends will delight readers as they meander through the streets of this sick, strange little town. Their stories and plots evoke laughter, tears, and outright disbelief as Walter Moers weaves this outrageously dark tale of survival and friendship.

This is Moers' fourth book set in Zamonia. Readers who enjoyed THE CITY OF DREAMING BOOKS (2008), RUMO: AND HIS MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES (2007), and THE 13 1/2 LIVES OF CAPTAIN BLUEBEAR (2006) will get a kick out of this fourth individual book about Moers' creative world.