The Alchemist's Door

"We must leave now. Quickly!""Why?""The demon. It's followed us."John Dee, court astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I and his assistant were attempting to converse with angels . . . instead, they summoned a demon.To evade the creature's wrath, Dee and his family flee to Prague, but before long, it becomes evident that the demon has followed. Dee seeks the help of Rabbi Judah Loew, and together they must defeat not only the malevolent entity, but stop a megalomaniac ruler from changing the future of m [...]

This is the real story of John Dee's trip to Cracow and Prague in the 1580s. Dee and his collaborator Edward Kelley are fleeing a demon whose attention they have attracted in their experiments in angel magic. Initially, they travel with Prince Laski, for whom the angels that only Kelley can see have prophesied that he will be king of Poland. When events do not proceed with the speed that Laski had hope for, and it becomes clear that the demon is still with them, Dee finds it desirable to move hi [...]

Interesting novel that interweaves history, alchemy and demonology. Reads like a bit of found history from the life of John Dee, court astrologer to Queen Elizabeth. In the descriptions of Dee's perspective and the work he does, and the scholarship he evinces, it is quite convincing, and very tied to historical fact. I really got a sense of what life was like for a scholar seeking patronage in that age. However, the whole magic element in here although very down-played almost feels underwritten [...]

What would you do with a set of intriguing characters, interesting settings and places, and a story about demons, alchemy and magic? The Alchemist's Door had all of those. I expected a historical alternative history, perhaps similar to like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (only much shorter), spiced up with magic. I got nothing from it though. The main problem I had with this book was the writing style. The characters seemed bland, their voices sounded all the same and the descriptions were li [...]

I appreciated the historical dimensions of this novel, including its characters' adventures a series of European capitals and villages. At times the novel seemed a bit slow, making me wistful for more thorough and fantastic descriptions of magic, alchemy, and the creation/animation of a golem. A great read for anyone on the verge of traveling to Central Europe or interested in the multiracial and inter-faith elements of Europe culture.

I read this book because I am fascinated by the Jewish folklore surrounding the Golem, especially since I've lived in Prague where it was supposedly created. For Rabbi Lowe and his creature to come alive in these pages was a lot of fun. I also liked the main character Dee. If you are interested in mystical stories and want a fun read, try this book!

Queen Elizabeth’s alchemist/astrologer and the golem-making rabbi of Prague teaming up with other magicians and historical figures to stop demons from taking over their world is a potentially very interesting subject that unfortunately isn’t explored that well. It’s just ok. The writing is very flat and reads like someone recounting a slightly tedious and unbelievable dream, not an adventure you’re in the thick of. The interesting characters are mentioned in passing or not developed as w [...]

Eastern European kings are vying for power and the world's alchemists start collecting in the area in search of a patron and the Sorcerer's Stone to seal the deal with their patrons. Not all kings are the good guys and alliances shift and alchemists who have yet to produce a stepping stone to further glory to the king are banished or worse. A partnership with a British and Jewish alchemists is forged as they both try to stay ahead of death decrees for them and their families. Lots of mystical in [...]

Couldn’t get into it.

While it was not all I was hoping for, I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Literally got sucked into the pages, so to speak. I thought it was a cute story, very preposterous, indeed, but a fun read that was well worth the time put into it. I have other books by Lisa Goldstein (walking the labyrinth, the red magician), but this was my first experience with this author. Won't be my last, either!Would I recommend it? Hmmmat's a toughie. If you want a good supernatural-ish/fantasy yarn, y [...]

Eh, it was alright. The writing wasn't exactly top notch, which couple by the underdeveloped plot gave me a few eye rolling moments. The historical tie ins felt like they were done by Wiki'ing a few people and their related pages, fairly shallow. It never helps when I find the main character insipid and irritating either, and the character of Dee was pretty much just a narrow minded dickbag who never wised up. This was particularly annoying in relation to women, most of all the character of Magd [...]

Angels and Demons and Mysticism, Oh My!John Dee, famous alchemist & astrologer to Queen Elizabeth, has to leave England in a hurry. He heads off to Krakow, Poland and then Prague, Bohemia, where he continues to deal with royalty - but his enemy follows him.Meanwhile, Rabbi Judah Loewe of Prague has his own mystical problems. There is a legend of 36 righteous (wo)men whose merit keeps the world running - and one of them will be murdered by the king. This is a curious puzzle, because the 36 ri [...]

Interesting historical fantasy featuring Dr. John Dee, the Rabbi Loew ben Bezalel and the latter's golem. I liked Goldstein's writing style and thought the book was full of interesting ideas. It reminded me a bit of Melissa Scott and Lisa Barnett's "Armor of Light" and to a lesser extent, Burgess' 'A Dead Man in Deptford." Where is fell short for me was that the character never really came alive for me, particularly the villains. There's also a rather simplistic drive-by reference to sexual assa [...]

I chose this short historical fantasy because it concerns the same legend as a book I read last year, The Book of Splendor, and I wnated to see how two different authors would handle the story of Rabbi Loew and the golem in Prague. Goldstein's book centers more around John Dee, the English scholar who was in Prague at the same time that Rabbi Loew made the golem. And, being a fantasy, it takes the scholarly Renaissance magic (alchemy, scrying, etc.) seriously - it works. However, while The Book [...]

What a waste of time. At least I only bought it for a dollar at a library bookstore. I enjoyed one of her previous novels, but that was many years ago, so maybe my taste has matured.This novel had a good premise, but the plot was thin and the threats against the main characters were flimsy and not very threatening at all.The timeline is confusing, with the main character moving from city to city, for reasons that were vague and uninteresting.Don't bother with this one. I'm amazed that I actually [...]

This is a decent historical fantasy, 16th century Europe with magic, well written, definitely holds the reader in its grip. It got a bit scattered at the end but mostly wrapped up in a satisfying way. I did like the way the characters got to see the worst parts of themselves, and deal with it.It reads a tiny bit young for my taste - I can never tell when something is aimed at YA or just sounds like it. Perfectly readable for an intelligent teen.

It's a great book, it kept me interested through the whole story. Although I am not entirely satisfied with the ending, as I find it rather simple after all the complicated plot, I think it is a book worth reading. Her writing was the best part, as she had some really memorable words you can relate to, even tho this book takes places around 1400's and 1500's. I think that is why it is amazing, it is a whole magic world you can imagine yourself living in.

Starts a little slow but I am very much into the story now. About halfway thru. The author does focus more on the story than on characters or scenery.About three quarters through and I've given up on the story. It's not badly written but I feel the story could have been fleshed out more. Read more as a world tour of occult personages of the 16th century than a coherent narrative. As well action seemed a little flat.

I loved this. I so wish Lisa Goldstein had not stopped writing about Jewish magic. Her most recent book is a re-make of fairy tale folklore. Not that faerie isn't great but so many people work with it and so few write about Jewish magic. I wonder if it was a marketing decision on Goldstein's part. Sigh.

Interesting sort of historical fantasy mashup that works. Some social commentary, some spirituality, and some action add up to something worth reading. No big messages are really brought through but that ends up not distracting from the overall enjoyment.

Wanted to like this. Did she do any research at all?

Good intelligent read.

I HAVE TO LOOK THIS BOOK.

Looks interesting, plus Orson Scott Card recommends her.

Nicely written historical fantasy entwining historical people with Medieval European folk tales.

Read and enjoyed.

This was an enjoyable quick read.I could not put the book down.This is the second book I've read by Lisa Goldstein and I have to say she may become one of my favorite authors.

I liked the swirl of historical characters and setting. But I think the multiculti mind of the author allowed for characters that were not enough of their culture or time. I say eh.