ALA Booklist (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

When a pale boy named Sebastian steps from a passageway of the old Rawne estate and asks its current residents, Tim and Pip, for a glass of water, it's good-bye MTV and the Cartoon Channel, hello real-life version of Tomb Raider. Sebastian claims that his 12-year-old body conceals a nearly 600-year-old soul. Tim and Pip's fifteenth-century house was originally owned by Sebastian's father, a doctor illuminatus, or alchemist, who was accused of witchcraft by a rival and burned at the stake. After Sebastian's father dies, the rival downs a potion to induce suspended animation. Sebastian drinks the magic brew, too, determined to follow his father's archenemy through the centuries. Now Sebastian is finally able to pit his own magic against the villain's more pernicious alchemical powers, with Tim and Pip as enthusiastic (if a bit passive) companions. Though Booth hasn't forged gold from the sturdy, reliable raw materials found in this first entry in the Alchemist's Son series, the wild magic, the clearly drawn battle lines, and the pair of unflappable contemporary siblings will beckon many readers back for more.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

Sebastian comes from the past to engage Pip and Tim's help in battling an evil alchemist. Even with well-written prose and an intriguing premise, Booth's book doesn't keep the reader engaged. Despite Sebastian's constant cries of urgency, Booth fails to give Pip or Tim any real actions to take; they are disappointingly passive witnesses to and victims in Sebastian's struggle.

Kirkus Reviews

Booth draws heavily on old alchemical texts, herb lore, and lurid accounts of witchly deeds for this chiller, but neglects to link it all with a coherent story. Shortly after moving into a restored 15th-century home, twins Pip and Tim meet Sebastian, a young Christian alchemist from the distant past who can travel down the centuries, change shape, and perform other eldritch acts. He announces that Pierre de Loudeac, a colleague gone bad, is also still around, and on the verge of creating a homunculus for unspecified mischief. For never-explained reasons, de Loudeac zeroes in on Pip, snatching bits of blood, hair, and skin while visiting gory apparitions upon both children whenever the plot needs goosing, and putting in occasional personal appearances—in various guises, but ever recognizable by his odor of "sweat, wine, and cheesy feet." Not even the occasional flayed cat, severed human leg, or whirl of inter-dimensional travel compensates for the tale's logical gaps and clumsy contrivances; some of the former, at least, may be bridged in the upcoming sequel, but even optimistic readers may be hard-put to believe it. (Fiction. 11-13)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-This suspenseful novel is sure to please fans of J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series (Scholastic) who are looking for an engaging story utilizing a more sophisticated writing style. Incorporating alchemical history, Booth introduces Pip and Tim, twins who move into an old English country estate cloaked in mystery. They meet a pale boy, Sebastian, who emerges from the walls and claims to be the son of a medieval alchemist. He leads the siblings on a journey filled with history and horror, complemented by severed limbs, strange animals, and shape-shifting. This compelling tale is replete with gruesome details of bloodshed and violence, making the story appropriate for mature children who are intrigued by horror. Religious references are relevant to the story of good versus evil, and technologically adept children will appreciate Pip and Tim's allusions to computer software and games. Readers will surely anticipate the adventures of Sebastian, Pip, and Tim in the upcoming sequel, Soul Stealer (Little, Brown, 2005).-Jessi Platt, Auburn Public Library, AL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.