Alchemist's Cat by Robin Jarvis

From the Publisher

The year is 1664 when young Will Godwin comes to London. In order to survive, he becomes an assistant to a wicked alchemist, Elias Theophratus Spittle. On an errand one freezing night, Will finds a mother cat and her three kittens, and brings the family back to his master's lab. Among the bubbling bottles and evil smelling jars of his master's apothecary shop unfolds an extraordinary tale of villainy, sorcery, and murder. The Deptford Mice trilogy witnessed the harrowing battles between the mice of Deptford and Jupiter, lord of darkness and treacherous disguises. Now in this gripping prequel, Jupiter's secret history is revealed.

Publishers Weekly

In a starred review of the series' launch title, PW called the Deptford Trilogy by Robin Jarvis "a spooky and enthralling animal fantasy just right for Redwall fans." Thomas, the third and final book of the Deptford Histories (prequels to the Deptford Trilogy), introduces the title seamouse, who is driven by a dark past to leave home for the high seas and a brighter future. Instead he is swept up in unforeseen storms and battles. The first of the Deptford Histories, The Alchemist's Cat, which chronicles how Jupiter (a "villain par excellence" according to PW) came to power, is now in paperback. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kathie M. Josephs - Children's Literature

Sorcery, murder, and villains make up this suspenseful tale of the Deptford Mice. Young Will's family died from smallpox and left him on his own. After being accused of a crime he did not commit, he escapes punishment by staying in an alchemist's shop run by Dr. Spittle, a nasty and cruel individual. Realizing that he has no choice but to continue to live there, Will is reminded he is no better than a dog and his life as a servant is just beginning. On one particularly cold night, Will is running an errand and comes upon a family of three kittens and a mother cat. He takes them back with him and they live among the bottles in the alchemist's shop. From there, the story takes the reader on a trek of battles, darkness, and sinister occurrences. Each page is filled with suspense and the book is very difficult to put down. This is such a gripping story that young readers will be reading with a flashlight under the covers long after they are suppose to be asleep. The story contains some horror, and both the tone and mood are dark and foreboding. If you like suspense, fantasy, magic, and aren't squeamish, then this book will be a favorite. The ending will certainly leave the reader wanting the second book in this trilogy. The author does an excellent job telling this story and I highly recommend it for those who love to read fantasy. 2004, SeaStar Books, Ages 9 to 12.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-In this prequel to The Deptford Mice trilogy, Elias Theophratus Spittle, an evil alchemist, tricks Will Godwin into working as his assistant in his apothecary shop. Sent on a hideous task, Will stumbles onto a cat with three kittens in a dreary graveyard. Chilled to the bone and starving, the felines are rescued by Will and brought back to the shop. Convinced that he is in need of a familiar, Doctor Spittle agrees to let them stay. Will's act of kindness leads to a spiraling tale of sorcery, betrayal, murder, and eventually the evil rise of Jupiter, Lord of All. The book is filled with adventure, suspense, and a feeling of dread. However, parts of it move very slowly, particularly in the beginning. Still, Jarvis closes with an unexpected cliff-hanger that will have readers craving more books about Jupiter. Fans of this series and the "Redwall" audience will enjoy this book.-Christine McGinty, Newark Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The first of three prequels to the popular Deptford Mice trilogy details the dark backstory of the malevolent feline mage Jupiter. But this tale's hero (unusual for Jarvis) is human: young orphaned Will Godwin, adrift in the perilous London of 1664. On the run from a false accusation of murder, the boy falls into the clutches of the alchemist Elias Spittle. Virtually enslaved, kindhearted Will rescues a cat and her three newborn kittens, unwittingly triggering a tragic sequence of sorcery, betrayal, and violence. But the few sympathetic characters serve as little more than foils to the various villains, splendidly drawn, displaying all the hues and shades of evil. Spittle especially appears at first to be a mere caricature of vicious buffoonery; but plummeting from spite to necromancy to madness, he draws the cats inexorably into his diabolical descent. Jarvis's florid, purple-tinged prose presents London-with her filthy alleys and crime-ridden alehouses, her overgrown cemeteries and plague-haunted streets-as a major player in the unfolding disaster. Meanwhile, ghastly revelations pile upon grisly tableaus as the plot hurtles towards a spectacular final conflagration amidst London's Great Fire. A crackerjack creepfest. (Fantasy. 10+)

Product Details

• ISBN: 0811854507
  
• ISBN-13: 9780811854504
• Format: Paperback, 304pp
• Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
• Pub. Date: August 2006
• Edition Description: Reprint
• Sales Rank: 149,551
• Age Range: 9 to 12
• Series: Deptford Histories Ser.

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents