What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Alchemist
In a castle, in the heart of an almost-forgotten country, lived a king, who, like all the kings before him, had one dream - to discover the secret of gold. As the dawn of the new Millenium approached, the king's 19th alchemist, Spinifex, goes to more and more extravagant lengths to build the machine that will realise the king's dream.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Colin Thompson
122 books122 followersSince he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 50 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel HOW TO LIVE FOREVER and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for THE SHORT AND INCREDIBLY HAPPY LIFE OF RILEY. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 1, 2011
Would you like to visit an Escher laboratory where books fly and the doorways have teeth? Our family has found the Last Alchemist to be one of those books that keeps the parent as entranced as the lap-listener. Standing alone the text would be saccharrine - a fair summary of the plot is that the single-minded quest for riches kills the soul. However, the sweet message paired with the surrealistic and occasionally disturbing illustrations, keeps you pleasantly off-balance. My preschooler loves hunting for monsters in each picture. The detail of the artwork guarantees that you will notice something new each time you read it. Look out for the tunnel shaped like a digestive tract and the little Italian cafe tucked away in a shipwreck.
September 17, 2022
I liked the illustrations but I don't know what conclusion should I draw from the story.
April 5, 2022
The writing is fantastic. It's easy to tell how much editing and thought went into every page. I'm only ~half way through, but so far it's great. Definitely giving me a bit of anxiety/midlife crisis with all the talk of break ups and pregnancy though. I'm still excited to see how the story ends.
I'd probably put it closer to 4 stars, but for their first publication then I'm happy to give it 5 stars, as long as the ending doesn't suck anyway.
I'd probably put it closer to 4 stars, but for their first publication then I'm happy to give it 5 stars, as long as the ending doesn't suck anyway.
June 4, 2017
The Last Alchemist is a heartwarming story about a king and an alchemist who are taught by a boy named Arthur that there are things more important than gold. Colin Thompson's creatively intricate and slightly absurdist illustrations, reminiscent of M.C. Escher, are full of surprises.
May 29, 2017
This reading is real fun! The illustrations help you delve into a fantastic world full of marvelous creatures.
February 23, 2020
Intriguing illustrations, and a good warning about greed.
February 18, 2021
Highly entertaining art, relatively wholesome theme. An imaginative wee book with a moral tale.
December 12, 2015
Funny, Clever, Engaging, and Just A Bit Bizarre
Interestingly, many people come to Colin Thompson by way of his wildly successful work for the Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle company in Germany. Some of Ravensburger's most popular 1,000 piece puzzles have been illustrated by Thompson as part of his "Cupboard" series of drawings, (The Gardener's Cupboard, The Christmas Cupboard, The Craft Cupboard, and so on). When people search for "Colin Thompson puzzles", sometimes, if they are lucky, they turn up Colin Thompson books.
Each puzzle features one of Thompson's devilishly clever compositions; loaded with jokes, amusing characters, and wacky inventive thingamajigs. We've often tried to figure how to get his work in front of the eyes of little kids, but of course a thousand piece puzzle is a bit daunting for any kid. And then, presto!, these books are discovered.
The Thompson books are built around his full two page spread drawings. At least in hardback that makes each drawing about 11 by 17 inches. They are loaded with the same dense, busy, inventive, bizarre, and amusing bits as are the puzzles. Indeed, there are quite a few odds and ends in the drawings in this book that also make cameo appearances in other books and even in the puzzles. (Thompson is very big on crazy lab equipment with lots of tubes and connections and beakers and burners.)
"The Last Alchemist" has a story of course. An Alchemist is going mad in his castle dungeon lab trying to transmute base elements into gold. His apprentice, though, knows the secret to true wealth. That's a fine if unexceptional story. The appeal here is in the presentation of the castle, the castle library, (another Thompson favorite subject), the Alchemist's lab, and the Alchemist's inventions. As a bonus, the Alchemist character is drawn many times and his increasingly frantic attempts to transmute gold, under deadline, are presented very well and with great expressive success.
This struck me as mostly a sit-and-look-at book. You could read it out loud, but without the illustrations the actual narrative is rather bland. But, as a sit together on the sofa and look at the drawings book, well, this is just superb. There are literally hours of looking built into the pages, and you could go through the book over and over again without exhausting its appeal.
So, if you have a little one who likes detailed, clever, funny art, or is at all drawn to visual story-telling or even just amusing pictures, this book, (and pretty much any Thompson illustrated book), could be a very nice choice.
(Please note that I found this book while browsing in our local library, and have bought a few Thompson books since. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Interestingly, many people come to Colin Thompson by way of his wildly successful work for the Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle company in Germany. Some of Ravensburger's most popular 1,000 piece puzzles have been illustrated by Thompson as part of his "Cupboard" series of drawings, (The Gardener's Cupboard, The Christmas Cupboard, The Craft Cupboard, and so on). When people search for "Colin Thompson puzzles", sometimes, if they are lucky, they turn up Colin Thompson books.
Each puzzle features one of Thompson's devilishly clever compositions; loaded with jokes, amusing characters, and wacky inventive thingamajigs. We've often tried to figure how to get his work in front of the eyes of little kids, but of course a thousand piece puzzle is a bit daunting for any kid. And then, presto!, these books are discovered.
The Thompson books are built around his full two page spread drawings. At least in hardback that makes each drawing about 11 by 17 inches. They are loaded with the same dense, busy, inventive, bizarre, and amusing bits as are the puzzles. Indeed, there are quite a few odds and ends in the drawings in this book that also make cameo appearances in other books and even in the puzzles. (Thompson is very big on crazy lab equipment with lots of tubes and connections and beakers and burners.)
"The Last Alchemist" has a story of course. An Alchemist is going mad in his castle dungeon lab trying to transmute base elements into gold. His apprentice, though, knows the secret to true wealth. That's a fine if unexceptional story. The appeal here is in the presentation of the castle, the castle library, (another Thompson favorite subject), the Alchemist's lab, and the Alchemist's inventions. As a bonus, the Alchemist character is drawn many times and his increasingly frantic attempts to transmute gold, under deadline, are presented very well and with great expressive success.
This struck me as mostly a sit-and-look-at book. You could read it out loud, but without the illustrations the actual narrative is rather bland. But, as a sit together on the sofa and look at the drawings book, well, this is just superb. There are literally hours of looking built into the pages, and you could go through the book over and over again without exhausting its appeal.
So, if you have a little one who likes detailed, clever, funny art, or is at all drawn to visual story-telling or even just amusing pictures, this book, (and pretty much any Thompson illustrated book), could be a very nice choice.
(Please note that I found this book while browsing in our local library, and have bought a few Thompson books since. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
February 18, 2015
Well, this book certainly has a nice story about the dangers of spending your life seeking only gold and how money cannot buy what you really want and/or need. It's not preachy, but it does have a lesson in it. And it's a longer, more wordy picture book so you'll want to share this one with the older kids, probably 6 or 7 or older unless you know a very eager younger book lover.
All that being said, the real superstar here is the artwork. Absolutely spectacular! Big, dreamy, busy, colorful, imaginative double page spreads fill the book from cover to cover. And every illustration is a joy to study and marvel over. You literally discover new things every time you look. There are flying books; and little monsters made of goop dripping here and there; and tiny people running about on shelves and tables doing all manner of tasks; and stairs that run in all different directions; and is that a ghost over there? Marvelous, all of it. Oh and here's a lovely view of a colorful meadow spread out over the hillsides with trees everywhere and all the houses and castles are strangely perched on giant, overstuffed, plush armchairs. Beautiful. What's that in the very deepest part of the dungeon on that page - is it a bulldog with a man's face and it's shouting? Awesome. Did I mention the brash, bright colors? Amazing artwork everywhere.
And it's all done in a fun, comical way so nothing is scary to look at, no dangers lurk in the shadows. Just wonderfully unique and creative illustrations that make this book truly a sight to behold.
Highly recommended for boys or girls ages 6 or 7 or up so they can enjoy the story. Or younger if you want to get it for the art and then let them grow into the writing. Especially good for kids who like detailed artwork, magic, fantasy creatures, castles, and the like.
I checked on Amazon and learned Mr. Thompson has created several similar picture books so we will be looking forward to checking those out at our library. I can also definitely see myself buying several of his titles and giving some as gifts too. They are that special!
Happy Reading!
All that being said, the real superstar here is the artwork. Absolutely spectacular! Big, dreamy, busy, colorful, imaginative double page spreads fill the book from cover to cover. And every illustration is a joy to study and marvel over. You literally discover new things every time you look. There are flying books; and little monsters made of goop dripping here and there; and tiny people running about on shelves and tables doing all manner of tasks; and stairs that run in all different directions; and is that a ghost over there? Marvelous, all of it. Oh and here's a lovely view of a colorful meadow spread out over the hillsides with trees everywhere and all the houses and castles are strangely perched on giant, overstuffed, plush armchairs. Beautiful. What's that in the very deepest part of the dungeon on that page - is it a bulldog with a man's face and it's shouting? Awesome. Did I mention the brash, bright colors? Amazing artwork everywhere.
And it's all done in a fun, comical way so nothing is scary to look at, no dangers lurk in the shadows. Just wonderfully unique and creative illustrations that make this book truly a sight to behold.
Highly recommended for boys or girls ages 6 or 7 or up so they can enjoy the story. Or younger if you want to get it for the art and then let them grow into the writing. Especially good for kids who like detailed artwork, magic, fantasy creatures, castles, and the like.
I checked on Amazon and learned Mr. Thompson has created several similar picture books so we will be looking forward to checking those out at our library. I can also definitely see myself buying several of his titles and giving some as gifts too. They are that special!
Happy Reading!
February 25, 2008
Borrowed from the library. This book tries to teach a lesson about the pitfalls of greed, but the storyline is kind of creepy. It's not a book for little kids, better for the middle school years I think (unless you want your child learning words like "idiot").
I think there are better books to teach about greed.
I think there are better books to teach about greed.
September 28, 2009
Although the pictures would keep a child coming back to this book again and again, the story was poor and had a ending that was confusing and a let down. The two page spread, illustration wise was appropriate for the amount there was to look at and the story grasped at having a moral but that got lost somewhere by the end.
April 2, 2016
I was actually looking for Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist on the library catalogue when I discovered this, a Colin Thompson picture book I hadn't yet read. Borrowed it, read it, enjoyed the sight gags and puns but didn't find anything of substance in the story.
August 15, 2008
Whimsically beautiful illustrations balance this story of greed, brought to light through the eyes of a young boy.
June 14, 2009
I love all the visual puns.
November 12, 2009
Dark and kind of odd. Storyline seemed a bit meandering too -- expected more things to be tied up at the ending.
September 9, 2012
Thompson is brilliant. So many layers and levels of awesome going on here.
February 27, 2015
For A to Z reading challenge.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews