The Death of Joan of Arc

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #4.5

by Michael Scott

Joan of Arc was not burned at the stake in Rouen, France in 1431. She was rescued from certain death by Scathach the Warrior.The truth about that day is revealed in the last will and testament of William of York, and it will leave you wondering: does Joan of Arc still walk the earth? Michael Scott’s first-ever exclusive ebook short story delves into the world of the bestselling series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and offers readers a never-before-seen lost story—the story of two warriors who would become sisters.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Fiction, Magic, Short Stories, Ebooks

19 pages, ebook

First published August 24, 2010

About the author

Irish-born Michael Scott began writing over thirty years ago, and is one of Ireland's most successful and prolific authors, with over one hundred titles to his credit, spanning a
variety of genres, including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Folklore.

He writes for both adults and young adults and is published in thirty-seven countries, in over twenty languages.

Praised for his “unparalleled contribution to children’s literature,” by the Guide to Children’s
Books, Michael Scott was the Writer in Residence during Dublin’s tenure as European City of Culture in 1991, and was featured in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who in Ireland as one of the 1000
most “significant Irish.”

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoy the characters of Joan of Arc and Scathach in Scott's series, but this short story doesn't really add anything new to what we know. There are no new insights into these characters -- it's just a recounting of how Scathach saved Joan of Arc from being burned at the stake so that she could become one of the immortals. So, there's plot, but not much in terms of motivation or explanation. Plus, the story is from another person's POV, and it really doesn't add anything to the series either. I enjoyed getting back into this series' world for a bit, but I don't feel like I came away from it with anything worthwhile.

[Skip · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series, but this pathetic attempt to wring money from readers ought to embarrass Michael Scott (or his publisher.) It adds nothing to the series or character development as you would expect from a 12-page e-book. Scathach singlehandedly rescues Joan of Arc from her execution.

[Rissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful writing and interesting thought.

Joan didnt die at the stake but did she survive the arrow wound she was given making her grand escape?

[Isis · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I knew this would be a short story, I was still anticipating something a bit more substantial than a 16 page story. And I also guess I misunderstood when I expected the story to cover more than it does. The title tells you exactly what you will read about in this tid-bit. There are certainly no more details, which I guess the author feels are well enough addressed in one of his full-length stories (The Necromancer if I'm not mistaken).

So once over the surprise and disappointment regarding the bre it's of this story, all I can offer up is that it isn't a waste of five minutes to read - nor will it cha be your life. Not up to the standards of the other books in the series, this piece almost had the feel of the series being milked for all it is worth. Let's just say I am very, very glad that I was able to read a library copy rather than spend my hard-earned cash on it.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the full review at my site Digital Amrit

'The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel' ranks among the most innovative and atypical Young Adult series I have read.

While the series is named after the character Nicholas Flamel, the main characters are actually a set of twins - Sophie and Josh Newman. The books - set of 6 with an additional two novellas (last I checked) - chart the life and events of these twins over a period of a month after they discover that magic is real. While this type of plot device is common in the YA genre (magic is real/the chosen ones), Michael Scott excels in where he takes this premise.

The world-building is fantastic - it is a great combination of the myths we know but with an additional twist on top. Add to this,

Read the full review at my site Digital Amrit

[Gieliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

Scatty and Joan being badasses. What's not to like?

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fina pricia o spsavanju jedne od junakinja ali nije nista novo, samo malo detaljnije. Mada logika o zataskavanju mi nije bas najjasnija... bas niko se nije izlanuo?

[Jas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun side story to the main series. I wish this had been longer though. More background. The Billy the kid story was almost three times longer (still pretty short and a quick read).

[Roman Kurys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Story in the world of the “Alchemyst”

A pretty fun short story that delves deeper into Scathach’s history with Joan of Arc. This is pretty much an action packed, fast paced record of a lot of smash! I’m here for it.

[Kārlis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome description of a very important event/change-up of an event in Michael Scott's version of history. Almost everything is one long fight scene (which, of course, is captivating and whatnot) but I also love how Joan and Scathach influenced and affected the narrator's/witness' life.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished the series a year or two ago, but I'd always really wanted to read this. It was what I was looking for to calm down after my last read, and I enjoyed it.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volver a leer algo de esta saga se siente como volver a casa.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, The Death of Joan of Arc is the perfect kind of companion short story.

Does it add anything to the main series? No. But that's why it's a companion. It's there to enjoy if you want to read it. And importantly, it's just as good as the novels.

I love that this story is told from the perspective of a character who never appears in the novels. I love the framing of this story as the recollection of one person's experience with Joan and Scatach. I love that the women aren't active characters in this story; it's a story told about them, but the story doesn't engage with them or have any dialogue from them. It makes for a completely fascinating story about is the sort of storytelling that is wonderfully apt for the kind of legendary figures that Joan and Scathach are.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would have been something a little more substantial to be its own book. It would have been a good small chapter when introducing Joan!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Death of Joan of Arc is a wonderful short story that adds a great deal of depth to the relationship between Joan and the Warrior Scathach, from The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. We get a hint to these events in the main story of The Magician The Magician. Michael Scott takes us right into that day as seen through the eyes of William of York via his last will and testament, as he recounts what happened in 1431 when Joan of Arc was about to be burned at the stake...

Action packed and a very entertaining read.

[Adam Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short review: This is a very short story in the same realm as the rest of the Nicholas Flammel books. Doesn't really add much to the story and the basic are already hinted at in the books. But it is cheap and worth the read if you like the series.

Full review on my blog at http://www.mrshields.com/the-death-of...

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointingly short. This deals with the 'death' of Joan at the stake, and how Scatty manages to rescue her. I enjoyed this short tale more because it was told from an independent viewpoint, that of an English archer. At least it put some flesh on the bones about the relationship between Joan and Scatty, But I just wish that it had been slightly longer.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow - a "short" story is right ... more like a short preface or even the blurb from the dust jacket of the next "real" novel. :) What was there, was pretty good, but it was no where near enough to satisfy.

[Edwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ik had dit als Nederlandstalig e-book gekregen, maar ... het blijkt dat er helemaal geen Nederlandstalige uitgave van is. Gelukkig maar, wat als dit een echt vertaling was, dan moest de vertaler zijn schoolgeld direct terug gaan halen.

[Lydia Schlais · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short story, but a very good one. It helped me figure out why Scattach and Joan had such a good relationship.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two favorite female protagonists in one setting? Too good!

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Death of Joan of Arc: A Lost Story from the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a short story from The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series written by Michael Scott, which tells the tale of how Joan of Arc – a human immortal survived being burned at the stake. This short story takes place before the series, but should be read after The Magician after Joan of Arc officially appeared in the core story.

Joan of Arc is an immortal humani who is known all over the world as a heroine and eventual saint. History says she was burnt at the stake in 1431. However, she was saved by Scathath. However, during the rescue, Joan was badly injured during the escape, and Scathach, Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel saved her through the first ever blood transfusion. As the blood was from Scathach, a vampire, this resulted in Joan becoming immortal.

The Death of Joan of Arc: A Lost Story from the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is written rather well. It is written like a last will and testimony of William of York, twice Archbishop of York, as he retells the seemingly impossible story about the true fate of Joan of Arc.

All in all, The Death of Joan of Arc: A Lost Story from the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a wonderfully written short story about the backstory of Joan of Arc and her relationship with Scathach and how they became life-long friends. It is also a worthy addition to The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel universe – enriching it just a tad more.

[Sasan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now the problem with novellas is that some of them can be long, a collection of stories or it can be way too short like the bummer of a novella in the Great Library Series I read last year. This one unfortunately is way too short, but thankfully that didn’t stop it from being completely boring. One of my favourite characters in the series is Scathach and I was very excited to read about any of her previous adventures, this one in particular though was actually mentioned multiple times in the series ever sense Joan was introduced so while I was hoping for something new, it wasn’t exactly a bad read.

For one it’s extremely short so for a change of pace, it works very well before moving on to another book or a completely different series like I usually do in my readings. The more interesting thing here though, was that this story was told from the perspective of a new individual who saw the rescue, and it does nothing but reemphasizes how much of a threat Scathatch actually is. We see enough evidence of that in the series, but I guess I’m the type of person who enjoys seeing more displays of any spoken about abilities.

I did hope that we might expand to how she turned Joan, but I guess what we got served it’s purpose, even though it wasn’t enough to satisfy me at all.

Final rate: 3/5

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very short story, literally 10 pages on my e-reader. Basically, it’s just Scatach being badass and rescuing Joan, single-handedly defeating half an army in the process. And while a more practical part of me was noting how highly impossible it would be for Scatach to swat scores of arrows out of the air even with her supernatural reflexes, there was still a lot of action and excitement for me just to kick back and have fun while I read it.

I think the story would've benefited from being expanded – for example, if we saw Scatach preparing for her mad charge into the city, or the aftermath of Joan's escape which would've allowed us to see the bond between the two women, especially since I suspect that the wound given to Joan during her escape was the one that nearly killed her and forced Scatach to make Joan immortal to save her life. On the other hand, though, it's the fact that the story is told from PoV of one of the soldiers present in Rouen that day that has no connection either to Joan or Scatach is what gives it a special charm.

Rating this 3*, because while it was fun, I think it wouldn't be fair to rate this snippet higher.

[Glowstickia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another ebook only short story tied with The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel series. This one is muuuch shorter than the Billy the Kid one, and while fun, I didn’t enjoy it as much. You can absolutely read it after Joan of Arc is introduced in the main series, since this story is essentially a more detailed scene of something she and Scathach mention in the books.

Note: Spoilers ahead!!

It uses an outside perspective from a man who essentially watched Scathach rescue Joan of Arc, as mentioned in the books. I’d probably like it more if Joan or Scathach would’ve talked or it was from their perspective, so the story has a slight disconnection. BUT Willam of York, the man who’s POV the story revolves around, is interesting and it makes sense that this is his perspective since he is the one recalling the story. He doesn’t know either of the women personally, but it’s fun to see how the average mortal views Scathach haha.

[Angi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really quick read. Even though it doesn't content much new information as we already have got from the magician, this story is a lovely read if you like the series and especially Joan and Scatty.

The rescue itself is rather a quick move, but the point of view was a good choice.
In the first moment reading about William smelling the odour of someone cominc out of the woods (from some distance!) I thought, his senses might be awakened, but I am not sure about it.
Personally, I personally would have liked some more story parts,
((such as everything about Joan gets immortal and meeting the flames for the 1st time.... )and a whole story about Scatty meeting Joan for the first time, but this is a whole other story line)

but as a story between the books, it's good.I can forgive the author that the 30th may isn't the last day of May.

[Shar Patigas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the shortest ebook I’ve read. It wasn’t told in the viewpoint of Joan or Scathatch, but rather in the viewpoint of someone iunknown to the series. The story was told from the viewpoint of a soldier who was present on the day that Joan of Arc was supposed to be burned at the stake.

There was really nothing new in this book. It just narrated once again how Scathatch saved Joan from the stake, something that was already mentioned in the main books. So there was really no mystery here. It just gave the details of the entire rescue from the point of view of a witness.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was crazy short but an enjoyable read all the same. Michael Scotts reading style and the familiar characters are like a warm bath after a long day, even if this book has more violence than I'd normally prefer for an actual bath. ;) I'm going to be sad when I've read all of Scotts books, but for now I'm content. I didn't enjoy this story as much as the Billy the Kid short story, but it was good because I recognized the characters right away and Scatty is one of my favorites. Her physical appearance is a great reminder of why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover!

[Sammm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly give the companion material higher ratings because they are usually much less rated than their main series. This short story isn't "bad" per se, but it's a detailed recount of something the readers have already been given a summary to. I think the POV character actually had some really accurate observations, but like many reviewers have pointed out, it doesn't exactly add much to the series as a whole. Just don't read it with a high expectation and you should be fine imo.

[Eliana Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS! THIS IS A SHORT NOVELA BASED ON MICHAEL SCOTT'S THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL. ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS SCATHACH. TO BAD IT DIDN'T SAY MORE ABOUT JOAN OF ARC, LOVED HER CHARACTER ALSO , IT'S BASICALLY HOW SCATHACH SAVED JOAN FROM HER DEATH SENTENCE AND GALLOPED AWAY WITH HER. IN THE SERIES IT DOESN'T MENTION HOW SHE WENT ABOUT IT, SO THIS NOVELLA WAS GREAT BECAUSE YOU GET THE STORY BEHIND THAT RESCUE.