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Eliza and the Alchemist Paperback – February 22, 2023
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-- K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Happy birthday. Let’s go to hell.
When nineteen-year-old Eliza enrolls in a UCLA history class—taught by handsome, enigmatic professor Oliver Crowley—she vows to solve the mystery that is her professor, which leads to a terrifying quest full of demons, homunculi, zombie gang bangers, and an obnoxious stepmother. But, can she confront the most frightening creature of all—herself?
Eliza and The Alchemist takes readers on a macabre journey from the golden age of film to gang-ridden East Los Angeles, and to the very gates of hell.
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 22, 2023
- Dimensions6 x 0.96 x 9 inches
- ISBN-13979-8986742700
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
--Blue Ink Review
"A delightfully bizarre and rollicking supernatural comedy with colorful humans and ghastly monsters."
--Kirkus Reviews
"...fascinating and engaging, the product of a confident storyteller who unleashes his creative energy. It is a tale that will linger. Fans of fantasy are sure to enjoy an entertaining reading experience."
--Vincent Dublado, Readers' Favorite
"Carlos Lacámara weaves an intricate web of plot threads involving many characters, who intersect like a well-thought-out jigsaw puzzle into a tale that will keep your eyes glued to every page."
--Pikasho Deka, Readers' Favorite
"I love the way Lacámara fleshes out his characters using an interesting method of jumping between timelines without giving too much away.... quirky comic relief that keeps one laughing despite the scary nature of the account."
--Essien Asian, Readers' Favorite
"Carlos Lacámara took me off the grid with the most spellbinding narrative, and I look forward to reading more of his works."
-- Alex Ndirangu, Readers' Favorite
"Carlos Lacámara has developed an utterly charming premise for a fantasy adventure that evokes the classic romance and nostalgia adventure era, whilst offering slick modern narrative skills to tell the tale."
-- K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Product details
- ASIN : B0BWJ62NDC
- Publisher : Fixed Mark Productions, Inc (February 22, 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-13 : 979-8986742700
- Item Weight : 1.58 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.96 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,905,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10,338 in Occult Fiction
- #13,704 in Humorous Fiction
- #16,029 in Dark Fantasy
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Carlos Lacámara is a Cuban born actor and playwright. His plays, Becoming Cuban, Havana Bourgeois, Exiles, Cuba Libre, and Nowhere on the Border, have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Portland. Eliza and the Alchemist is his first novel, and he may or may not be doing research for a sequel.
Carlos lives in Santa Monica, California, with his loving wife, Carol Barbee, and their even more loving dog, Gracie
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book entertaining and engaging. They describe the story as unique, imaginative, and beautifully written. The characters are interesting and fully fleshed out. Readers find the dialogue insightful and surprising. They find the book touching and uplifting, with a gentle compassion that pulls them into the story. The pacing is described as engaging and moving through time and space with ease.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book's entertainment value. They find the adventure humorous, imaginative, and witty. The dialogue is insightful and the story is engaging.
"...The story is fun and filled with lots of mystery and adventure, and humor. What surprised me is how deep it goes. It's very touching...." Read more
"...The prose is fluid and lyrical. More than anything, it is just plain fun. I highly recommend it and look forward to his next creation...." Read more
"...recommend this book for anyone who loves a good modern day fable, a hearty laugh, and the simple joy of letting yourself be carried off and away to..." Read more
"I absolutely LOVED this book. It was fun, imaginative, scary. And Funny. The characters are all interesting and fully fleshed out...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's story quality. They find it imaginative, funny, and thought-provoking. The story blends fantasy and folklore elements with Los Angeles culture, creating a modern-day fable. Readers appreciate the strong theme, fanciful riffs, and gritty details. The characters and plot are described as engaging, with fluid and lyrical prose.
"...It's very touching. It goes beyond just an adventure story and delves into fathers and daughters and where the love a parent has for a child can..." Read more
"...disdain for jazz, he has somehow managed to write a book with strong theme, fanciful riffs, and engaging tempo. And does it ever SWING!..." Read more
"...I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good modern day fable, a hearty laugh, and the simple joy of letting yourself be carried off and away..." Read more
"...The book takes you on a wild ride into this author's vivid imagination. If there is any drawback it's that I finished it. I could not put it down...." Read more
Customers find the characters interesting and well-developed. The plot keeps them engaged, keeping them turning the pages until late into the night.
"...book I’m always looking for : a smart, engaging adventure with unusual characters that I instantly loved...." Read more
"...This adventure drives along with engaging and entertaining characters as well as a page turner plot. The prose is fluid and lyrical...." Read more
"...I simply could not put it down. Each character is carefully crafted with wit, character, and depth...." Read more
"...It was fun, imaginative, scary. And Funny. The characters are all interesting and fully fleshed out...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's insightful dialogue and surprising twists. They find the story engaging with mystery, adventure, humor, and modern references. The tale tugs at their emotions and leads to personal growth, learning, hope, and redemption.
"...Eliza and the Alchemist is the kind of book I’m always looking for : a smart, engaging adventure with unusual characters that I instantly loved...." Read more
"...Each character is carefully crafted with wit, character, and depth...." Read more
"Carlos Lacamara's Eliza and the Alchemist is a wonderful, thought provoking, and exquisitely written tale that simultaneously grabbed my attention,..." Read more
"...and things make sense and the girl comes to terms with her life." Read more
Customers find the book touching and tugging at their heartstrings. They appreciate the author's gentle compassion and witty writing style that draws them into the story. The book is described as uplifting, endearing, and humorous.
"...What surprised me is how deep it goes. It's very touching...." Read more
"...Lacamara writes with a clarity and gentle compassion that pulls you into the story where you’ll laugh out loud and be touched by his ability to..." Read more
"...simultaneously grabbed my attention, fueled my imagination, and tugged at my heart...." Read more
"...and old school Hollywood to crte eaa romp filled with unique, endearing, creepy and hilariously honest characters who collide in a supernatural..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find the tempo engaging and mention it moves through time and space smoothly.
"...managed to write a book with strong theme, fanciful riffs, and engaging tempo. And does it ever SWING!..." Read more
"...A literary Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, moving through time and space with ease. Smart and funny and self-aware...." Read more
"This book is so funny, so inventive and so moving. I loved every moment of this epic adventure. A great ride, a beautiful escape. Bravo." Read more
Reviews with images
So well written--I couldn't stop turning the pages. I fell in love with the characters right away!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023(Some mild generalized spoilers) So well written! Eliza and the Alchemist is the kind of book I’m always looking for : a smart, engaging adventure with unusual characters that I instantly loved. Eliza is feisty, funny, ingenious and in crazy about her strange and enigmatic professor, Oliver Crowley. Him, not so much. Crowley is a great gothic hero, distant and mysterious, but as his story unfolded, I fell in love with him. Crowley needs Eliza's particular talent to advance his mysterious research. From there, the gates of hell are opened, demons flood the UCLA campus, Crowley’s past (and obsession) are revealed and Eliza is up for it all - even when she starts to understand her own, less than traditional, family history.
The story is fun and filled with lots of mystery and adventure, and humor. What surprised me is how deep it goes. It's very touching. It goes beyond just an adventure story and delves into fathers and daughters and where the love a parent has for a child can take them.
Really worth it!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023Although Mr. Lacamara claims disdain for jazz, he has somehow managed to write a book with strong theme, fanciful riffs, and engaging tempo. And does it ever SWING! This adventure drives along with engaging and entertaining characters as well as a page turner plot. The prose is fluid and lyrical. More than anything, it is just plain fun. I highly recommend it and look forward to his next creation. Snap, snap, snap…
- Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2023What a fun adventure! It’s been so long since I bought a book that just refused to be ignored. I simply could not put it down. Each character is carefully crafted with wit, character, and depth. Lacamara writes with a clarity and gentle compassion that pulls you into the story where you’ll laugh out loud and be touched by his ability to weave such a beautiful story.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good modern day fable, a hearty laugh, and the simple joy of letting yourself be carried off and away to a place full of magic and promise. My only question is, when does the sequel come out?
- Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2023I absolutely LOVED this book. It was fun, imaginative, scary. And Funny. The characters are all interesting and fully fleshed out. I fell in love with so many of the characters in this book. The book takes you on a wild ride into this author's vivid imagination. If there is any drawback it's that I finished it. I could not put it down. I really hope there will be a sequel and many more to come.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2023Carlos Lacamara's Eliza and the Alchemist is a wonderful, thought provoking, and exquisitely written tale that simultaneously grabbed my attention, fueled my imagination, and tugged at my heart. Through the vividly drawn, indelible characters, I laughed and shivered my way through real and other-worldly realms of existence, remaining engaged until the authors very last words. I will wait, with great anticipation, for the continued adventures of Eliza and Oliver Crowley.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2023If you're looking for a fantasy novel that reads as zippy and action-packed as a Video Game, look no further. Eliza and the Alchemist is funny, sexy and full of characters that will seep into your dreams (and nightmares). With feet in several worlds and time zones, Eliza's journey from UCLA to Hell is like following Lewis Carrol's Alice on crack. Unique, in that the adventure is very youthful, but the laugh-outloud humor has a Christopher Moore sophistication and depth. The last line will KILL YOU!!!!!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2023There is some beautiful writing in here, but the characters drove me away at 20%.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024OK, it is a strange and convoluted story, but very interesting if you just (as one says, ‘Go with it.) and things make sense and the girl comes to terms with her life.
Top reviews from other countries
- Dana J.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Kicks Demon Ass on Harry Potter
Very enjoyable, cinimatic read. developing intertwined story lines, full dimension characters, all in a fun romp.
Deep human themes that engage and give satisfaction; full umami with every demonic creature of the last 5,000 years.
Couldnt resist giving a copy to my 14 year old niece named Eliza; I think she will find it as engaging as I did, and kick off its well deserved rise in the charts. Imagine the movie right have been purchased already, great setup for a sequal and multiple oscars.