The Alchemist's Secret

The Zero Enigma, Book 12

By: Christopher G. Nuttall

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

For centuries, the Great Houses of Shallot have ruled the city through a complex network of power and influence, dividing and destroying factions that threatened their rule. But the latest crisis may be beyond their power to subvert and defeat.

The commoners have finally found a leader, while the aristocrats are deeply divided amongst themselves; their magic is no longer trustworthy, and their right to rule is threatened as never before. As protest marches explode onto the streets and the guild leaderships are openly challenged, it seems only a matter of time before the entire city catches fire.

In the mansions of North Shallot, Akin Rubén—new to his position as family patriarch—finds himself battling extremists who want to crush the protestors by any means necessary and hampered by his ties to the rebel leader. In the streets of South Shallot and the slums of Water Shallot, Rebecca Travis finds herself dragged into the revolutionary movement and experimenting with potions and spells that will either tip the balance against the aristos once and for all or lead to all-out war on the streets that will burn the city to the ground…

And, hidden in the shadows, the real threat is slowly inching into the light.

©2024 Christopher G. Nuttall (P)2025 Podium Audio

The Failure and the SuperChemist

The first three books of this series had an interesting idea in a better than average world setting. After that, the stories have been hit or miss. This, I think, is the biggest miss so far.

Plot Summary: The two main characters are Akin and Rebecca. Akin is worthless as the new leader of his very powerful family. He cannot exercise any kind of influence on the other aristocratic families, which we have been led to believe are far less powerful, even though they are clearly making things worse. In fact, he does nothing of worth until he surrenders to the terrorists who attacked his wedding and slaughtered everyone they could - and then, in a totally realistic reaction, went off and locked himself in a room with his wife ignoring the slaughter and damage so they could spend a couple days consummating.

Rebecca, an alchemist, turns into Super-Alchemist when the labor dispute between workers and aristocrats becomes a full blown communist rebellion after the assassination of the powerful, skilled wizard leading the workers (we're told she would have been top of her graduating class if she were not a commoner) by some student aristocrats in a rather unconvincing scene. Rebecca perfects every possible potion that far more experienced alchemists couldn't making the workers magic ability grow exponentially and blowing up aristocratic seats of power - killing them by the score. In the end, after massacring the aristocrats at a wedding, and even realizing they'd all been manipulated into the fight, she forces a humiliating surrender out of the worthless aristocratic kid who couldn't lead anyone.

Assuming anyone of worth from the other aristocratic families survived (some surely did), they would repudiate the deal agreed forced under duress. Lord knows Akin couldn't possibly make them live up to it. But, of course, the book ends in a crisis meant to foreclose that inevitability.

I could go on, but I'll stop here. If you've read/listened to the first 12 you'll probably want to read this one at least as a setup for future books. I know I'll get book 13 when it comes out trusting that it will rise above this one.

Still not done?

All the book series is good enough that I read 12, or rather listen to, it just needs to be finished because I’m tired of redundant phrases like how swearing is forbidden in redundant ways. Time to wrap it up. It’s getting tired.

The last few chapters were awesome

Entirely too much talking and too little action. This should have been the ending to a magnificent series but it looks like there is going to be at least one more book.