A friend mentioned Coelho's name in an e-mail and then micro-incidence I found one book of his, this book, in a bookshop and felt the need to buy it. It's now relatively short book and the subject matter is alchemy.

The book is initially set in Spain and the main character, Santiago, is a shepherd. The Shepherd tends his flock as he walks around is part of Spain from field to field and back again. As he wanders the fields Santiago learns to take care of himself and his sheep and its future. He manages to save some money and that money eventually enables him to travel.

The travel that Santiago undertakes come about when he meets an old King and a fortune-telling woman and he decides to follow his fortune as predicted by these two people and off he goes.

Santiago across the sea to North Africa and he begins his journey to the pyramids of Egypt's. He's been told that he is treasure is destiny lays at the pyramids and when he gets there you'll find it and know what to do. Initially of course language is a problem firm Santiago but since his journey is lengthy and getting time to learn to speak Arabic. In the nature of all travel Santiago meets the people, not so good people and that people.

It wouldn't be a story about alchemy if there weren't some mystery built into it and if Santiago were not the hero in some way. One of the side stories is that Santiago ends up working in a crystal shop and although the man who owns the shop is content with his lot, Santiago convinces him to improve his business and within a relatively short space of time both the shopkeeper and Santiago have become much wealthier. Time to Santiago to move along.

The journey to the pyramids begins in earnest now as Santiago crosses the desert. As he does so it means in Englishman, who turns out to be an alchemist. Alchemy featured in the story before he meets the Englishman and this meeting is a chance meeting. What we learned about alchemy, I think, is that it is within us. The Englishman has been studying for many years but has not discovered how to turn base metals into gold. At one point it seemed as if he has but I think in reality no such thing occurred.

What did happen, again I think, is that this alchemist uses knowledge and intuition to confound people and to convince them that he is who he isn't and it can do what he can't. The epitome of this is found in the near desperate situation that Santiago and the Englishman find themselves in towards the end of the book, as they are approaching Egypt and the pyramids. Having cross the Sahara desert essentially without incident, I suppose it comes as no surprise when a Santiago and the Englishman are set upon by some warriors. They had held prisoner and sentenced to death.

The alchemist Englishman uses his wiles and Santiago to get them out of trouble. What happens is that Santiago is set up by the Englishman to summon up an almighty wind as a result of which their captors agreed to let them go. Santiago has no idea how to use the powers of the Englishman has convinced him that he ought by now to possess. The Englishman himself has no powers except one: guile. Sent out though is convinced that he can summon up the wind and save their lives. Whether he does so, of course, is to you to find out!

A good read? Not sure! An easy read certainly had a good read? It's a very simple story and along the way we learn that philosophy a certain kind and I think it's philosophy rather than alchemy that Coelho is trying to teach us. If I'm wrong, then the book is a waste of time. I think however I'm right because we never get to the bottom of alchemy and we never see or learn how to turn base metal into gold and that's not the point.

No point carrying on with this review any further because philosophy is not my strong point.

Duncan Williamson
17^th December 2009