t's a beautiful story about following our dreams and finding our true purpose in life. It's definitely worth a read!

I had read The Alchemist before, in Spanish, a few years back, and I have to say I read at a good time in my life when, much as the book describes, I was in pursuit of my personal legend. So, when I saw there was a graphic novel adaptation of the book, I was very interested. I think the adaption by Derek Ruiz does a good job of bringing the novel to life for readers. The art by Daniel Sampere is well suited to the tale. The art is colorful, and it brings the setting of the tale to life. The graphic novel is a very easy book to read; it took me a couple of hours to get through it, and it is book you may want to reread again that still captures Coelho's message pretty well. I think also that some readers may want to find the full text novel to better savor the prose as well as take more of Coelho's message in. Overall, a nice inspirational tale and a nice reading experience. It is the tale of shepherd Santiago who has a dream and then goes forth on a quest to find a treasure, but what will he find, if anything? And who will he meet along the way? I can tell you he will meet various people along his journey, each with lessons to offer. And on an interesting note about the art, the artist used the likeness of Paulo Coelho for one of the characters, so be on the lookout for that.

Libraries with graphic novel collections will probably want to add this one. I would say teens and up would be a good audience for the book. If you have not read the novel before, this is a good way to do it. If you, like me, have read the novel before, this adaptation may help you appreciate it a bit more. ( )

This book is illustration

This short novel was recommended to me by a friend. I’d had it on my shelf for many years, but had never gotten around to reading it. But based on my friend’s endorsement, I grabbed it and started reading. It was nothing like I expected. I imagined a traditional novel, not a fable.
The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd boy. He travels from his home in Spain to Morocco and across the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried at the Pyramids. Along the way he meets many spiritual advisors who are represented in such forms as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. It’s in one of the Englishman’s books that Santiago learns the definition of an alchemist---one who believes that if metal is heated for many years, it frees itself of all individual properties.
Along his journey, Santiago does meet an alchemist who helps him find the true meaning of finding the treasure. It’s a story of becoming self-empowered and believing in your dreams.
I found this book very similar to Joan Brady’s God on a Harley. I didn’t relate to it as much, but it was still a wonderful read. I give it four out of five stars. ( )

In all honesty, I own Coelho's novel in fiction form but have yet to read it and after reading this Graphic Novel, I'm not sure I even want to read it. Yet the fact that the original is one of the top selling works of all time may have me deciding in its favor. Without having read the original I find it difficult, if not impossible to compare. But, truthfully, I do not feel this graphic novel puts the best selling original in a good light. I think it is difficult to give Santiago's journey the depth it deserves in this medium and it often seems nonsensical. Back story and development of characters is just not there. Things happen too quickly nor given the time to properly be developed and explained leaving me a bit befuddled at times. I think the message is very simple however and for people that have read the 1988 novel you may want to take a look at this version. For everyone else, I really can't recommend it.
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