A Different Alchemy

Chris Dietzel — 2014

One man's loss mirrors an entire society's sorrow at their impending extinction. As the human population begins to decline, most people travel south to maintain a semblance of the life they know. Entire cities are abandoned. But following a senseless act of violence, one man travels north, toward forgotten lands. A DIFFERENT ALCHEMY is the story of a man realizing that everyone has their own pain and their own way of dealing with it. It is also a story about the importance of forgiveness.

Reviews

Jessica Probert@jessreadsbooks

Sep 18, 2021

I really loved this book. Dystopian isn't what I usually go for, but there was something that attracted me to 'The Man Who Watched the World End', so I bought a copy and really wasn't disappointed and when Chris asked me if I'd read his second novel early, I was only too happy! There was no disappointment here either. I love the general setting of both the books and was very pleased to see it return in 'A Different Alchemy' and I loved the physical and mental journey that the main character, Jeffery, embarked on. The structure of this novel was another big plus for me, I loved the way it would go back and forth between Jeffrey in the present and the events leading up to his journey north. There's something about Chris' writing that I really like, there isn't really a climax or a twist, but you're gripped by the emotional journey that the characters from both books are going through, and I really loved both of these books for that reason, among many others. I can't wait to get a physical copy of 'A Different Alchemy'!