LitPick Review
Pip and Tim move into an ancient English home, Rawne Barton, built in 1422. As soon is they are settled they notice that there is another person in the house. They uncover a boy, Sebastian, who has slept in the house for almost 600 years. The explanation he gives Pip and Tim is that his father was a great alchemist who fought an evil alchemist named de Loudéac. Also, he says that, just before Sebastian's father was going to be burned at the stake, around 1440, he told his son to continue his fight against de Loudéac. Now, in our modern day, Sebastian tells Pip and Tim that he needs their help to defeat de Loudéac who has slept just like Sebastian so that he may live longer.
Opinion:
This book was a bit anti-climatic when the story reached its ending. I found myself saying, "That's it?" It was also sometimes very unclear where the book was going because the drive to defeat de Loudéac was a little slow and dragged at points. For example, the book spends a whole page describing Tim's airplane computer game. This really had very little to do with the story. Doctor Illuminatus, however, is a good book for young readers between 9 and 12 years old. It is an interesting story of adventure and magic that is easy to read and not as complicated or as challenging as a book like The Amulet of Samarkand, a similar book for more advanced readers.
