The Alchymist's Cat

Infobox Book
name = The Alchemist's Cat
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First edition cover
author = Robin Jarvis
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = Deptford Histories
genre = Fantasy novel
publisher = Hodder Wayland
release_date = 1991
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 0-7500-0889-X
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Alchemist's Cat" (The Alchymist's Cat in the original British version) is the first book in the "Deptford Histories" series by Robin Jarvis. It was published in 1991. It is a fantasy book set in 1660s London and provides background material for Jarvis' earlier "Deptford Mice" series. The book shows the beginning of Jupiter and his family.

Plot summary

Will Godwin, a young boy, is forced to work for the evil apothecary Dr. Elias Theophrastus Spittle after Spittle frames him for a murder. Following a close call, he finds a family of cats in a graveyard and brings them back to Spittle's home. The mother cat, as it seems, is named Imelza. But the father is nowhere in sight. Soon after, Will persuades Spittle to take one of them as a familiar. The kittens are thereafter named Jupiter, Dab and Leech. Jupiter is trained in the magic arts, while his brother Leech is despised by Spittle. Envious, Leech begins to plot the downfall of his brother, Jupiter. The plague spreads through London, and many people die. Imelza and Dab escape from Spittle, but Imelza gets beaten to death and Dab almost dies but is saved by a plague doctor. Dab returns home and is soon killed by Spittle, leaving Jupiter and Leech alone to battle over who is heir to the black arts.

The book gradually weaves both storylines together. The Great Plague and the Great Fire of London occur during the course of the story.

Movie

This book has been announced as being adapted into a movie, with the script being written by Richard Carpenter. [cite web | work=Robinjarvis.com | title=Greetings!|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20041211032826/http://www.robinjarvis.com/greetings.html| accessdate=25 January|accessyear=2008]

Another movie, an Anime, is being made unofficially and in hope of approval, with a script by Susannah M. Saenz. It will be released by Wildcat Productions.

External links

* [http://www.robinjarvis.com/Alchymistcat.html Robin Jarvis's page on the book]

References