by Bruce Boston
First published 2011
A medieval alchemist tends his furnace in the pre-dawn darkness, mixing mercury and sulfur while chasing the dream of transmuting base metals into gold. Through eight interconnected poems, this collection follows his journey from eager apprentice to weathered master. He studies ancient texts by candlelight, experiments with volatile compounds that sometimes explode in his face, and wrestles with the gap between his grand ambitions and modest results. The alchemist faces skeptical townspeople who view his work as either fraud or sorcery. He grapples with poverty, failed experiments, and the growing suspicion that the true transformation he seeks may not involve metals at all. Boston captures the alchemist's obsession with precision and ritual, his faith in hidden knowledge, and his gradual understanding that some changes occur within the seeker rather than the sought. The poems reveal a man caught between science and magic, reason and faith, in an age when the boundaries between them remained fluid and dangerous.
Genres: historical-fiction, fantasy, alchemy, poetry
Vibes: atmospheric, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: faith-vs-reason, obsession
Period: Medieval
ebook · Smashwords Edition