I’m about a quarter of the way through listening to the audiobook on Spotify. This is the recently released published novel of what was originally a Harry Potter fan fiction. And apparently a movie is in the works too? Wild.
It’s kind of a surreal reading experience because usually things go the other way —- they start out as an original work then get riffed on in fan fiction. This one is a fan fiction that’s taken on a life of its own. The only other one that I’m aware of is the Twilight to 50 Shades of Grey progression, but I didn’t follow any stage of that journey personally.
I’m enjoying Alchemised so far. The story beats are mostly the same as what was in the fan fiction. But I like that the world-building of the universe and the type of magic used feels extremely original, or at least extremely different from Harry Potter. That’s enough to keep me on my toes and interested in what will be revealed next.
I also like that some of the characters’ relationships are more fleshed out. For example, Helena and Luke’s friendship is much more dimensional than Hermione and Harry’s was. You don’t need as much backstory in fan fiction, and it’s fun to find the parts of this new story that feel fresh.
I also consider the original “Manacled” to be just as much of a Handmaid’s Tail riff as a Harry Potter one. (I don’t know if my next comment is spoiler-y, but I’m blotting it out just in case.) At first, I thought that element had been removed from the story, but I’m glad to see it make a reappearance. As brutal as it was in the original, I thought it raised the stakes of the plot so much and thought the rewrite was a little flat without it. Also, removing it completely would have required some major plot adjustments in the second half.
Since the first quarter of the book has been similar but not identical to the fan fiction, I’m curious if it will diverge more in later chapters. I feel like I know where the story is going, and I’m okay with that, but I’m looking forward to potential surprises.
Wondering what anyone else thinks.
Also, if anyone is curious but has not or does not want to read the fan fiction, you don’t have to in order to enjoy “Alchemised.” I think it’s a solid standalone story.
by AI1as