''The House of Doctor Dee'' is a 1993 novel by the English author

Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...

Plot summary

The main character, Matthew Palmer, inherits his father's house in London. Palmer learns that the doctor John Dee, an alchemist who worked for

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

, used to live in the house. Once he finds out about one of the previous owners, he sets out to find out more about the mysterious alchemist. The second chapter then moves into Dee talking about his life in England during the Renaissance. The novel is a mix of the two men's stories as Palmer continues to find out more about the doctor. As the investigation continues, it is revealed that both men are similar in that they are both selfish and would rather be left to themselves. Several occurrences that happen within the house appear in both time periods. In one instance, Palmer breaks a pigeon's wings by throwing a book of Dee's works at it. Later on, a wing is held in the mouth of Dee's cat. The house is not of one time period, but of multiple dimensions of time. Dee searches for a way to find gold and create gold with

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

, but becomes self-centered in the process. Matthew Palmer doesn't care for his father and mother, describing his world as one without love.

Reception

There is a page devoted to the novel in ''1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die''. The novel is discussed extensively in the books ''The Heritage of Hermes: Alchemy in Contemporary British Literature'' and ''The Golden Egg: Alchemy in Art and Literature'' in relation to

References

External links

Actas del XXI congreso internacional de A.E.D.E.A.N. (English)
*Review of the novel and additional links by Linda Prou

1993 British novels English science fiction novels 1993 science fiction novels Postmodern novels Novels set in London {{1990s-sf-novel-stub