The Tower's Alchemist
Logline
British intelligence wants her spying skills. A vampiric warlock wants to steal her powers. The Master Wizards who trained her want her dead... Nazis have unleashed occult forces throughout Europe, and the Allies recruit battle weary spy, Isabella George, who goes on her deadliest mission yet.
Genre
Fantasy
Short Summary
Isabella is an alchemist trained by the prestigious Gray Tower. Although she can cast spells and stop hearts from beating (and break a few along the way), she wants to quit spying and settle down to a normal life. But, as fate would have it, she's called upon to go toe-to-toe with the Third Reich.
Isabella accomplishes her mission, but not without loss and sacrifice along the way. In addition, she uncovers a secret that sets her very mentors against her and marks her for death.
Setting
London, Paris
Based on a True Story
No
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain,Quest
Plot - Other Elements
Twist,Other
Mature Audience Themes
Language/Profanity
Main Character Details
Name: Isabella George
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Badass,Adventurous,Patriotic,Decisive,Sarcastic,Honorable,Skillful
Additional Character Details
Name: Brande Drahomir
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Role: Logical
Key Traits: Masculine,Blunt,Decisive,Strong Moral Code
Additional Character Details
Name: Renée Apolline
Age: late 40's
Gender: Female
Role: emotional
Key Traits: Modest,Selfless,Empathetic,Gracious,Honorable
Additional Character Details
Name: Nikon Praskovya
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Role: antagonist
Key Traits: Aggressive,Narcisstic,Criminal
Development Pitch
Isabella George is an alchemist trained by the prestigious Gray Tower. Although she can cast spells and stop hearts from beating (and break a few along the way), she wants to quit spying and settle down to a normal life. But, as fate would have it, the Third Reich's occult army is swarming Europe, and she's called upon to complete her final mission, which can prove her most dangerous one of all. "The Tower's Alchemist" is an entertaining fantasy (think: Marvel's Agent Carter meets HellBoy) that blends mystery, magic, and a dash of romance into an action-packed story that would appeal to audiences as an adapted TV series or film. This book, with over 20,000 downloads, is part of a completed trilogy. The trilogy hit the bestsellers lists at Amazon (Top 60 in the entire Kindle store), as well as iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble online, and Amazon UK.
Genre
ACTION, DRAMA, WAR, FANTASY
Brief
“Ungentlemanly bridgade” in WWII. However, her secrets and power go beyond the sisterhood of women in the resistance and wartime mutual aid movement. Isabell must navigate using her spells and seduction techniques to fight Nazi vampires as well as Balck werewolves.
Overall Rating
FAIR
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: GOOD
Characterization: FAIR
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: FAIR
Premise: EXCELLENT
Structure: FAIR
Theme: FAIR
Accuracy of Book Profile
It is accurate.
Draw of Story
The fantasy elements of magic and supernatural creatures WWII are blended seamlessly within the mentality of a wartime drama involving the resistance fighters and the dangers women faced.
Possible Drawbacks
Because there is a focus on the external plot, the characters’ inner conflicts take a backburner and are not as clear which decreases the emotional investment somewhat.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
The hook is that aiding the allies involves magic and defeating vampires and werewolves in WWII. The fantasy WWII genre is often used alongside fantasy worlds in allegory but here the fantasy elements are part of the fighting and real world which is refreshing. WWII fantasy is also usually geared towards children’s movies with fairytale like elements to explain the evil where this is for adults and although has fantasy is decidedly not like a fairytale but embraces the darkness.
Fanbase Potential
This could have a medium size fanbase as the fantasy elements would be unique in a saturated WWII film market, but the same fantasy elements could divide the same crowd that enjoys the clear teams of a WWII narrative.
Awards Potential
The same fantasy elements of werewolves and vampires is likely to keep the narrative outside the realm of considerations for awards. The themes about WWII are also a bit unclear and solidifying their uniqueness could perhaps help the story stand out in the wartime crowd alongside its fantasy and adult elements.
Envisioned Budget
LOW BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, BLETCHLEY CIRCLE, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, PRIDE & PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, UNDERWORLD, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, PAN’S LABYRINTH, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
What’s New About the Story
The originality stems from the fantasy details employed to make the WWII supernatural drama seem plausible and fresh, but making sure the characters are equally transformed in the unique world could help solidify the emotional investment of the story.
Lead Characters
Isabella is caring, controlled and calm. The vampires are vicious and calculating. Her father, the drifter, seems unreliable but deep down seems to have a good heart.
Uniqueness of Story
This has a lot of good new ideas, but the movement of the packed plot, and multiple character names can get confusing without reflective moments that allow character development to catch up to the plot’s pace and retain emotional investment.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
This is an excellent fusion of WWII and magic as well as a realistic portrayal of spying’s multiple identities usage, but the character’s inner conflicts are not always clear which makes their motivations directing a scene and emotional investments on a more macro scale not as apparent or easy to follow.
Tips for Improvement
Matching the character development to the same pace and imagination of the external plot would help enhance the emotional investment and depth of the characters to their fullest potential.