Kacen Callendar’s Infinity Alchemist

A review

I haven’t devoured a book so quickly in what feels like years. I started this book on a rainy Saturday, and proceeded to ignore my family until the following Sunday afternoon. It was perfect.

Infinity Alchemist is set in New Anglia and lead by several Houses which focus on certain aspects of society. House Alexander is the de-facto leader, House Adelaide prioritizes healing, House Kendrick are guards, and House Lune are more spiritual and reject the usage of alchemy — a type of magic that is available to every human in varying degrees.

Our protagonist, Ashen Woods, is alchemically gifted, but was not accepted into Lancaster College — where the children of wealthy families are taught alchemy. Citizens must have a license to practice alchemy legally, so Ash is basically barred from using his gift, despite secretly being the bastard son of a senior alchemist.

You can imagine the hurricane of emotions within him — abandoned, rejected, but powerful. Of course, he is practicing alchemy in secret and hoping, above all, for his fathers acknowledgement and approval. Of course, he gets caught.

Instead of getting in trouble, he meets the driven Ramsay Thorne, a graduate apprentice at Lancaster College who is hell-bent on righting the wrongs of her parents. She decides to strike a deal with him — use his raw power to help her, and she will teach him the nuances of alchemy he hadn’t been able to teach himself.

The pair quickly bonds as they take on increasingly dangerous tactics to find the Book of Source — a text which would connect the alchemist to the source of all power, and theoretically make them the most powerful alchemist in New Anglia. Believed to be a myth by society, both Ash and Ramsay’s parents knew it to be real, and committed serious crimes to use it to reshape New Anglia. Driven by Ramsay’s desire to prove her parents innocence, and keep the book from those who would use it for evil — the pair find partnership in their adventure.

This book was a page turner. I surfaced for air and a snack a few hours into reading and was shocked to see I was only 30% of the way through the book. There had been drama, fight scenes, emotions that felt real to me. I was so invested and I didn’t know how Callendar was going to top that in the remaining 70% of the book.

Callendar definitely delivers. The characters were struggling with so much internal conflict. The themes of generational trauma, of family responsibility and restoration were so prominent it made me really consider how I had grappled with the same themes in my life. While on the other side of my teens now, I did spend much of my late teens and early twenties trying to understand how I fit into the fabric of my social landscape, the impacts of my family’s reputation and how to stand in my own worldview. It took time to work through all of those emotions, and become the adult I am, to occupy space in my world that I am proud of, that feels true, authentic, and clear.

Another theme Callendar takes on with incredible clarity is gender. From the outset of the novel, this book is set in a queernorm environment where alchemists are aware of their many lifetimes, and can actually change genders throughout their life. Ramsay changes gender roughly once a day, and Ash is biologically female and yet spiritually male through all of his lifetimes. Neither of these are points of discussion. Ramsay is referred to as him when presenting male, and her when presenting female. Ash binds his chest to feel more comfortable and no one makes him feel different or less for making his body match his mind.

The abcense of struggle here is what stood out to me. Yes, Ash does discuss his discomfort when he does not have his bindings, but at no point are these considered out of the ordinary. Ash straight up asks Ramsay about their gender and they made their preferenes known, and it is followed through the remainder of the book. The reader is not coddled. The issue is not a focus. This is just part of the setting of New Anglia. There are many scenes of gay relationships that are never called “gay”. They are treated the same as heterosexual encounters, with no signifier that there is a cultural difference.

By no means is this a deficiency in the writing, but a deliberate choice. As discussed, the characters have a rich internal world that is shared with the reader. There is significant internal struggle, but the focus remains on restitution, on safety, on personal growth — not at all on gender or sexuality. I love this about the book. Callendar shows queer characters living the same as heterosexual characters might, where sexuality isn’t the only point of interest, but a facet of a complex being that is no more important than the colour of their hair.

Maybe that’s what is so powerful about books — revisiting a theme in a new way, a non-threatening way, and have the space to better understand what is possible. To arrive at clarity. To reorder the vision we have of ourselves, others, our society, and find new meaning.

Infinity Alchemist is a thought-provoking adventure, and undoubtedly a success. Whether its your place in your family, or in your society, this book will stretch your imagination. I highly recommend it!

Hi, I am Sasha Suvorova. I write about things I care about and dabble in original fiction. If you like that kind of stuff, comments, follows, and highlights really help!

Thanks for reading :)