ALEMBIC
Timothy D'Arch Smith
Reading Time
at 250 WPM3h 46m
The average reader, reading at a speed of 250 WPM, would take 3h 46m to read ALEMBIC.
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8
days at 30 min/day
226
total minutes
ALEMBIC
Published
1992
Publisher
Dalkey Archive Press
Pages
226
ISBN-10
1564780090
Description
Alembic is an unsettling novel about madness and alchemy, epistemology and rock and roll, magic and perversion. Thomas Graves, a young antiquarian, works for ALEMBIC, a British government office investigating the contemporary applications of the secrets of alchemy. The strange world of alchemy, however, is as eerie as the rock and roll world of Thomas's friend Nicholas Spark, leader of a Led Zeppelin-like band called Celestial Praylin. Moving between these worlds, colorfully conveyed in d'Arch Smith's sonorous prose - at times elegant, at times comic - Thomas Graves feels his grip on reality constantly imperilled; his attraction to the fourteen-year-old daughter of one of his colleagues complicates his existence further. A dramatic turn of events brings all of his fears and fancies out in the open, suggesting finally that the world is as mad as Thomas thought himself to be. Alembic is itself an alembic, a vessel that allows things to disintegrate and be transformed into new, refined substances. Set largely in the early 1980s, Alembic ends in the early years of the twenty-first century as alchemy engineers a new world order of darkness and perfection, destruction and eternal life, concluding a novel of great originality and ill-boding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages are in ALEMBIC?
This edition of ALEMBIC has approximately 226 pages. Please note, this is an estimate and the exact page count can vary between hardcover, paperback, and e-book versions.
How long does it take to read ALEMBIC?
For most readers, ALEMBIC typically takes between 4h 43m and 3h 8m to complete. This is based on the book's length of approximately 56,500 words and common reading speeds.
Here's a detailed breakdown: • Continuous reading at 250 WPM: approximately 3h 46m of focused reading • Casual reading (30 minutes/day): you could finish in roughly 8 days • Estimated word count: 56,500 words
Your individual reading time will vary based on your personal reading pace, the amount of daily reading time, and your familiarity with the subject matter.
What is the word count of ALEMBIC?
The estimated word count for ALEMBIC is approximately 56,500 words. This figure is calculated using industry-standard methods that consider genre-specific word density patterns, typical formatting and layout characteristics, and standard words-per-page ratios for published books.
This is an approximation — actual word count may vary based on font size, formatting, edition, and the presence of illustrations or charts.
Who is the author of ALEMBIC?
ALEMBIC was written by Timothy D'Arch Smith.
When was ALEMBIC published?
The publication date for this specific edition is 1992. The original work may have been published on a different date.