El alquimista (The Alchemyst) Book

[I loved the idea of a world existing before the dawn of human history. I also loved the concept of the Lovecraftian "Elder Gods" and the timing of their retrenchment at the beginning of the Iron Age. I loved the idea that all mythical and supernatural creatures of legend are descended from this "elder race" and that their histories can all be traced back to a common origin.  I liked that there are good and bad "elder gods" as that allows powerful alliances to be formed in later books. Finally, I like the concept of the "immortality" of humans like Flamel allowing historical figures from the past to be able to play a part in later books (as I believe Machiavelli does in the next volume). (hide spoiler)]