An add-in to the series called The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel will be welcomed by fans. THE LOST STORIES COLLECTION is presented as a series of short tales that didn't make it into the earlier books. They fit between those accounts and fill out background details about the characters.   The alchemist Nicholas Flamel who lives simply with his wealthier wife Perenelle in Paris features in one story. He is preparing nosegays to sell to citizens who hate the stink of the river Seine, when a hooded stranger appears one night, and offers him a perilous book. This old grimoire will provide the secrets of his trade, such as turning base metals into gold and prolonging life. Of course, it would come at a cost. What's a young alchemist to do but accept? Now he and Perenelle are in danger.     Scathach, a worlds-traveler with a mixup of Vampyre and Celtic through her stories, takes on various ancient races, clans, and monsters as she strides through her tales. Her missions include ferrying valuable goods and destroying crystals. Scathach is my favorite of the characters we follow.   As immortals, the characters get to meet a variety of persons, and this collection includes appearances by Edgar Allan Poe and William Bonney, otherwise known as Billy The Kid. Some of them have their secrets. Other major characters from the book series feature in their own stories.     First and foremost, this is not a cute Harry Potter-style fantasy. Michael Scott from Dublin started out writing children's Celtic fantasy, and as his readers grew up, so did his books, moving into YA werewolf territory before settling on older YA and adult dark fantasy. Michael likes horror, and I don't, so I didn't love all the stories. If you haven't tried his Flamel series, think of Charlie Fletcher's London horror books or darker werewolf tales. For those who enjoy such books, this will be a great read. I get tired of descriptions of foulness, stench, and skulls, but when one of the characters is a personification of Death, well, they are going to be expected.     At the same time, some really practical solutions to problems are presented, and opposing clans are encouraged to work together for good outcomes. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: THE LOST STORIES COLLECTION is well worth a read.