Both books by Markus Zusak and Paulo Coelho tell the stories of two characters, Liesel Meminger and Santiago, each in their own respective stories. In The Alchemist, Santiago's story is a much lighter tale with an overall optimistic and adventurous air. He travels from Spain to Egypt and returns before the end of his adventure. Zusak's The Book Thief stands in stark contrast to Coelho's story with the much darker and dangerous world of Nazi Germany. In The Alchemist, Coelho begins Santiago's journey with a glimpse of Santiago's life as he experiences the "joys of carefree wandering" as a shepherd. . (Coelho 7) Zusak, however, begins his book with these words: “Here is a little fact. You are going to die. (Zusak 3) This observation at the very beginning of the book gives seriousness to the book and begins to set the mood for the rest of the story. The development of the atmosphere increases when Liesel's brother dies and his funeral takes place. Santiago's life as a shepherd is a stark comparison to Liesel's grim situation. While Liesel mourns the death of her brother, Santiago feels the uncertainties of love. Their journeys begin with a choice and each of those choices will each have many consequences and rewards. Santiago's choice is to go in search of treasure. Liesel's choice is to steal her first book. “…Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, they are truly stepping into a powerful current that will carry them to places they would never have dreamed of at the time they made that decision. (Coelho 68) Both of these characters’ decisions were influenced by another person. Liesel was only introduced to a book theft during her brother's funeral and Santiago was asked to pursue his dream middle of paper......a variety of other literary devices, including images and allegories, to highlight parts of the book. However, Zusak's writing is considerably different from Coelho's as he uses excessive foreshadowing and reveals plot endings in the early pages of the book. Although each book was written by different authors in different languages, there are many similarities between the two accompanying books. differences. Each is about a single person trying to make their way through life. However, Ceolho's story is about learning life lessons during an adventure to wealth and happiness. Zusak's story is much darker with the presence of Death constantly overshadowing every action or event that takes place. Although the two books share many similarities, The Alchemist is much more optimistic when drawn in comparison to the negative atmosphere of The Book Thief..