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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Nathaniel is an apprentice magician who summons a djinni before he's technically allowed and *way* before he should be able to do so, skill-wise, but he's precocious and cocky and hell-bent on revenge. Bartimaeus is the irritable, summoned djinni, who does as he's ordered but chafes under the command of a 12-year-old boy. The narrative switches between the two, and from both viewpoints the story of the apprentice's stumbling plan for revenge-cum-saving-the-country-from-a-magical-coup unfolds.
The alternate London (one openly governed by wizards) and the intertwining stories of Nathaniel's dissatisfaction with his lot and the plot against the government are great, plus Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are both fantastically drawn (the djinni's sarcastic and witty first person narrative makes him especially fun). Definitely recommended, and I hope to get round to the read of the series soon.
The alternate London (one openly governed by wizards) and the intertwining stories of Nathaniel's dissatisfaction with his lot and the plot against the government are great, plus Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are both fantastically drawn (the djinni's sarcastic and witty first person narrative makes him especially fun). Definitely recommended, and I hope to get round to the read of the series soon.
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow! I just finished this book and it was fantastic! [a:Jonathan Stroud|33467|Jonathan Stroud|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352280023p2/33467.jpg] created fabulous characters and an interesting world, and wove them together into a great story. Bartimaeus made for a wonderful narrator (in the first person, though when describing the actions of the animals whose forms he took, he used third-person narration, which I found confusing initially but eventually settled into); he was hilarious! The footnotes were something to be looked forward to; I found that when there were a few pages without them, I'd miss them. Nathaniel as the young magician was less appealing to me, as I found him too arrogant for my taste, but thankfully he had some especially redeeming qualities that made me welcome him as the story's hero. I am looking forward to reading more of his adventures in the rest of the trilogy.
The first book in one of my favorite children/YA fantasy series. I bought the Bartimaeus Trilogy a week ago and am now happily rereading them all. Bartimaeus, a djinni (ie. spirit being from the "Other World" forced by magic to do the bidding of any magician who summons him) is a delightfully snarky yet lovable character. I especially enjoy Bartimaeus's footnotes (which provide historical context, explainations, or a few laughs). Nathaniel, the ambitious and talented young magician, is not your typical "hero" -Stoud doesn't hesitate to make him downright dislkeable at times, creating a character who is very flawed, yet ultimately sympathetic. Aside from the characters, I also appreciate Stroud's unique world of magic and djinni strongly rooted in historical events and mythology. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys children's literature and quality fantasy: this is not merely a Harry Potter knock-off.
Bartimaeus is hilarious. Plus, I liked the alternate magical London. The only thing that threw me a little was switching from Bartimaeus's first person narration to the third person when the book follows Nathaniel.
I found the main character hard to like, but I really enjoyed the point of view of Bartimaeus. I will probably read the rest of the series.
I don't see why there are so many comparisons to Harry Potter. Magic? Yes. Great Britain? Yes. That's about it though.
The first entry in the Bartimaeus series was surprisingly refreshing, funny, quirky, and absolutely strange. It's definitely a book for a younger audience, but at the same time, I know MANY parents that would have completely flipped if they found their child reading this book when I was a kid. This is so much more "witchy" than anything Harry Potter ever comes close to! We've got demons, pentacle circles, death, murder, and near child-abuse (I guess we get that at the Dursley's) all in Book #1.
The book is fun. The character of Bartimaeus is so interesting and so different from the human main character, Nathaniel, that it is as if two different authors are writing the alternate perspectives.
I'm not sure if I will continue the series, but I'm glad that I read The Amulet of Samarkand. I would suggest it to fantasy-loving young adults but would advise most kids to stay away for now.
The first entry in the Bartimaeus series was surprisingly refreshing, funny, quirky, and absolutely strange. It's definitely a book for a younger audience, but at the same time, I know MANY parents that would have completely flipped if they found their child reading this book when I was a kid. This is so much more "witchy" than anything Harry Potter ever comes close to! We've got demons, pentacle circles, death, murder, and near child-abuse (I guess we get that at the Dursley's) all in Book #1.
The book is fun. The character of Bartimaeus is so interesting and so different from the human main character, Nathaniel, that it is as if two different authors are writing the alternate perspectives.
I'm not sure if I will continue the series, but I'm glad that I read The Amulet of Samarkand. I would suggest it to fantasy-loving young adults but would advise most kids to stay away for now.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was quite a daring read for me at the time since I was about 12 and it dealt with necromancy, or black magic. It was a fascinating and captivating read.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I didn't like this one. Nathaniel and almost every other character is unlikeable. The plot is okay. The worldbuilding is not existent (I'd love to know how this world works. What's up with Prague? What's with the war that's hinted at? What happened to Versailles? I mean, Nathaniel has history lessons as part of his education - it would have been very easy to mention all these things and give us readers more infos about this world.). The switches between the third person POV (Bartimaeus) and first person POV (Nathaniel) are okay and would have been refreshing, if not for the fact that sometimes (and with no logical reason) things that did/happened to Bartimaeus suddenly have been told in third person POV for a few sentences.
Only Bartimaeus' "voice" and his footnotes saved this book from being a total disappointment.
Only Bartimaeus' "voice" and his footnotes saved this book from being a total disappointment.