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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A surprisingly entertaining read with lots of action, magic, danger, and intrigue. It is a great book, a great start to a series, although the protagonist boy Nathaniel (aka John Mandrake) is not entirely my cup of tea. I like the djinni Bartimaeus a lot more - now this is a funny, sarcastic, quick-on-his-feet demon. He's far from being all powerful or all-knowing, he has doubts, fears, and limitations, but he faces them with such a refreshing mindset that I couldn't help but cheer him on.
The series is set in a world where wizards rule the majority of Europe and also other parts of the Earth - sort of British Empire on speed, if you know what I mean. People are classed into ordinary and magical, with all the trappings of a police state plus magic. I doubt I'd like living there as either part of the society. I wouldn't want to be a magician if summoning all kinds of demons is the way to go up in the food chain, but I definitely wouldn't wish to be a downtrodden ordinary either. I guess the next book in the series will focus more on this part of the society, because we're given a few precious glimpses of the future power-shift with the constant mentioning of the Resistance. Hmmm - sounds great. I bet Nathaniel will experience a rude wake-up call or two, if Bartimaeus' words are to be trusted and he does strike me as a pretty knowledgeable demon. He's got 5,000 years of experience to draw on, after all.
So, definitely a great read for any teenager, but some characters may come across a bit underdeveloped for adult readers. Still, the pleasure of reading Bartimaeus' sarcastic replies is a treat you should not miss. :D
The series is set in a world where wizards rule the majority of Europe and also other parts of the Earth - sort of British Empire on speed, if you know what I mean. People are classed into ordinary and magical, with all the trappings of a police state plus magic. I doubt I'd like living there as either part of the society. I wouldn't want to be a magician if summoning all kinds of demons is the way to go up in the food chain, but I definitely wouldn't wish to be a downtrodden ordinary either. I guess the next book in the series will focus more on this part of the society, because we're given a few precious glimpses of the future power-shift with the constant mentioning of the Resistance. Hmmm - sounds great. I bet Nathaniel will experience a rude wake-up call or two, if Bartimaeus' words are to be trusted and he does strike me as a pretty knowledgeable demon. He's got 5,000 years of experience to draw on, after all.
So, definitely a great read for any teenager, but some characters may come across a bit underdeveloped for adult readers. Still, the pleasure of reading Bartimaeus' sarcastic replies is a treat you should not miss. :D
I read this book once, many years ago, among the hundreds others I devoured when I was a child (I did not even remember its title until I stumbled across it today). Contrary to most of the other books, I still remember most of it with vivid details, and was excited to find it again.
Kaum irgendetwas Unterhaltsameres als Bartimäus. Hach.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book (and series) features rotating POVs. Nathaniel is a sniveling bitch boy who I reluctantly want to protect and take care of. This is pretty much how Bartimaeus (who is a shape-shifting djinn and one of the other POVs) thinks of him, too. If you can stomach Nathaniel, you are rewarded with spending time with Bartimaeus, who knows how to pick fights and has footnotes in his first-person narration. How s*xy is that?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Child abuse, Torture
4 and a half stars.
A really fun read, enjoyed it from beginning to end.
Bartimaeus is funny, Nathaniels and his dynamic works great..
Really like the world and the way Stroud constantly expands it with little bits and snippets of information, events and different places in history.
The magic system is really well done.
A really fun read, enjoyed it from beginning to end.
Bartimaeus is funny, Nathaniels and his dynamic works great..
Really like the world and the way Stroud constantly expands it with little bits and snippets of information, events and different places in history.
The magic system is really well done.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes