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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence
Minor: Child abuse
If you are arachnophobic, read with caution.
3.5
stroud really likes his dark alt londons with tierlists of power/magical beings
unfortunately I just didn't connect to this book like I did w/ lockwood & co. strangely flat to me :( sad :( I like stroud's work a lot. maybe it was the 1st person bartimaeus pov (loved the footnotes btw) and the detached 3rd person nathaniel pov. I'm interested, but not as much as I wish I were.
stroud really likes his dark alt londons with tierlists of power/magical beings
unfortunately I just didn't connect to this book like I did w/ lockwood & co. strangely flat to me :( sad :( I like stroud's work a lot. maybe it was the 1st person bartimaeus pov (loved the footnotes btw) and the detached 3rd person nathaniel pov. I'm interested, but not as much as I wish I were.
adventurous
mysterious
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's absolutely amazing. My new favourite read, a LOVE Bartimaeus, his witty comments and personality, i hope it would be more well known. Also the footnotes were amazing lol
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some people at my book club were reminiscing about this series so I figured I'd give it a whirl. I think if I were the intended audience then I would have enjoyed it more, but it is decidedly for a juvenile reader. In spite of that, I thought the world building was pretty interesting. I'm tempted to read more to see where it goes, though I'm not sure if I will.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Classism
It has a kind of pushy, naughty energy--like some of Roald Dahl's stuff. Like, "a book can't get away with this, can it?" Recommended.
Three and a half. Also I'm very tired and this will be short.
Enjoyable, fast paced, really a terrifically fun read, but also somehow distracted. Partly because it couldn't decide if it was a first or third person book, partly because it blitzed between perspectives without really letting the reader understand either--Nathaniel's chapters were a bit stronger than Bartimaeus's, as the djinni's chapters are really just endless snark.
But if you turn your brain off, it's a pretty fun ride.
Enjoyable, fast paced, really a terrifically fun read, but also somehow distracted. Partly because it couldn't decide if it was a first or third person book, partly because it blitzed between perspectives without really letting the reader understand either--Nathaniel's chapters were a bit stronger than Bartimaeus's, as the djinni's chapters are really just endless snark.
But if you turn your brain off, it's a pretty fun ride.
Perceptive readers might have noticed a new optimism in my attitude towards the kid. They would not be wrong. Why? Because I knew his birth-name.¹
Both Tania, and my old friend Damian, have been pestering me to read [a:Jonathan Stroud|33467|Jonathan Stroud|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562922774p2/33467.jpg] and I was advised that this trilogy would be a good place to start.
I dived in with some trepidation, knowing only it involved wizards, magic and demons, but was happy to find it is well rooted in a alternative version of London where the powers of Parliament are held by mighty magician's.
Children who show signs of potential are ripped from their families and apprenticed to a practicing magician to learn the trade. One such whelp is young Nathaniel, our secondary protagonist. The interesting twist, and reason this book works so well, is that the main protagonist is Bartimaeus, a Djinn, who is summoned by Nathaniel to help him get revenge on some fellow magicians.
All forms of supernatural being can be summoned and controlled by magicians and the stronger the magician the higher the being they can make do their bidding. Bartimaeus may not be the strongest or the most powerful but they are more cunning than most, which is good for Nathaniel as he has no idea of the power struggle he is inadvertently getting involved in.
Deciding to steal an artifact from the infamous Simon Lovelace, Nathaniel sends Bartimaeus on his way not knowing that he will bring back the powerful Amulet of Samarkand and all hell will break loose.
I rather liked that the book hints at a resistance trying to overthrow the magician hold on power and I hope this is expanded on in the rest of the series. My only complaint is that Nathaniel is a rather dislikable character. I hope this is a deliberate act on Stroud's part and I am looking forward to seeing his progression as the series goes on.
Overall, for a book that is laying groundwork and building characters, I would have liked to have more of the resistance and more quips from Bartimaeus, and less whining from Nathaniel. A solid 3 1/2.
¹Armed with this, I would be able to combat the whippersnapper's most vicious attacks. Knowledge of the name redresses the power balance a little, you see, acting as a kind of defensive shield for djinn inside the circle. It's a simple and very ancient kind of talisman and Well, what are you hanging around reading this for? Read on quickly and see for yourself.
Both Tania, and my old friend Damian, have been pestering me to read [a:Jonathan Stroud|33467|Jonathan Stroud|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562922774p2/33467.jpg] and I was advised that this trilogy would be a good place to start.
I dived in with some trepidation, knowing only it involved wizards, magic and demons, but was happy to find it is well rooted in a alternative version of London where the powers of Parliament are held by mighty magician's.
Children who show signs of potential are ripped from their families and apprenticed to a practicing magician to learn the trade. One such whelp is young Nathaniel, our secondary protagonist. The interesting twist, and reason this book works so well, is that the main protagonist is Bartimaeus, a Djinn, who is summoned by Nathaniel to help him get revenge on some fellow magicians.
All forms of supernatural being can be summoned and controlled by magicians and the stronger the magician the higher the being they can make do their bidding. Bartimaeus may not be the strongest or the most powerful but they are more cunning than most, which is good for Nathaniel as he has no idea of the power struggle he is inadvertently getting involved in.
Deciding to steal an artifact from the infamous Simon Lovelace, Nathaniel sends Bartimaeus on his way not knowing that he will bring back the powerful Amulet of Samarkand and all hell will break loose.
I rather liked that the book hints at a resistance trying to overthrow the magician hold on power and I hope this is expanded on in the rest of the series. My only complaint is that Nathaniel is a rather dislikable character. I hope this is a deliberate act on Stroud's part and I am looking forward to seeing his progression as the series goes on.
Overall, for a book that is laying groundwork and building characters, I would have liked to have more of the resistance and more quips from Bartimaeus, and less whining from Nathaniel. A solid 3 1/2.
¹Armed with this, I would be able to combat the whippersnapper's most vicious attacks. Knowledge of the name redresses the power balance a little, you see, acting as a kind of defensive shield for djinn inside the circle. It's a simple and very ancient kind of talisman and Well, what are you hanging around reading this for? Read on quickly and see for yourself.
adventurous
funny
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
Like many people in the early 2000s who found themselves clasped in the claws of fierce Pottermania, I was fond of trolling the internet for Potter related stuff. Somewhere, on some website (probably Mugglenet), some industrious soul listed a bunch of books to read while waiting for the next book to come out. This series made the list. I added it to my Amazon wishlist pronto, because that’s how I kept track of books I wanted to read before Goodreads was a thing.
And then I didn’t actually read it for twelve years.
This turns out to have been a bad move on my part, because 1) It’s a very good book–well-written, imaginative, clever, and does things that kid fantasy didn’t do back then, and still doesn’t do much of now (more on this later); and 2) For as much as I enjoyed it as a thirty year old, I bet I would have loved it even more back then when I was closer to the target demographic.
On the other hand, I might be wrong about that last bit. I’m not sure how receptive I would have been to the idea of a “hero” like Nathaniel, who is clearly on the path to the Dark Side, or whatever.
So, Nathaniel is a young magician in training. The world he lives in, an alternate history Britain, is cruel and brutal. People with magical gifts are taken from their parents as children, fostered with strangers, and made to forget their own names. Once grown, these magicians are power-seekers. They rule the British Empire and subjugate practically anyone within reach. This includes “demons” like Bartimaeus. The real secret of magic is that humans only have magic by knowing how to capture and bind what they call “demons” (magical creatures like jinni, in reality) into magical slavery, and use those demons to perform magic.
The story actually begins as young Nathaniel, who has been treated poorly by not only his master, but other magicians as well. He sets out to take his revenge on a magician who humiliated him, and does so by summoning the jinn Bartimaeus. He tasks Bartimaeus with stealing an amulet in the magician’s possession, but when the amulet turns out to be stolen, and connected to murder, both of them are quickly in over their heads. The book is duel-narrated by a first person POV from Bartimaeus, and a third person POV from Nathaniel. Many of Nathaniel’s scenes are flashbacks, and make you feel badly for him, even as he’s learning to become just as awful as every other magician. Bartimaeus is the real voice of this book. He’s funny and glib and has no patience for human beings. It’s a refreshing point of view to take in a book like this, and has the effect of making us think more critically than we already were about what’s going on with Nathaniel and the world he’s a part of.
I’m really glad I finally read this book. It’s a fantasy that is exploring other aspects of life than the hero’s quest, getting the girl, defeating the Dark Lord. I don’t know when I will get to the second two books in the series, but I’m very much looking forward to it.
And then I didn’t actually read it for twelve years.
This turns out to have been a bad move on my part, because 1) It’s a very good book–well-written, imaginative, clever, and does things that kid fantasy didn’t do back then, and still doesn’t do much of now (more on this later); and 2) For as much as I enjoyed it as a thirty year old, I bet I would have loved it even more back then when I was closer to the target demographic.
On the other hand, I might be wrong about that last bit. I’m not sure how receptive I would have been to the idea of a “hero” like Nathaniel, who is clearly on the path to the Dark Side, or whatever.
So, Nathaniel is a young magician in training. The world he lives in, an alternate history Britain, is cruel and brutal. People with magical gifts are taken from their parents as children, fostered with strangers, and made to forget their own names. Once grown, these magicians are power-seekers. They rule the British Empire and subjugate practically anyone within reach. This includes “demons” like Bartimaeus. The real secret of magic is that humans only have magic by knowing how to capture and bind what they call “demons” (magical creatures like jinni, in reality) into magical slavery, and use those demons to perform magic.
The story actually begins as young Nathaniel, who has been treated poorly by not only his master, but other magicians as well. He sets out to take his revenge on a magician who humiliated him, and does so by summoning the jinn Bartimaeus. He tasks Bartimaeus with stealing an amulet in the magician’s possession, but when the amulet turns out to be stolen, and connected to murder, both of them are quickly in over their heads. The book is duel-narrated by a first person POV from Bartimaeus, and a third person POV from Nathaniel. Many of Nathaniel’s scenes are flashbacks, and make you feel badly for him, even as he’s learning to become just as awful as every other magician. Bartimaeus is the real voice of this book. He’s funny and glib and has no patience for human beings. It’s a refreshing point of view to take in a book like this, and has the effect of making us think more critically than we already were about what’s going on with Nathaniel and the world he’s a part of.
I’m really glad I finally read this book. It’s a fantasy that is exploring other aspects of life than the hero’s quest, getting the girl, defeating the Dark Lord. I don’t know when I will get to the second two books in the series, but I’m very much looking forward to it.