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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
"I've been meaning to mention this for some time. I don't like being called a demon. Got that?"
He took a deep breath. "Fine."
"Just so you know."
"All right."
"I'm a djinni."
This series was like Harry Potter to me when growing up. I love the magical system and creatures. What I love most is how much it makes me laugh. I think it would do very well as a comic or on screen. I do wish that Nathaniel became more likeable (less of a snotty brat) and that he and Bartimaeus developed more a sense of comradery than the 'every magician/creature for himself' mentality. Overall, a lot of fun!
He took a deep breath. "Fine."
"Just so you know."
"All right."
"I'm a djinni."
This series was like Harry Potter to me when growing up. I love the magical system and creatures. What I love most is how much it makes me laugh. I think it would do very well as a comic or on screen. I do wish that Nathaniel became more likeable (less of a snotty brat) and that he and Bartimaeus developed more a sense of comradery than the 'every magician/creature for himself' mentality. Overall, a lot of fun!
Magical adventures really don’t get any better than this one, which alternates points of view between of a most engaging and irreverent jinni, Bartimaeus, and Nathaniel, the young magician who must enslave him in order to do magic at all. Demons and magicians are age-old enemies but somehow these two can never quite bring themselves to destroy each other when they get the chance. Set in an alternate world where England is run by magicians. All of the Bartimeus books live up to the first, too.
This trilogy has a lot of the elements I usually love in a fantasy series, but somehow it failed to come together in a satisfying way. Plot difficulties are resolved a little too easily, and the characters can sometimes be inconsistent. The final straw for me was the change in the main character from book one to book two, as Nathaniel changed so significantly I gave up the series half way through. When I stopped caring what happened to the protagonist, no amount of side characters could salvage the series for me. Book one still earns three stars though, for making me pick up the next book, even if book two lost me altogether.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Darn it, there's too many patrons at my current library who like scifi/fantasy and are making me aware of more books that I just have to read. Ah, at least they're usually quick reads. In this universe, various countries are run by magicians who get their magical power from djinni. Magicians are no great beings, but petty overlords that think of their djinni slaves as demons, and non-magicians as commoners. As is often the case with fantasy, this trilogy shows some promise in the exploration of class and bigotry.
Read in 2006, listening in 2010 in order to listen to the rest of the trilogy. great to listen to.
Read in 2006, listening in 2010 in order to listen to the rest of the trilogy. great to listen to.