Book 2, The Golem's Eye: The Bartimaeus Trilogy

This second Bartimaeus volume is almost as gripping and enthralling as the first. Like the first, it is complete in itself, well edited, never self-indulgent, and yet there are obvious plot threads remaining which I hope will be tied up successfully in the third volume. I will now have to read the third.

The following comments are not meant to take away from the five star rating. I was disappointed to hear less from Bartimaeus, though this was probably necessary in order to bring out the character of Kitty in some depth. Nathaniel appears more one-dimensional than in the Amulet, and I found him less believable as a fourteen year old junior minister, but maybe this is a necessary change of pace for the middle volume. However, the plot is so fast paced that any reservations about the wider world of this alternate reality are irrelevant.

Bartimaeus is back, baby! After reading the first book in Jonathan Stroud's wittily penned "Bartimaeus Trilogy" I found I was referring to its author in conversation as the man who perfected the art of the fantasy footnote long before "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" sought to do the same. Years passed before this sequel hit the market and in the interim I found I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Stroud's originality and (dare I say?) morality. Here we have an author unafraid to write a children/young adult fantasy novel with a morally ambiguous hero. That was my take after the first book. On picking up "The Golem's Eye", however, I found that Stroud has upped the ante. Now our hero isn't just a vainglorious peacock. He's a vainglorious peacock who's rapidly losing his soul to greed. And when the demon you've captured to do your bidding becomes your conscience... well let's just say you've got a truly twisted Pinocchio tale on your hands.

Nathaniel has problems. He's only fourteen-years-old and already he's been promoted to an official post in the British magician-ruled government. This isn't Nathaniel's problem, though. Sure, it isn't easy trying to crush a pesky Resistance within the nation's capital. That's Nathaniel's official job at the moment and he's having a devil of a time. When something large, malicious, and destructive starts methodically tearing to shreds all the major tourism centers in town, the boy finds himself saddled with the task of figuring out what the creature is and how to stop it. It is time, therefore, to call once again on his old djinni pal, Bartimaeus. The demon is, suffice it to say, less than happy to see the boy again but after the two come to an agreement they discover that the source of the destruction is a golem of immense power. Juggling Nathaniel's story with that of the Resistance member, Kitty, Stroud tells a tale of a truly believable world in which magic is available only at the expense of subjugated demons, djinni, afrits, and more.

The notion of a dislikable (perhaps even evil) male protagonist is hardly new. Where would the "Artemis Fowl" books be without their malignant boy leader? Nathaniel's a little different, however. Unlike Colfer's stories (which almost fear to become more complex than an episode of "Digimon") Stroud isn't afraid to create a fully three-dimensional character in Nathaniel. This is a boy who spent a rough childhood under the stifling tutelage of a cowardly, pompous man. An intelligent kid who's so wrapped up in the notion of power and prestige that he hardly notices his soul slipping further and further away from him. If this book had been all about Nathaniel (like its predecessor) it would make for sickening reading. That's why Stroud has chosen to break away from the continual Nathaniel/Bartimaeus narration and add a third voice to the mix. The creation of Kitty, the girl who dreams of a society not run by magical cads, is wonderful. Initially she's not much of a read. You keep wishing there was a lot less of Kitty and a whole lot more of Bartimaeus. He is, after all, the main draw here. As the book continues, however, it becomes clear that Kitty is the book's moral core. Nathaniel may yet be salvageable, but if he is it'll be due to Kitty's salvaging.

It isn't just Kitty that provides us with the series' point, however. Stroud himself isn't above taking veiled shots against real British society under the guise of this fantastical one. One of my favorite footnote moments rendered by the snarky Bartimaeus comes when the demon is discussing the British Museum. It's hard to remember that he's talking about a fictional one when pontificating that, "Most of these items made their eventual way to the ever-expanding collections of the British Museum, where they were set out on display with clear labels in many languages so that foreign tourists could come and see their lost valuables with minimum inconvenience".

One of the complaints I've heard lobbied against this book is that there isn't enough Bartimaeus. I sympathize with this point of view. The djinni is akin to slaves like Pseudolous in "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum" or other Greek plays. He's witty and urbane, constantly lobbing clever wordplays against his perpetually dense or stymied master. It's important to remember, however, that a book written entirely in Bartimaeus' voice would grow pretty old pretty fast. Better to contrast him with the earnestness of Kitty and the self-interested greed of Nathaniel. Gives him a bit more of an edge, eh?

The more I read of this book, the more I wanted to read. I wanted to stay up all night devouring this tale. Savoring Stroud's intelligence. I was, admittedly, disappointed in his choice of I'm-not-even-gonna-bother-making-the-villain-hard-to-discover bad guy. But I take heart in the idea that perhaps the third book in the "trilogy" (I put the word in quotes in the hope that Stroud thinks better of limiting this series to a measly three books) will give us some hard-core librarianship. In any case, this is an excellent addition to a series that grows increasingly complex with every twist and turn. Smart stuff.

"Picture the scene. London in the rain. Gray sheets of water tumbled from the sky, breaking upon the pavements with a roar louder than cannon fire. A strong wind buffeted the rain this way and that, blowing it under porches and eaves, cornices and capstones, drowning each possible refuge with a freezing spray. There was water everywhere, bouncing off the tarmac, swilling along the gutters, congregating in basement corners and above the drains. It overflowed the city's cisterns. It cascaded horizontally through pipes, diagonally across roof-slates, vertically down walls, staining the brickwork like sweeping washes of blood. It dripped between joists and through cracks in ceilings. It hung in the air in the form of a chill white mist, and above, invisibly, in the black reaches of the sky. It seeped into the fabric of buildings and the bones of their cowering inhabitants.

"In dark places underground, rats huddled in their lairs, listening to the echoes of the drumming overhead. In humble houses, ordinary men and women closed the shutters, turned lights full on and clustered about their hearth-fires with steaming cups of tea. Even in their lonely villas, the magicians fled the endless rain. They skulked to their workrooms, bolted fast the iron doors and, conjuring clouds of warming incense, lost themselves in dreams of distant lands.

"Rats, commoners, magicians: all safely undercover. And who could blame them? The streets were deserted, all London was shut down. It was close to midnight and the storm was getting worse.

"No one in their right mind would be out on a night like this."

But, of course, everyone's favorite wise-ass, shape-shifting djinni is stuck out in the rain. Nathaniel, who is now a few years older, much more arrogant, and now calling himself John Mandrake, has dragged Bartimaeus back to work in London.

It took me quite a while to finally get to work reading THE GOLEM'S EYE.

Bulldozing my way through mountains of books in preparation for the just-concluded Best Books for Young Adults committee meetings in Boston this week, I repeatedly shunted aside this 550+ paged middle volume in Johnathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy. This, despite the fact that the first book (THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND) was my favorite fantasy of 2003. But being responsible for thoroughly reading as many BBYA nominations as possible--and there were 214 nominations this time around--I focused on building up my "Books Read" total and saved Bartimaeus for the final week before the meetings.

It turns out that I saved one of the best for last.

Danger, action, mystery, evil, and humor, (and occasionally a lot of rain) make THE GOLEM'S EYE a fantastic fantasy. But the eloquent vocabulary, vivid and melodic descriptions, significant themes, and Orwellian overtones make this a profound piece of Young Adult literature.

With the publication of THE GOLEM'S EYE, Jonathan Stroud demonstrates emphatically that his name deserves to be spoken in the same breath as J. K. Rowling and Philip Pullman. And in the same way that I don't take anything away from the life-altering experience of first reading the advance copy of the HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by contending that HP3 was a better written book than HP1, I take nothing away from the genius of AMULET OF SAMARKAND by noting that Mr. Stroud has thoroughly surpassed his previous effort in writing his second book of the trilogy.

THE GOLEM'S EYE features Kitty Jones, a young commoner who made a brief but memorable appearance in AMULET. Stroud reveals the story of Kitty's recruitment into the Resistance after she and her childhood friend Jakob are thoroughly (and nearly fatally) wronged by a prominent magician in the government. It is the damaged, self-absorbed, and full of himself teenaged Nathaniel who is assigned the task of playing cat-and-mouse with the Resistance when a massive mud man cloaked in a black cloud begins wreaking massive death and destruction amidst several of London's prime tourist destinations.

The political commentary in which Stroud's story is immersed makes this book worthy of in-depth study by high school students, just as the thrilling story on its face will totally suck in younger readers.

One of the most memorable aspects of THE GOLEM'S EYE involve the scenes in which the enslaved Bartimaeus meets and gets to know Kitty, the oppressed commoner. Kitty is changed as a result of their philosophical conversations. (The question is how will Kitty influence Bartimaeus in the third book of the trilogy.) The astute reader will leave the book questioning the use of violence, the means to an end, and how power corrupts.

I almost envy those of you who haven't yet read THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND and have the opportunity to thoroughly immerse yourselves in the first two volumes of Jonathan Stroud's alternative London.

Nathaniel was your typical everyday young magician. He tried to summon monsters way beyond his level. But somehow, he managed a level five summoning. The creature he summoned was jinn named Bartimaeus. The first task for Bartimaus was to steal a rare jewel, named the Amulet of Sanarkand, which he did easily, but then there was a war. The owner of the jewel was killed after fighting the duo which afterwards the jewel was destroyed. This book is a great read that every teenage reader would enjoy.

The Golem's Eye had many interesting ideas that most books don'. For example, Nathaniel was a poor kid that was brought in by a wizard as his pupil. Though he was taught many things, Nathaniel always wanted more, so one day he summoned alone. He followed all the instructions he was taught and was able to summon jinn far beyond his power. But since he summoned him while in a very powerful circle, the jinn couldn't kill him and was bound by him until he was set free. Another example is that Nathaniel actually was respected by all members of Parliament and was considered to be a Member of Parliament.

This book also had many interesting names and characters. One such example is the powerful jinns Bartimaeus and Ptolemy. They each can see things most can't due to the fact they are creatures from the seventh plane of existence. Due to this, they can shape shift, cast powerful spells, and control other people. Another example is the young magician/Parliament member Nathaniel. In the first book of the series, he exceeded all limits and risked all he had. Though his master was surprised, he was also furious for young magicians should never summon without their master present. For if they do, they may use all of their life energy and die due to the fact that certain things cost too much to accomplish.

One last thing this book had was that the chapters were actually different people's story. For example, instead of chapter one or chapter two, it went Nathaniel and then Bateaus and went back and forth. For though summons were only creatures, they existed and had their own story to tell as well. And because of this unique layout, the reader is able to tell more things about the other people from each perspective.

All teenage readers who enjoy magical and fantasy related books would enjoy The Golem's Eye. If you like this book, read the first one called The Amulet of Sanrkand and the third one Ptolemy's Gate. This series will always renew the reader's spirit to want to stay up all night until the books are finished. Yes, it does have slow parts, but fantastic battles and scenes follow soon after.

N. Koester

The demon--excuse me--djinn, Bartimaeus once again steals the show in this second book of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy. My favorite scene is in the British Museum where a mysterious monster is smashing his way through the ancient Egyptian antiquities and Bartimaeus clobbers it over the head with the Rosetta Stone.

This is one of the sharpest new fantasy trilogies that I've read since Cecilia Dart-Thornton's 'Ill-made Mute' series, and it seems to get better as it speeds along. My only problem is that one of the main characters, fourteen-year-old magician, Nathaniel is completely humorless and, sad to say, not very likeable. He is always puckering up into what Bartimaeus calls his "patented bulldog-who's-sat-on-a-thistle face."

A second major character, the commoner Jane is brave and likeable, but again, lacks a sense of humor.

Bartimaeus makes up in the humor department for both of them. He disguises himself as a minotaur when fighting the beast in the British Museum, as a bat when he and his master, Nathaniel are roaming about in Prague's oldest cemetery at midnight, and as a winged serpent when all of the British Government's magicians summon their servants in a vast chamber in the bowels of Whitehall.

It seems that a skeleton wearing the death mask of the great magician, Gladstone is terrorizing London. Nathaniel is already in trouble with the ruling magicians because he can't seem to shut down the Commoners' Resistance Movement, so he volunteers Bartimaeus to destroy the afrit-powered skeleton---"It was last seen gyrating Gladstone's pelvis on Horseguards' Parade."

I've already ordered the third book of this trilogy, "Ptolemy's Gate," and once you've been introduced to the witty, shape-shifting Bartimaeus, you will too. Even the minor magical creatures are a gas, although as our main djinn says in one of his footnotes: "Lesser spirits...are often small-minded and vengeful, and take any opportunity to discomfort a human in their power with talk of bloodcurdling tortures. Others have an endless roster of smutty jokes..."

"The Golem's Eye" is an endless roster of wit and inventive sorcery.

The weird thing about The Golem's Eye, the second novel in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, is that it seemed more like a novel that would fit into the introductory category. The Amulet of Samarkand was a great, original story about a world ruled by magicians and filled with clever, evil demons such as Bartimaeus. We didn't really get a history or overview of the London that the novel took place in, we just got a narrow view of events from the point of view of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. In The Golem's Eye, Jonathan Stroud takes more time to focus on the world the novel takes place in and give us a little history and background. That is the weird part for me. Normally that is what the first novel in a trilogy sets out to do for the reader, not the second novel. Really, so far these two books don't even seem like part of a trilogy, they just seem like a book and a sequel. Normally most trilogies have an arc that envelops all three novels, whereas this book takes on a whole new story, since the plot of Amulet of Samarkand is wrapped up in that novel.

All that being said, The Golem's Eye is still a really good fantasy novel. It is much deeper and more complicated than Amulet of Samarkand, and, as I said earlier, it tries to give the reader more of a background as to the setting, and how London turned out to be the way it is in the world of the trilogy. As in the first book, we follow the exploits of Bartimaeus, the witty, not so evil djinni, Nathaniel, who is now the Assistant to the Head of Internal Affairs, and we also follow a girl named Kitty, who we briefly saw in the first novel, and who is one of the members of the Resistance. Since this novel is divided up into following three characters, we get quite a bit less of Bartimaeus antics, and that takes the book down a notch, in my opinion. Bartimaeus is one of the funniest, most interesting characters I have ever read, and I was very disappointed with the lack of his character in this novel.

In The Golem's Eye, the plot is focused mainly on Nathaniel's new role in the government run by magicians. After his heroics in The Amulet of Samarkand, he is hailed by most magicians in the government as an up-and-comer with a bright future. Nathaniel is put in charge of the group investigating the crimes of the Resistance. While his investigation is occurring, a new set of attacks is committed upon London, forcing Nathaniel to summon Bartimaeus to help him track down the perpetrator of these crimes, which are being committed by a Golem, a truly cool, frightening character that I wish we got to see a little bit more of.

As Nathaniel is investigating the attacks, we also get an interesting narrative from Kitty. Kitty was a small character in the first novel, but in this book we get her entire backstory, which is really amazing, and her motivations for joining the Resistance and fighting against the magicians. The lack of Bartimaeus is made up somewhat with the addition of Kitty. She is a deep, interesting character with a powerful, emotional bakstory. While she is definitely not there for comedic footnote antics like Bartimaeus, she does provide another interesting character for the reader to invest in as the story moves along.

While The Golem's Eye was a little disappointing compared to the first novel, I think that I might appreciate it a great deal more once I get to read Ptolemy's Gate. It doesn't seem to work that well on it's own due to the fact that Stroud tries to work the backstory along with the running plot all throughout the book, and that can be a really difficult venture for an author. Stroud does an admirable job, but I only wish that we were treated to a larger dose of Bartimaeus. Even without his presence however, we are given a cool glimpse of many other imaginative, creepy demons that are summoned by all types of magicians.

This book is definitely worth your time, and even though it lacks some things that could have made it a lot better, it still manages to keep the reader glued to the page.

In "Golem's Eye," Jonathan Stroud presents the 2nd volume of a trilogy featuring a fantastical London in which the ruling class are all magicians, whose power stems solely from the ability to control and enslave wicked spirits (imps, djinni, and the even more fearsome aphrits and majids.) At the center of the story there are now three characters: first, the teenage wizard Nathanial, now known as John Mandrake, a magical prodigy who has a cabinet-level position in the magical government. Second, his djinn Bartimaeus, a sarcastic bit of vapor who can take any form he likes (an ancient Egyptian, a mouse, a fly). Bartimaeus narrates the story with a manic and catty wit, like the Robin Williams/Aladdin with bad intentions (he sprinkles his narratives with bragging footnotes about his previous accomplishments and saucy jokes about the foibles of humans).

Promoted to a more prominent place in volume two is a third character, Kitty Jones, a "commoner" without magical training who seems genetically resistant to magical spells. After a friend is disfigured by a magician, Kitty joins an underground "resistance movement" that hopes to topple the magical government. When Kitty tries to steal a magical staff that once belonged to Prime Minister Gladstone, she become unwittingly enmeshed in a magicians' plot to take over the government. These unknown magicians unleash a golem on London, which Mandrake and Bartimaeus must stop.

Stroud's plot moves at a breathtaking action-movie pace, but his characters are even more impressive than his plot. The main characters are complex and interesting to start with, yet evolve and change over the course of the book: the flippant Bartimaeus begins to be weary of the human world, the lonely John Mandrake becomes more manipulative and imperious; the intrepid Kitty loses her naivete. If the reader is left a little disturbed and unsettled about these characters at the end of this "part two," (it's particularly disturbing to see the waifish Nathaniel of Book One become the nefarious Mandrake of Book Two), don't worry - Stroud is carefully setting up a powerhouse payoff in Book Three of the set, "Ptolemy's Gate," which will be published in the U.S. in January 2006 (a book I was so intent on reading I order it early from the store UK). Don't miss any part of these three books!

Jonathan Stroud has created an extremely interesting world and populated it with charismatic and enjoyable characters, although I did start disliking Nathaniel, or John Mandrake, by the end of this book. His writing is fabulous and his story kept me interested and turning the pages throughout.

Nathaniel is now revered and feared in the magical world. He has gained the favor of the leaders of the government in England, but they are also wary about giving him too much of their power that they worked hard for. He is given the task of eliminating the Resistance, but with it going poorly because of something ravaging the city he slowly begins to fall from the government's grace.

Kitty, whom we briefly met in the first book, is trying to expand the Resistance, but she is having trouble doing it. The Resistance keeps on stealing magical artifacts to increase their power but it doesn't do much. Finally, they decide to break into a famous tomb and steal its magical artifacts, but it doesn't go as planned.

Bartimaeus is worth the price of admission alone. Thinking that he was finally rid of Nathaniel, he revels in being back in the spirit world, but Nathaniel's promise did not last long. Nathaniel calls Bartimaeus back to the world of flesh after the disturbances that have ravaged and continue to destroy the city.

In this second book, Nathaniel, Kitty, and Bartimaeus find out who their true friends and enemies are in England. The book also gives the reader more of an insight into the character's personalities. But I did not enjoy reading about Nathaniel by the end. He was not someone I would want to be and I actually started to dislike him as much as the true enemies. Kitty and Bartimaeus made this book nearly as good as the original. I hope in the final book Nathaniel finally has a humbling experience to bring him back down to Earth and make him realize that other things are more important than power. We will see. Even so, I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

Although this book does lack from the wit and charm exuded by the character of Bartimaeus simply because: a) he is not as present b) there is another major character who is given quite a bit of story time c) the plot is far more intricate, I would say that it succeeds even better than the first, and the first book was a wonderful read for most. Stroud's keen writer's eye conjures up details often left by the wayside by others less gifted. And his action feels fresh and somewhat original in both its brevity and geographical understanding (you know exactly what is happening in the scene). I also greatly appreciate that Stroud is able to weave a tale that is told most effectively across a multi-volume series simply because he is able to plant seeds of storyline or plot that will later be further developed without it seeming too hamfisted. This coupled with the fact that, although the human character of Nathaniel is considered the main character for most purposes, it is only through the djinni of Bartimaeus that we are treated to a first-person narrative. The can take you aback slightly, but once you've established an equilibrium with the style it becomes most enjoyable. There are lulls throughout the series and in particular this novel in order to organize and tell a more complex storyline, but they don't last for long and make for some excellent "sights and smells" moments within his novels. I'm not sure I'd recommend these for smaller children under 10 years of age as there are some frightening moments, as well as some rather intense discriptions of death and suffering. However, Stroud is one of the reasons that I, as an adult reader, have turned my inner-child loose upon such "kid-friendly" authors such as Rowling, Pullman, and the like. Well done!

When Nathaniel dismissed the djinni, Bartimaeus at the end of "The Amulet of Samarkand" his future looked bright. At the beginning of this sequel, Nathaniel is on the fast track to success in government as a wizard. He is trying to unravel the secrets of the Resistance that is causing problems throughout London. A new series of very powerful attacks around the city have the governing class on edge and Nathaniel is under great pressure to discover who is really behind the trouble. He summons Bartimaeus to help him uncover the Resistance's secrets. He suspects the mysterious street kids he encountered in the first book are involved.

The story shifts and we see this London through the eyes of Kitty, one of the kids Nathaniel is looking for. Her eyes see a world where magicians have all the power and commoners like her and her family and friends are treated like second class citizens. A cruel attack on a friend by a wizard sends Kitty out in search of revenge. As part of the Resistance she organizes raids to steal magical objects. Strangely she is not affected by magic.

While attempting to retrieve some artifacts from Gladstone's tomb, Kitty's group is betrayed and her Resistance cell is destroyed.

Throughout the story we hear Bartimaeus's narrative of events. His observations are delivered with his customary humor though it is tinged with the suffering of a slave. He is the one who discovers the true nature of the threat facing this world.

The reader is routing for Kitty and hoping Nathaniel will see the light and turn his back on the corrupt government. We are also cheering for Bartimaeus and hoping for his freedom.

Stroud has created a world that is rich in atmosphere and fully realized. This is one of the most entertaining books I read this summer.

Jonathan Stroud has created an extremely interesting world and populated it with charismatic and enjoyable characters, although I did start disliking Nathaniel, or John Mandrake, by the end of this book. His writing is fabulous and his story kept me interested and turning the pages throughout.

Nathaniel is now revered and feared in the magical world. He has gained the favor of the leaders of the government in England, but they are also wary about giving him too much of their power that they worked hard for. He is given the task of eliminating the Resistance, but with it going poorly because of something ravaging the city he slowly begins to fall from the government's grace.

Kitty, whom we briefly met in the first book, is trying to expand the Resistance, but she is having trouble doing it. The Resistance keeps on stealing magical artifacts to increase their power but it doesn't do much. Finally, they decide to break into a famous tomb and steal its magical artifacts, but it doesn't go as planned.

Bartimaeus is worth the price of admission alone. Thinking that he was finally rid of Nathaniel, he revels in being back in the spirit world, but Nathaniel's promise did not last long. Nathaniel calls Bartimaeus back to the world of flesh after the disturbances that have ravaged and continue to destroy the city.

In this second book, Nathaniel, Kitty, and Bartimaeus find out who their true friends and enemies are in England. The book also gives the reader more of an insight into the character's personalities. But I did not enjoy reading about Nathaniel by the end. He was not someone I would want to be and I actually started to dislike him as much as the true enemies. Kitty and Bartimaeus made this book nearly as good as the original. I hope in the final book Nathaniel finally has a humbling experience to bring him back down to Earth and make him realize that other things are more important than power. We will see. Even so, I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

Although this book does lack from the wit and charm exuded by the character of Bartimaeus simply because: a) he is not as present b) there is another major character who is given quite a bit of story time c) the plot is far more intricate, I would say that it succeeds even better than the first, and the first book was a wonderful read for most. Stroud's keen writer's eye conjures up details often left by the wayside by others less gifted. And his action feels fresh and somewhat original in both its brevity and geographical understanding (you know exactly what is happening in the scene). I also greatly appreciate that Stroud is able to weave a tale that is told most effectively across a multi-volume series simply because he is able to plant seeds of storyline or plot that will later be further developed without it seeming too hamfisted. This coupled with the fact that, although the human character of Nathaniel is considered the main character for most purposes, it is only through the djinni of Bartimaeus that we are treated to a first-person narrative. The can take you aback slightly, but once you've established an equilibrium with the style it becomes most enjoyable. There are lulls throughout the series and in particular this novel in order to organize and tell a more complex storyline, but they don't last for long and make for some excellent "sights and smells" moments within his novels. I'm not sure I'd recommend these for smaller children under 10 years of age as there are some frightening moments, as well as some rather intense discriptions of death and suffering. However, Stroud is one of the reasons that I, as an adult reader, have turned my inner-child loose upon such "kid-friendly" authors such as Rowling, Pullman, and the like. Well done!

When Nathaniel dismissed the djinni, Bartimaeus at the end of "The Amulet of Samarkand" his future looked bright. At the beginning of this sequel, Nathaniel is on the fast track to success in government as a wizard. He is trying to unravel the secrets of the Resistance that is causing problems throughout London. A new series of very powerful attacks around the city have the governing class on edge and Nathaniel is under great pressure to discover who is really behind the trouble. He summons Bartimaeus to help him uncover the Resistance's secrets. He suspects the mysterious street kids he encountered in the first book are involved.

The story shifts and we see this London through the eyes of Kitty, one of the kids Nathaniel is looking for. Her eyes see a world where magicians have all the power and commoners like her and her family and friends are treated like second class citizens. A cruel attack on a friend by a wizard sends Kitty out in search of revenge. As part of the Resistance she organizes raids to steal magical objects. Strangely she is not affected by magic.

While attempting to retrieve some artifacts from Gladstone's tomb, Kitty's group is betrayed and her Resistance cell is destroyed.

Throughout the story we hear Bartimaeus's narrative of events. His observations are delivered with his customary humor though it is tinged with the suffering of a slave. He is the one who discovers the true nature of the threat facing this world.

The reader is routing for Kitty and hoping Nathaniel will see the light and turn his back on the corrupt government. We are also cheering for Bartimaeus and hoping for his freedom.

Stroud has created a world that is rich in atmosphere and fully realized. This is one of the most entertaining books I read this summer.

Nathaniel is now fourteen years old and blazing with ambition. After the incident with the Amulet of Samarkand, he won the favor of the Prime Minister and has been appointed to the high position of Assistant to the Head of Internal Affairs despite his very young age. All goes well until a series of devastating attacks occurs and the Resistance (of which he is responsible for squelching) is blamed. Of course, all this hub-bub compels him to summon a demon he hoped he would never have to summon again. A demon who had a mind of his own, who back-talked incessantly, who, more importantly, knew the secret of his birth name and was therefore harder to control. Enter Bartimaeus.

I found this book to be a delight to read and found myself still clutching its pages well after midnight. The format is a bit different from the first book because Stroud introduces a new point of view - Kitty Johnson, member of the Resistance. We met Kitty in the first book, but here she is fleshed out and fully realized. What's more, I *love* her character. I like her much better than I like Nathaniel. In fact, Nathaniel, in the two years since the last book, has changed dramatically into a self-centered, superficial, and blindingly ambitious youth. I can still understand him and see how he got that way; I also sympathize with his pain and feel sorry for how utterly alone he truly is. Nevertheless, I hope that in book three, he will see the folly of his ways and change them.

Jonathan Stroud has succeeded again in writing another absolutely astonishing book!

In The Golem's Eye, you get to learn more of Kitty from The Amulet of Samarkand and the rest of the Resistance.

Nathaniel is now 14 and working in the Department of Internal Affairs. The Resistance is becoming more of a problem, so each magician involved with it must have the aid of a djinn, afrit, ect. Nathaniel summons Bartimaeus, a djinn. (Before releasing Bartimaeus in the previous book they made a deal that Nat would never summon him again. Sooooo it made the djinn a bit angry.) A Golem (a powerful monster controlled by a magician through the Golems Eye) attacks a museum and Nathaniel's job (and life) is threatened. From here the story twists and turns leading you through a breathtaking adventure.

You don't see much of the djinn Bartimaeus or his witty remarks until later in the book. Instead you meet Kitty and explore her and her past.

This book has deepened my love for this trilogy. Both The Amulet of Samarkand and The Golem's Eye are amazing books that I went through with a sadness knowing that I would finish it soon and would not be able to find another book quite as satisfying.

The second book in the Bartimaeus trilogy The Golem's Eye is very good. I like the fact that Stroud kept up the part where each character had their own story. I also like the fact that Kitty is now a main character. In the first book she was portrayed as a prop. Essentially she was just a bystander something that made the story better.

But the part I did not like was the fact that Nathanial was even more boring. In all of the chapters that portrayed him he was a very dry character. He lacked emotion which makes the essence of a character. He was also a very protective and mean person. He has turned into a magician in form and in his mind. He acts like he is the best, and the most important thing in the word.

Barrtimaeus was great. He was still a wise-crack dijjini who was hilarious. In the second installment Bartimaeus's past is revealed a little bit. :).

Kitty is a new character who has a very interesting past. She has many reasons to hate the magicians, and she has some special powers herself. You also meat the Resistance, who are a group of people trying to uproot the magicians as their political rulers. All in all the book is a good book so I give it four stars.

This book, like the first in the trilogy (the amulet of Samarkand) is a very deep and well-developed book. There are so many fantasy books out there that I thought the genre was worn dry...that was until I discovered "The Barimaeus Trilogy". It is highly original. Magicians, demons, and fantasy, set in modern-day London.

This book also has a very strong and unique plot; involving depth that really shocks the reader. At first I thought it was typical mythology, (by the cover art-which is great, by the way), but once I was absorbed in reading this, I lost all thoughts of that.

This book also has some great character development. Perhaps not as much as the first book, but it's definitely there. I love the author, Jonathan Stroud's, amazing sense of seriousness in the story, yet also his humor.

I was a bit disappointed in the lack of Bartemaus (it is the Bartemaus trilogy). He was there, but not as much as some characters and not as in-depth as the previous novel.

This book was great and I highly recommend it. I'd buy it, if I were you...I did. I would also suggest reading the first book first. Not a necessity, but helpful.

<marquee>this book was a great book of which I highly recommend</marquee>

The second part of The Bartimaeus Trilogy, "The Golem's Eye" continues the story began in "The Amulet of Samarkand". Like the first instalment, the majority of the action is set in a mostly recognisable London - admittedly, with a few noticeable changes. The Empire (which still exists), having already defeated the Czech Republic, is now considering war with the North American colonies. All the same, some Czech spies are still operating in England, and the Czech immigrant community is viewed with suspicion. Magicians have been the ruling class since Gladstone's time, holding all positions of power. Rather than wands and potions, these magicians derive their power from their ability to summon and control a variety of demons - for example, afrits, djinn and imps. Meanwhile the non-magical human masses are referred to as commoners - some of whom have formed a very troublesome resistance.

Nearly three years have passed since the events of "The Amulet of Samarkand". Nathaniel (more widely known as John Mandrake) is now apprenticed to Jessica Whitwell, the Security Minister, and works at the Department of Internal Affairs. His boss, Julius Tallow, is a typical magician : cruel, arrogant and self-serving, he would happily throw another (such as Nathaniel) to the wolves if it meant saving his own hide. (These same qualities, with extra ambition, have also become more pronounced in Nathaniel). However, since Tallow has more problems than he's aware of, Nathaniel's main rivals are the Chief of Police (Henry Duvall) and his assistant (Jane Farrar).

Nathaniel has been put in charge of pursuing the Resistance, a group of commoners who oppose the Magicians' Rule. Generally, their attacks have been limited to small-scale thefts, nothing that would've left Nathaniel under any great pressure. However, the night before Founder's Day (Gladstone's Birthday), a number of shops are attacked and practically destroyed. Policemen were killed, while a number of demons and search spheres used in investigate are missing. However, there are no indications the attack involved the use of magic - although Nathaniel is far from convinced, the Resistance are the most obvious culprits. Under no illusion that results are required, he realises he has to summon Bartimaeus again.

Bartimaeus (the fourth-level djinn summoned by Nathaniel) is caustic, irreverent and hopelessly vain - he boasts about the walls he built at Uruk and Karnak, but never mentions his work at Jericho. While he wasn't too fond of Nathaniel when they first met, he is even less impressed with his master in this book : in fact, he is determined to let Nathaniel down whenever and wherever possible. The last time the duo worked together, they briefly stumbled across three of the Resistance's members - a small group, led by a girl called Kitty. In this instalment, they share the spotlight with Kitty - a commoner with a limited natural resistance to magic.

While Kitty's introduction reduces the amount of time Bartimaeus features, it gives some indication of how the commoners are treated and why there is a Resistance. It means fewer wisecracks (Bartimaeus is the book's funniest character), but it adds to the story and action significantly. The focus from one chapter to another switches between the characters, though the story never stalls. Stroud writes Nathaniel's and Kitty's stories ("Kitty and her parents watched him in silence"), while the djinni tells his own ("I could tell it was Prague as soon as I materialised"). "The Golem's Eye" is very easily read and very enjoyable - but I would recommend starting with "The Amulet of Samarkand".

After reading the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, I thought Jonathan Stroud's story was very good. It had a strong plot and good setting that mostly took place in London, England. For those people who have not read the first, a boy named Nathaniel is orphaned at the age of six and is taken in by a magician. At the end of book one Nathaniel ends up killing his master, Author Underwood by betraying him to an evil man bent on taking a stolen artifact back after Nathaniel stole it. With that said, I am now going to talk about the second book in the series. By now Nathaniel works for the Department of Internal Affairs, which deals with the investigation of all magic. He then is thrown into a plot of sabotage and betrayal, as enemies plan to overthrow the government. After the discovery of a golem, the most powerful magical creature, Nathaniel now realizes that h must once again enlist the help of a djinni (a demon) he has sworn never to summon again, Bartimaeus. The Golems Eye is a great read, although it is long. There are a host of characters and an interesting story line. I give this book two thumbs up for a thrilling story.

Another great addition to this ongoing trilogy by Jonathon Stroud.

Anyone who has enjoyed Book 1 will be very pleased with this latest offering. The story line continues with its fresh, innovative approach with Bartimaeus and Nathaniel getting into all kinds of new intriguing, chilling situations. Stroud's story telling has an addictive quality to it that makes you want to keep on reading; you can absorb several chapters in a sitting without realizing how much time has past.

Bartimaeus, the main character, has a wonderfully warped cynical sense of humor along with a generally condescending view of just about everything and everyone; it's his character that makes this series the so compelling.

I had one minor complaint about this novel and that revolves around the initial development of Kitty's character (who we met briefly in the first novel). This area of the novel is slow, tedious and predictable and I must admit that I had a hard time getting through this part at first, however once she gets into the story proper she is an interesting and important part of the tale.

And finally, a personal subjective opinion; I had expected Nathaniel to mature somewhat as he grew older and had improved his stature within his profession, but instead he has remained a petulant little twerp; however, (and I had to remind myself several times) that this tale is primarily about Bartimaeus, and Nathaniel is more of a secondary, albeit important, character here.

All in all, a great addition to this ongoing fantasy. 4 ½ stars.

So I met Jonathan Stroud last Friday, author of the Bartimaeus triology, of which the first two are out: "The Amulet of Samarkand" and "The Golem's Eye." He came to the bookstore I work at in Petaluma, Copperfield's, and was pretty entertaining. He was the classic English guy writing about a doomed England of magic and magicians and the regular people known as "commoners": average English accent from near London area with some clipped Cockney when speaking, but when reading clear, upper class southern England accent; a very ordinary looking guy in a t-shirt and slacks, totally unassuming and seemingly unaware that he's a big famous author who's growing and growing in notoriety.
I was talking to him about how I really liked that in his fantasy books involving magicians being separate and higher in social stature than ordinary people like you and me, Stroud pays more attention to what is happening socially with the paradigm, than just telling a story about a hot-shot wizard doing great things. And he seemed happy to know that I had spotted this in his books. That they took a different direction to most of the kids fantasy books out today involving the Harry Potter character, which has now practically become an archetype.

In the world of the Bartimaeus triolgy, magicians don't actually have that much power. They have all their control and magic from summoning djinn from another world and using them to do magical things, and all the summoning of imps, djinn, and higher level afrits is done through reading incantations from books. So in this world, the magicians really don't have that much power. The magicians control the entire government from Parliament to the prime minister.

And then you have the ordinary people, the "commoners" who are a subjugated people who work in factories and any and all jobs that involve labor. And are meek and always do as they are told, and it comes off as an almost Orwellian distopia. Except there are a few that somehow possess some ability to take attacks from magicians and djinn and not be killed by them and that they are able to see on multiple planes. There are seven planes, humans can only see on the first, and magicians with the aid of lenses can see the first three, while the djinn and afrits are on all seven planes. And this group are known as the "Resistance," as they try to overthrow the magicians and take back control of the country.

And then there's the nebulous rest of Europe in which you have the east consisting mainly of the Czechs who are warring against the English and have been for a long time, but are now at truce.

So it's a very interesting world with lots going on instead of just some tough wizard kid fighting a bad guy. I recommend it to all who want to read a different kind of fantasy.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to [...]

Sequel to THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND, a New York Times bestseller, THE GOLEM'S EYE is the second part of THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY, a young adult fantasy series told in multiple points of view.

Throughout the ages, all great empires have had one thing in common -- they were ruled by magicians. The Mongols, The Egyptians, The Greeks, The Romans, and now the British. This modern-day, alternate-reality London is segregated, not by race, but by magical ability. The government's lawmaking is biased against the non-magical humans, along with everything else under the magicians' control. It is in this environment of oppression that the magician youth Nathaniel, A.K.A. John Mandrake, has been appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to hunt down and arrest those responsible for The Resistance.

Failing so far in his investigations and finding himself under intense pressure from his superiors, Nathaniel is forced to summon our favorite djinni from book 1, Bartimaeus. Rude, surly, cheeky, and often hilarious, Bartimaeus' character entertains and lightens the mood throughout. Only a third of the chapters are written from Bartimaeus' point of view; the other chapters are from the view of Nathaniel and Kitty Jones, our human protagonist who has the innate ability to resist magic. Their worlds intertwine as 1) The Resistance attempts to subvert the magicians' power by pulling off their most audacious feat of rebellion yet, 2) Nathaniel tries to locate those responsible for The Resistance, and 3) a mysterious third-party magic wreaks havoc on the streets of London.

Even though the political/racial oppression provides a strong backdrop for the story, the overarching theme feels at times undeveloped and underutilized. The story focuses much more on getting the plot done than mining the humanity within this richly magical, political, and social situation. And while this will likely not bother most readers, it did leave me wanting more. Because the plot moves along so fast, the characters don't get the attention they deserve. Bartimaeus is brushed aside in this volume and makes hardly any strides in his character arc. Hopefully, his thoughts about freedom will be developed in the final book. Nathaniel's character becomes much darker and arguably more evil during his investigations and pursuit of becoming like Gladstone, the infamous and powerful magician of the past. At this point, it's difficult to see how Nathaniel's lust for power could lead him anyplace but destruction. Kitty's character is the most developed of the three, as we get to see the pain of her past and the desperation of her present, the freedom her resistance to magic gives her to pursue her revenge. She's a great character.

Despite its minor disappointments, THE GOLEM'S EYE is a solid sequel in the series. The characters are mostly endearing, the politics and magic of this world are fantastically inventive, and the action is face-paced and well-woven. Murderous conspiracies, dystopian governments, racial discrimination, magicians' battles, mysterious crypts, dark golems, possessed skeletons, poisonous silver weapons -- they all add to the intrigue and excitement of this 2nd of 3 novels. On to the final installment!

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

This is an appeal to all you fantasy-loving adults out there: DO NOT pass this one up just because of the YA label. I am a 23-year-old who has been reading fantasy since I snuck off with my mother's Terry Brooks novels at the age of six, and these are undoubtedly, regardless of label, some of the best fantasy out there right now. Yes, kids can easily read these books, but the deft politics and dry humor will undoubtedly appeal to more adults than just me.

Is this one better than the first? Oh yes. Placed two years after The Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel now has secured a government seat, and is already learning the ins and outs of politics quite well (in his eyes, at least--Bartimaeus sees it very differently). The Resistance is still going strong, and in this book we learn the history of it and get some more information on its key players, most notably Kitty. The book is smart, funny, and fast-paced, mingling backstory and action expertly. Consider it the younger sibling of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell--it's almost like a modern-day version of the same English-magic parallel universe. Do not under any circumstances pass this one up.

This sequel to the Amulet of Samarkand develops Kitty's character and introduces us to the workings of the mysterious Resistance while showing Nathaniel's increasing corruption as a young member of the government.

Accompanying than character development, two plot lines provide action: the appearance of a destructive golem, controlled by a magician and the Resistance's attempt to rob Gladstone's grave and steal the artifacts it contains. Until p. 200, however, practically nothing happens - if you aren't into long and tedious description (the author may even be good at this, but there ought to be something to describe - an example of good description is the golem's last march at the end of the book) skim the Kitty chapters.

Bartimaeus is indeed somewhat less important than in the first book, but he does maintain its role as the moral center of the story, unsuccessfully trying to counter the influence of the magician's world and Nathaniel's own ambition on the boy.

Other than the long descriptions, this is still a great series. Plot and character development are in harmony (see Kitty's transformation after the adventure in the grave, which propels her straight into volume 3), "educational purpose" is clearly present, but it is probably not a turn-off for kids as it is delivered by a sarcastic djinni :)

The Golem's Eye has been stolen! Magician John Mandrake, who's real name is Nathaniel, is 14 years old and has already saved the world once and is getting ready to do it again. He is the assistant of the Head of Internal Affairs and is very powerful. He is helped by the demon he always summens, Bartimaeus. On the other side of London, Kitty is hanging out with a bunch of robbers, who she helps rob the tomb of a very powerful magician. She ends up leaving London with her friend Jacob. The Golem's Eye has a lot of adventure and a great plot, but it skips back and forth between characters a little to much.

There are many adventures between the characters of this book. Nathaniel has to defeat a golem. Kitty robs house and tombs. Kitty sets fire to houses. Bartimaeus has to help Nathaniel defeat the golem and destroy a demon that was let lose from the tomb when Kitty and her friends robbed it.

The plot links the characters together by telling what one is doing and then telling what another was doing at tat same time. It leads to when Nathnaiel and Bartimaeus finally meet Kitty. It connects Nathaniel and Kitty by telling that Nathaniel is a magician and telling that Kitty hates magicians because of what one's demon did to her friend Jacob.

The book skips around an little to much by leaving you hanging and having to read about someone else before you go back to that person, and that isn't a bac thing, but it still does it a little more than neccesary. It will be talking about one of the characters and then more to another one and what the new character is doing has nothing to do with what the other one was doing. Like I said before, it does help it connect by doing that, but it should finish what one charcter is doing before it goes to another one.

There is a little too much skipping around, but there is a lot of good adventures and a good plot in it, too. I have only read a few books that skip around to differnet characters and this one is not too bad. If you like books about fantasy and magicians, this would be a great book for you.

J. McCarty

once again, the bartemais trilogy proves as a breath of fresh air excpertly bringing all the things we loved from the first book to the second. the book takes place three years after the first book, nathaniel is now apart of the internal affairs and is already taking on more then he can manage. besides the fact of the growing resisitance, a mystirous assaliant is attacking london and to find out more, nathaniel must head to the enemy city of prague and once again summon our favorite djinni bartemais. we also get a view from a new character, kitty, a member of the resistnace (you may or may not remember her, she was mentioned only briefly in the first book) were we learn more about her and the resistance. greatly expanded from the first, some may be dissapointed that this book focuese more on nathaniel and kitty, not bartemais. it also changed my percepective of nathainiel, gone is the nieve 12 year old but a molding creation of the magicians, this really got me to side more with kitty. the one flaw about the book is that it kinda veers of its path near the end but despite that its still a great read.

The first book in the Baritmaeus Trilogy was good, so I picked up this second book and expected to like the book as I had the first one. Instead, I heartily enjoyed it.

I've started collecting books for my children and will turn around and sell any that are poorly written or are just plain dull. This series is a keeper!

I tend to skim through sections of books that are wallowing in tedious, dry, and boring detail, but this book keeps your attention with well-written detail that doesn't skimp on the character development. The plot twists are fresh, the storyline is fun, and this is an overall wonderful book. I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy--Stroud's books so far have been a treat.

Believe the high ratings for this book and treat yourself to some good fun and good reading.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Quadrilogy, now) of books was recommended to me as one of those rare book series that has true, deep character development. This is one of the things I look for in literature, and all media, so I was intrigued.

I rated The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book in the trilogy, three stars. I did this because the author, Stroud, created a very interesting world and setting, but I din't much enjoy the novel. As perhaps is to be expected from a series whose main recommendation is development, the second novel was MUCH better.

Sadly in our time any series of novels about young magicians is inevitably going to be compared to Harry Potter. Though so far Bartimaeus seems to be as different as can be, I might as well embrace the comparison since many people looking at these books are doing so in the hopes of finding similar books to Rowling's masterwork.

Imagine a world, if you will, where magic is real. I think you can do this because boy wizards are not unknown to most readers. Here's the catch that Stroud throws in, though. While magic is real, the only beings that can use it are demons. Some ambitious souls, though, have figured out how to summon demons and enslave them, forcing them to do their bidding. Without giving too much away, imagine if these magicians (wizards) were widely known to everyone in the world, and that in most places they are the ruling elit. Again imagine if nearly 100% of magicians (wizards) are concerned only with their own power and ambition (Slytherin) and rule by keeping the Commoners (Muggles) as ignorant as possible about the true way the world works.

Now you have the thrust of this, the second novel in the trilogy. We move away from our highly unlikable main protagonist from the first novel and start following additional characters. The author begins to explore some much deeper themes like the aforementioned slavery of demons, the cost of ambition, and the abuse of power. And when he does delve deeper, the book shines.

One of the interesting methods Stroud uses while writing is switching between first and third person. The eponymous Bartimaeus' chapters are all from his point-of-view, but when the book switches characters to anyone else, it also switches to third person. It's definitely an interesting way of simultaneously giving the reader information while also keeping him or her in the dark when it serves the plot.

Overall, after reading this second book in the Bartimaeus trilogy I can wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone who misses their favorite tween wizards. After disliking the first book I fully intend on starting the third book immediately, and I expect that it will be that much better and more satisfying.

I had three reactions when I heard that this book was out. One, Ohmygod ALREADY!?. Two, HALLELUJAH!!!. Three, I have to read this and/or get it! Well I did get it <from this site> and I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it matched <or even surpassed, if that's possible> the excellence of the first book. I thought this for a couple of reasons. I liked how Jonathan Stroud <the writer> used some folk myths like how the Golems were first created in the middle ages by the Rabbi Loew. < I like this particularly because I, myself, am a Jew.> Another thing that I appreciate is how the writer tied in things from the previous book. Hint, Just kidding! Do you think i'd actually give you a hint? But anyway I like how the writer gives us new information about the resistance and how it was formed. All in all I would sit down and read this book with a glass of water so that you wouldn't have to get up.

In the second part of the Bartimaeus trilogy, it's two years later and Nathaniel is rising through government ranks. We also meet Kitty who is currently an active part of the Resistance who by using petty thefts and small acts of violence are trying to overthrow the magicians and stop the class-based society they live in.

This book is gloomier than the first. Nathaniel is depressed or stressed 99% of the time, and so is Kitty. She is a wonderful and vivid character; it's just unfortunate that Nathaniel is dismal too, because I think you just feel it too much.

It is, of course, broken up by the delightful and witty Bartimaeus that we have all come to love. However, he doesn't appear as much as in the first book and you do notice his absence a lot more.

I also thought the climax wasn't quite as good as in the Amulet of Samarkand. It was still very absorbing, just wasn't as climatic as the first.

Despite all this the book is enjoyable, interesting, laugh out loud funny at times (when Bartimaeus is around) and a must read for just about anyone. It might not be quite as good as the first but is still definitely worth reading!

Kitty made the book slow with her backstory. A commoner with the resistance, she is anti-social, and wants revenge against a government magician. Near the end, Kitty mellows, but I did not enjoy her scenes throughout the early and mid-book. Nathaniel's development into an unlikable politician who uses everyone also bored me. I didn't like *anyone* but Bartimaeus. The only exception to this was the Prague arc, where Nathaniel and Bartimaeus actually looked out for each other. (Best part of novel.)

Bartimaeus is two-dimensional in his interaction with John Mandrake, more of an adversarial relationship than book one. Stroud had the opportunity to develop djinn society more with multi-djinn scouting and combat 'missions', but interaction was at a surface level. A female djinn whose name started with the letter 'Q' (Quenzel?) gets a little development, but actual interaction -- nothing. The inter-djinn philosophical discussion on the nature of master/djinn from in book one is absent.

Plot-wise, a better title would have been "The Staff of Gladstone", because that artifact, rather than the Golem's Eye is the big focus. As an adult, I found events driven by characters acting like petulant children. A bridge book, 'young' rather than adult. Fine for young adult readers who don't analyze, but I'm rating it as an adult reader who only enjoys better YA fiction. Overall -- two and a half stars, not impressed.

The golems eye is a fast paced thriller with problems at every corner it's a must read book, in the book the magicins treat the the commoners (non magicins) like trash. A chosen few commoners with special abbilites have banded together to overthrow the magicins. The main character nathaneil a ambitious and talented magicin is assigned the job of tracking down the renegade commoners that threathen to overthrow the magicins with the help of his sly demon bartemius they envoke on a perilous journey to destroy the renegades. When a new enemy appears that is more dangerous then the renegades. but you cant take my word about it you have to read it yourself.

R.M (V.M)

My family are all nuts about Bartimaeus. My brothers and my Mom have been pestering me to read this book for ages, and then I finally read the first one. I liked it. It was OK, nothing specially special. The parts with Bartimaeus were fun, but the parts narrated by Nathaniel were dull.

I picked up this one expecting a lot of change in the characters. Unfortunately, the few changes I did find were for the worse.

My first complaint is with Nathaniel. At the end of Book One I felt like he was on track to becoming a nice guy, you know? Then I pick up this one and discover that he's actually this stupid, selfish snob and that he's only gotten worse! Pardon me, but a book where the main character is a jerk is just despicable.

Bartimaeus didn't come in until a few chapters in, and I was looking forward to hear from him again. I was also hoping that the author could make his narrations a bit more iinteresting; keep the humor but make it sound fresh. Unfortunately, the tone was IDENTICAL to Book One. It got REALLY old REALLY fast. There's only so much wisecracking repeats you can take in one book, especially when that book happens to be 400 pages long!

My third complaint was with Kitty. It was just plain confusing to give her a voice. I was perfectly happy to have her be a background character; it left her shrouded in mystery. Giving her her own chapters seem to take something away from her character, not to mention add some unnecessary chapters to this already long, tedious read. Also, I hoped at the end of the first book that Nathaniel and Kitty would get together. I guess it works out eventually, but by this time Nathaniel is such an inlikable character that I was feeling sorry for Kitty.

I ended up putting this book down 100 pages in. I'm sorry, I usually finish books, but this one was just too much. It wasn't the length that bothered me (I've read longer - MUCH longer) it was just the staleness and slowness of the plot. The story just dragged and dragged, and the characters seemed to get worse and worse. I don't see what my family saw in this story. Maybe I missed some big, drastic event on page 101, but with the story going on at its slow, plodding pace, I don't think any power on Earth could have made me press on.

A note about Ptolmey's Gate: My family loved that one, but after reading this book, I quite frankly had no desire to learn more about how unpleasant Nathaniel is.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Bartimaeus trilogy, and this one was even better.

Nathaniel's character is refreshingly awful. He's insanely ambitious, and he's just as bratty as Bartimaeus thinks he is. This makes him much more fun than most goody two shoes heros. I'll take him over Harry Potter any day.

Bartimaeus is what really makes the series great. The parts told from his perspective are always amusing. I do agree with the poster who said that his habit of referring to himself in third person is a little annoying, but it's easy enough to get past. Once I got used to it, I hardly noticed it.

Kitty gets a lot more depth in this book, and she's almost as interesting as Nathaniel. I look forward to reading more about her in book three. She certainly has more of a conscience than Nathaniel does, but she is still far from the traditional Mary-Sue heroine.

While I greatly enjoyed the first book, I literally could not stop reading The Golem's Eye. The entire book was a very fun read, and I strongly recommend it.

The thing that makes these books so interesting to me is the way Jonathan Stroud switches between Nathaniel's and Bartimaeus' (and in this book, Kitty's) points of view. Stroud could have made Bartimaeus a complete snob, but I'm glad that he didn't, because otherwise I wouldn't want to read this series half as much! I used The Golem's Eye for an English project because of the wonderful vocabulary it contains. It COULD have read, "I've no idea," the djinni SAID, but no, it won't. It'll say whatever noise Bartimaeus' current form at the time makes. No doubt about it; The Baritmaeus Trilogy has definitely made it onto my favorites list

This is an excellent book, with solid prose that manages to flow nicely without getting too over the heads of the children it is allegedly intended for. The setting is even darker and gloomier than the first (with an excursion to Prague that is at once hilarious and disturbing), but just as well realized.

The duo of main characters in the first have given way to a trio, but rather than a Harry potter-esque happy little gang, none of these 3 characters like each other, and at times they actively work to destroy each other. morover, none of them are precisely good or precisely evil.

Nathaniel, the hero of the first, is still the closest to being the "main" character. But what is interesting is that of the three, Nathaniel is the closest to being a pure villain. He's brilliant in his own way, but also power hungry, vain, conniving, treacherous and lacking in any real sense of humor. He's more likeable than most of the other magicains (though not by much), but by the end of the book we have the feeling that we are reading about, not the evolution of a hero, but the meteoric rise of a villain. Its as though Harry Potter was told through the eyes of Voldemort, and its a rather ambitious task. Nathaniel isn't likeable, but he's interesting.

Bartimaeus makes a triumphant return, and though he appears less than in the first, not only are his sparkling wit and antihero status intact, but he undergoes some interesting development in this book. His talks with Nathaniel are priceless and sad at once, as we sense Bartimaeu's resignation and disappointment over Nathaniel's slow decent into evil.

Kitty is the newest character, and the closest to a "good" guy as the story has. She's part of a resistance movement which we initially believe to be the good guys, but who tun out to be nothing quite so noble. Nevertheless, Kitty emerges as a fiery, likeable young revolutionary, and a much more interesting opponent for Nathaniel than the one the book eventually leads us too. The meeting of the two is fascinating, as despite Nathaniel's brilliance and power, Kitty still manages to more than hold her own.

If you want nothing more than the first book rehashed, this may dissapoint. But if a tale of grey morality devoid of clear villains or good guys, set in a fascinating setting and populated with brilliantly drawn characters appeals to you, pick this up.

Where Potter is sweet, Mandrake is amoral. And the differences continue. Comparisons are a waste of time. Stroud creates a universe unlike any contemporary fantasy/fiction I've encountered before. A marvelous blend of historical "faction" packed with the disarming wit of Bartimaeus is a joy. The author changes the narrative voice expertly and effectively. The children are bright but arrogant and flawed... just like children! The magicians occupy a class that is remarkably closed and petty. I'm never sure this is a book for younger readers as Stroud happyily throws in cultural references that speak to the extensive reader. It all works. This book and its prequel are among the best reads I've had in a while.

I know that this trilogy is regarded as among the best in the business as far as young adult magic books are concerned, and I will admit that it is fairly unique and creates an interesting magical world, albeit closer to true Wiccan or demonic magic than the lighter Harry Potter or Septimus Heap are willing to take on. However, I find myself having an incredibly difficult time getting through the thick prose (and even the clever and fun subnotes written at the bottom) in order to get to the real meat of the story. Barteimaeus and Nathaniel are both great characters, and Bartimeaus is especially fun because even though he's not the biggest or most powerful demon, he's certainly clever, and reminds me a lot of Aladdin, which is a character type we could use more of, especially lately since most of our modern heroes seem to be reluctant at best, and are usually petulant and whiney. How boring is that?

Anyway, all that said, the trilogy lives up to all the hype, but I don't find myself enjoying the read as much as I would anticipate. I recommend this trilogy, but with the caveat that you may find yourself in the same position, wading through the prose in the attempt of getting lost in a fun story.

-Lindsey Miller, [...]

What is it with kid's writers and trilogies these days, anyway? Its as if they've each signed some kind of three-book contract, or something. Anyway, this set of books have something that, for all their greatness, the trilogies of Pullman and Nix do not: a sharp, witty, sarcastic sense of humour: all pouring forth from a demon (a Djinni to be precise) by the name of Bartimaeus. He's the single best character (with possibly the exception of Pullman's Lyra) ever to appear in children's fiction. He's sly, deceitful and as sharp as a box full of pins, needles, knives and assorted razorblades. And the world Stroud creates, well, its superb. If JK Rowling has you picturing a world populated by wizards with a dewy-eyed sentimentality (ahh, newspapers with pictures that move. Oh, travelling by fire!!! How lovely...etc) then Stroud will dissolve all this with just one comment from Bartimaeus: the long time slave of wizards, who rule Stroud's alternative version of London with a haughty dictatorship (Not unlike the current UK govenment, really).

I enjoyed the first book of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, but I have to admit to being disappointed in the second installment. Mr. Stroud receives high marks for a well-conceived world with a believable history (except for the bit about the Americas...not sure I buy the 'uninhabited wasteland'). Where his story fails is in his lack of likable characters. I found little to admire in any of the characters in this book, even Kitty, who was far and away my favorite. As many others have said, there is little sense of urgency about any of the events in the book, and I found myself looking forward to the bits narrated by Bartimaeus (even if it meant I had to put up with Nathaniel as well) simply to relieve the humdrum of the plot. Having said all that, there are hints that things will turn around in the final installment, and I will most likely read it--once the library gets a copy, that is.

After reading the first book in the series I fell in love with Bartimaeus and his biting wit. I had to read the next one ( well listen to actaully, I heard the audio tape whic I reccomend strongly) and I think it's just as fabulous. Stroud keeps you on your toes with every twist. I felt just as sorry at the end of this book as the last that the dynamic duo had to part and the adventure had to end. I'm not sure what I'll do when I finish the last book. I recommend this to anyone. I'm 18 and I enjoyed every moment of it, and I'm sure that adults and children alike will appreciate this book.

Stroud amazingly lets us feel the emotions of all the characters so that at once we feel sorry for Nathanial and somewhat despise his ways and also pity his lust for power. Ahhh, excellent writing.

When I read the first book of this masterpiece trilogy I thought nothing could ever top it, but I was soon proven wrong by the brilliant sequel "The Golem's Eye" that might just be better than the original. Jonathan Stroud's story of a cold,dark London ruled by ruthless,backstabbing magicians was quite the thriller. With Nathaniel the newly titled assistant to head of Internal Affairs,now fourteen is struggling with the weight of the resistance and crime filling London. Yet now he is appointed to his most challenging task yet he must stop a mysterious creature that has left police undermanned and magicians out of ideas. Terrorising London, Nathaniel must stop the beast and destroy its source of power. With the help of his old djinni Bartimaeus the quick witted and troublesome servant, he sets off on his quest. Meanwhile a new character enters the fray of the story. Kitty a member of the notorious resistance begins to discover a massive plot that might accomplish the resistance's main goal of anti-magical rule. Set in mysterious places from the cold streets of London's ghetto to the well paved roads of magician's villlas and all the way to dreary Prague, Londons long fought enemy of state. Join in on this rollercoaster ride of a tale on which Kitty's, Nathaniel's and Bartimaeus's fate will all collide. Will they stop the treacherous monster from destroying London or will it and its mysterious master complete their diabolical plot? Be there to see the explosive ending of the sequel and possibly the electric beginning of another.

I was looking forward to this book, since I thoroughly enjoyed the first in the series. I'm happy to see so many great reviews. The writing was wonderful and strong. I just didn't think it was as good as the first one. Bartemus's character is wonderfully put together and it is easy for the reader to see that he is wise (how can he not be with all those years behind him). Unfortunately, Nat has is growing to become snobbish and conceited. I wished for a bit more action and flow of writing, which is why I gave it four instead of five stars.

Though the trilogy is marketed as a children's book, I liked the 1st one quite a lot. It was like Harry Potter without the fluff and gave a view from the demon's side, and a witty demon he was. So I wanted to read this book, the 2nd of the 3, but soon found out it was not like the 1st at all. We no longer have the lighthearted djinni nor do we feel a liking for Nat. This time around, the magicians are suddenly the root of all that it wrong with the Empire: they're fat, lazy, greedy, and have put up a police state to protect themselves and their rule from the "commoners", and Nat is now one of them.
In addition, in order to show what the commoners have to endure, the readers must now endure hundreds of pages of Kitty's side of the story. And it bloats the novel to well over 500 pages. By the end we don't know who the good guys are; certainly not the magicians, maybe not the commoners who have done nothing more noble than steal and use magic, causing death and destruction all over London; if anything we wonder if the 3rd book will give the demon some more leeway to be a force in his own right: after all, it's The Bartimaeus Trilogy, not The Nathaniel Trilogy.
Much too dark, brooding, serious, and preachy; and too long by at least 100 pages. I just hope the 3rd book is more like the 1st, with more demonic humor and Nathaniel (now John Mandrake) as a character we can empathize with once again. I was sort of glad to get through this one.

Jeez, it took me forever to get through this book. Not so much because it's long but because it's soooo boring and has far too many slow parts. It actually became quite embarressing as people thought I was a retard struggling to read some kids book for months. But, truth be told, I was just never motivated to read it because it's a real drag.

Set a few years after the first Nathaniel is now working in Parliament and is surrounded by backstabbers and bloated, pompous fools. And he is NOT the same character he was in the first book. He is now an evil wretch just like those awful Magicians who tormented him before. So, right away our partial narrator is on our bad side and the character flip-flop kind of throws us off.

The Resistence is still a big problem and are the main suspects when a huge golem starts tearing up London. Nathaniel promptly summons Bartimaeus once more (much too Barty's annoyance) to help track down who is really behind the descruction.

Instead of being strictly a two-part story between Bartimaeus and Nathaniel we now have the inclusion of a new narrative from Kitty (the Resistence girl briefly included in the first). Her story is initially intriguing as her life is destroyed by a corrupt Magician but, along with everything, it isn't dealt with in any sense of urgency.

What could have been interesting ends up being very dull, very slow and even more boring as the story drags and lulls with every chance it can get. Stroud is just way too descriptive of stuff that doesn't matter. And his subtext and subplot is pretty obvious commentary on class wars, current world affairs, terrorism, Superpowers out of control, fascism etc. Ironically, he's never really descriptive of important points in this particular universe. Only towards the end do we discover that America is still an uninhabited land with few Native Tribes scattered across the continent (the good old days) and Britain is still the ruler of the world more or less.

Quite simply, the book is too long. For a good 200 pages the plot threatens to keel over and die as Nathaniel travels to Prague to meet an undercover agent and blah, blah, blah. Practially NOTHING happens in this part of the book. Far, far too much time is spent describing nothing important and I frequently wondered if anything interesting was going to happen. It never really did.

Only read if you are an absolute DIE HARD fan of the first. Otherwise, stay away. I will only read the third if it is shorter and leaner and, most imporantly, TO THE POINT!

The sharp-tongued djinn of "Amulet of Samarkand" returns in the second book of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy. It's a solid fantasy romp with some sharp social commentary and chilling wizardry, but it suffers from somewhat less of the delightfully observant Bartimaeus.

It's been two years since budding magician Nathaniel summoned the djinn Bartimaeus, and the two ended up enmeshed in a bizarre conspiracy. Now Nathaniel is working his way up in the world of politics and magic, with the sardonic Bartimaeus as his servant. But then the two end up in another hair-raising adventure -- a golem is attacking people in London, and Nathaniel is trying to find out who sent it, and why.

Meanwhile, the resistance against the magicians is growing, and the golem is supposedly an instrument against the magicians. But that isn't quite the case. Instead, a fiery young resistance member, Kitty, is doing some plotting of a very different sort -- and her plans will bring her neck-to-neck with Nathaniel and Bartimaeus.

Stroud takes readers to a parallel world where England is ruled not by bluebloods, but by wizards. It's not a new idea, but he gives it a new spin by wrapping it in political power as well as magic. If the backstabbing mage's world of the first book wasn't chilling enough, Stroud presents the eerie Night Police in this one.

Stroud's writing is solid and detailed, with plenty of gloomy atmosphere and the occasional hair-raising episode. Perhaps the biggest flaw of this book is that the action more often than not focuses on Nathaniel rather than the cynically lovable Bartimaeus. However, it's to Stroud's credit that he can make the intricate political plotting so interesting, while mixing in some grimly funny magic as well.

Nathaniel is still a flawed anti-hero, like Harry Potter's more ambitious cousin. While he's a passable lead character, the one who really steals all the scenes is Bartimaeus. He doesn't appear nearly enough, but his acerbic observations tend to be right on the money. And Kitty is a more likable person than Nathaniel, with a bit more fire in her personality.

The sequel to "Amulet of Samarkand" suffers from a lack of djinn, but Jonathan Stroud manages to keep it going at a steady pace. "The Golem's Eye" is a creepy fantasy read, for anyone seeking something a bit darker and deeper than Harry Potter.

I didn't think it could be possible, but Jonathan Stroud's second part of his Bartimaeus Trilogy exceeds the greatness of the first book. Denser and much more intricately plotted, the story centers much more on Kitty, the young girl at the center of the Resistance movement, who was seen briefly in "The Amulet..." Set two years later Nathaniel is now working for the government, and becoming quite full of himself.When someting begins to destroy cherished parts of London, Nathaniel is enlisted to uncover what's behind it; A task he can't do without the help of a wise djinni he's used before. Like other reviewers I also wished Bartimaeus had more page time as his role is greatly diminished, but it doesn't detract from what a great book this is. Highly recommended.

I found this to be a greatly enjoyable book. Bartimaeus is one of the most delightful characters ever created. His constant whit and disdainful view of the human world makes this book a whole lot of fun, while at the same time occasionally hinting and providing interesting parallels to the world we live in today. All the characters in this book are well developed and described as the mysteries and adventures of this magical world unfold.

In the sequel to the Amulet of Samurkand, Stroud takes us deep into the real world of the magicans. Nathaniel, now a prominent member of the government and society, must quickly learn how to survive in this world of greed, power, and betrayal, by becoming the spitting image of his disgraceful colleagues. So Nathaniel is put in charge of investigating the Resistance, and their alleged humiliating attacks on the britsh government, with the help of the witty and charming Bartimaeus. But while he's trying so desperately to keep in good favor with the big dogs, the resistance is organizing their largest (and possibly the most humiliating) attack on the British government ever. Kitty, a member of the Resistance, becomes the focal point of Nathaniel's anger and bitterness as everything intensifies to one final effort. Will the Resistance succeed, and if so what becomes of Nathaniel? If they don't? Well read it. Stroud reaches a whole new level of darkness with this second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. It's a page turner, to the max. So all of you that said it's a Harry Potter do-over. Think again.

The Golem's Eye By, Jonathan Stroud

Nathaniel 14-year-old magician already rising in government at such a young age and is filled with talent. As more and more problems occur for the government his job gets harder so he decides to call on an old friend...

Bartimaes Djinn who is expecting to rest from the world is pulled back into what he left long ago. He is mad at the person he has hated for so long that now brought him back. He tries to find a way to get back to his rest.

Kitty Jones has recently entered into the world of trouble. Getting into a fight with a magician ruins her life and her friend for a long time. Then she gets her chance to fight back...

This story takes place in London before the American Revolution. These characters above are the main characters of this story. They are thrown together to form a tantalizing tale of treachery, loyalty, and justice. Nathaniel is put on the case of the elusive resistance, a magician-hating group, his job is to find them and wipe them out. The resistance is growing ever more bold in their quest to make a magician free government.

Then a new threat arrives more terrible then ever before as the resistance tries to catch up with it and befalls a terrible tragedy.... This book is sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand. This thrilling story takes is great for boys ages 8 to 14.