Wonderfully creative and absolutely humorous

books:

	• The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) Jonathan Stroud Disney-Hyperion, 2006 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 144 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Wonderfully creative and absolutely humorous

To my pleasure, I have finally been able to read the next book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Sequels are often a disappointment, but The Golem's Eye succeeds where others have failed.

In the last book, twelve-year-old Nathanial was forced from his parents and raised by a low-class wizard named Arthur Underwood, who treated the boy with distain. After secretly growing in knowledge--so not to be chastised by his master--Nathanial was one day treated poorly by one of the man's guests, Simon Lovelace. With the help of a djinni named Bartimaeus, Nathanial finds out that Lovelace is up to more than the boy bargained for.

Story overview:

Two years after the defeat of Lovelace, Nathanial finds himself in a prominent position at Internal Affairs. When put in charge of tracking down the Resistance, he finds himself in a bind. Not only is he unable to discover who they are, but a new mystery appears and he is stuck trying to solve it.

After many attempts to summon efficient djinni, he turns to Bartimaeus as a last resort. Since this particular djinni knows his true name, it comes as a great risk to Nathanial, however, they agree to work together for a specific amount of time (with Bartimaeus prepared to divulge the boy's true name soon afterwards.)

Discovering that the second threat is a Golem controlled by an unknown wizard, Nathanial finds himself in a tough position. Not only does the community of wizards not believe him, but he ends up trying to prevent himself from becoming their scapegoat. Unfortunately for him, it gets worse before it gets better and Nathanial does all he can do to keep his head above water (literally.) Kitty--the last living member of the Resistance--ends up crossing paths with Nathanial and the unexpected results surprise them both.

My thoughts:

I love the twist of making wizards in general the bad guys. Something not often tackled in fantasy. Kitty seems to have taken the place of Nathanial at "good guy," as Nathanial has gone down the corrupt and self-seeking path of wizardry. I have yet to read the third book (is there hope for Nathanial yet?) but so far, I would say this is my favorite trilogy of the year. Wonderfully creative and absolutely humorous, I caught myself laughing out loud as I did in the first book. It did seem to me as if the beginning of the book was a little slower than the first one; there is more back-story, but if you keep with it you will see how necessary it is, after all, a minor character from the first book has become a huge part of the second. Kitty even has her own point-of-view along with Nathanial and Bartimaeus. Great character interactions and storytelling. A+, five stars, I cannot say enough.

Things to consider:

Overall, a really clean story. No foul language other than the occasional mention of a character cursing, no sexual situations or inappropriate references, and nothing that a sound believer would/should consider compromising. As I mentioned in the last book, the references towards demons is purely represented as a human misconception in the story. They are a type of fantasy spirit mentioned in old tales such as Aladdin's lamp. There are some deaths and situations of violence that may be considered a little frightful for younger children, but overall I'd say preteen (tween) plus, the plus being adults too. Good for girls and boys, this one being a little more girl friendly than the last.

James D. Maxon

Author of, "The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1440485275

Manga and speculative fiction reviewer:
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Not exactly what I was hoping for

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, [...]

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Reviews from Brizmus Blogs Books

Because of how much I love love LOVED the first book in this trilogy, I was SO hoping to be able to give this book five stars, and in the beginning, I thought I was going to be able to. Bartimaeus was back, with the same hilarious and sarcastic whit. He was everything the first book brought us to expect and then some.
Unfortunately, Bartimaeus's point of view is severely underrepresented in this second volume. Stroud puts way too much focus on Nathaniel who, despite being the main character, has gone from just somewhat unlikable to completely unlikable, and this adds a little bit too much gloom to the already gloomy atmosphere of the book.
Luckily, Stroud also spends a great deal of time focusing on Kitty, a fiery, feisty girl who plays a major role in the resistance. She is completely likable and allows us to see everything from an outsider point of view.
Jonthan Stroud's writing is strong, his story intricate, complex, and exciting. One of the amazing things accomplished in this book is that it is almost impossible for the reader to decide whose side they are on. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? It's hard to tell.
While there were a couple parts that lagged and while I think a bit more Bartimaeus would have made it a bit more readable, this book was awesome for what it was, and the world Stroud creates is vivid and fascinating and something about which I am excited to read more.
Who Should Read This Book? Anyone into teen fantasy with a bit of second degree humor; any adult looking for a dark, funny, pseudo-light but kind-of deep read with demons, magic, and politics.

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one of the best i"ve read!

I loved the bartimaeus trilogy...and Golem's eye is no exception...there's slightly less bartimaeus here, but only because Kitty's storyline is intertwining and that's a good thing. Go buy this series...you won't be disappointed!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Now in paperback -- the exciting second volume in the critically acclaimed series -- a New York Times best seller in hardcover for sixteen weeks.

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