Product Description

Two years have passed since the events of The Amulet of Samarkand and the young magician Nathaniel is rising fast through the government ranks. But his career is suddenly threatened by a series of terrifying crises. A dangerous golem makes random attacks on London and other raids, even more threatening, are perpetrated by the Resistance. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus travel to Prague, enemy city of ancient magic, but while they are there uproar breaks out at home and Nathaniel returns to find his reputation in tatters. Can he rescue it from his Machiavellian adversaries in the government bent on his destruction? This title is a thrilling sequel in which the relationship between the young magician and the djinni remains as teasing and complex as ever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10917 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Review
The alternating perspective between the three central character add depth, detail and humour to the action-packed thrills. - The Times; Wittily written with amusing footnotes, this is an exciting page-turner of a sequel. - Birmingham Post; "Another sophisticated, sardonic satire... It is a fast-paced, frightening and funny and you don't want it to end." - The Bookseller; A vast plum pudding of a novel that improves with each mouthful. - The Independent; Fresh, downbeat, witty and wise, this novel is a worthy sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand. - TES

From the Back Cover
'A vast plum pudding of a novel that improves with each mouthful' INDEPENDENT
In The Amulet of Samarkand the young magician Nathaniel won wide acclaim for his daring exploits in saving the powerful jewel for the government; now he seems set to continue his meteoric rise through the ministerial ranks.
But the mysterious Resistance inflicts terrifying destruction on London, and soon Nathaniel's job and his very life are under threat, not only from the elusive Kitty and her companions, but from an unknown and bewildering source. Nathaniel is forced to embark on a perilous mission to the enemy city of Prague and to summon once again the troublesome, enigmatic and quick-witted djinni, Bartimaeus.
A roller-coaster ride of magic, adventure and political skulduggery in which the fates of Nathaniel, Bartimaeus and Kitty explosively collide.
Now available in Doubleday hardback
PTOLEMY'S GATE
Part III of the Bartimaeus Trilogy.

About the Author
Jonathan Stroud was born in Bedford and grew up in St Albans. He studied at York university. He has a strong background in children's books -working at Walker, in their Game Book and Non-Fiction departments and Kingfisher Publications, editing children's non-fiction. He has written and edited a number of game books and non-fiction titles for Walker Books and had three novels published by The Bodley Head before writing the Bartimaeus trilogy. Jonathan now lives in St. Albans with his wife and small daughter.

Customer Reviews

Bartimaeus Trilogy - Part Two
After thoroughly enjoying 'The Amulet of Samarkand' I was eager to read the next instalment of Nathaniel's adventures - so much so, I managed to get hold of an advance proof copy. Unfortunately, I have to admit that, to begin with, I was a little disappointed - and for the first 100-150 pages I came close to putting it aside. However, I stuck with it and finally started to enjoy it almost as much as I had part one.

I've tried to analyse why I found it something of a chore initially, and concluded there were two possible problems. Firstly, Bartimaeus, whose witty voice added so much humour to the first book seemed to be somewhat underused. I always felt that in book one, it was his chapters that really sparkled - so hearing less of him was certainly a disappointment. I suspected that the prologue was added to inject a bit of excitement and start the book from Bartimaeus's point of view, instead of waiting a hundred or so pages for him to appear - but otherwise, it added little to the overall story. Instead we have new narrator, Kitty - and although, at first, I found her a dull substitute for the djinn, it was eventually her part of the story that held my interest and kept me reading. I warmed to her in a way I never managed with Nathaniel.

The second problem was that Nathaniel seemed even less likeable than in book one. Whereas, in 'The Amulet of Samarkand' he had some redeeming features and won the reader's sympathy by being the underdog - in this book he seemed cold, hard and very unsympathetic. I realise that he has to have some kind of emotional growth curve over the series and will, no doubt, learn from his mistakes - but I would've preferred him to be a little easier to relate to; after all, he is the main character.

In retrospect, I decided that I enjoyed the book, despite my early doubts - and look forward to the next instalment.

Wonderful
After reading the Amulet of Samarkand I couldnt wait for the next installment, The Golems Eye. Noting it was released in the US a month ahead of the UK I had to get a copy, well done Amazon for making the US version available. Jonathan Stroud has done it again and has delivered another cracking installment. The style of telling the story from different characters perspective works just as well as it did before in Amulet, this time there being another view, in that of Kitty from the Resistance. There are still the wonderful asides from Bartimaeus the Djinni which made me laugh out loud. The story is set a couple of years after Amulet with Nathaniel now in post in the Government with responsibility to crush the resistance movement. He is now absorbed into the Magicians culture, mimicking their foppish dress code, and enjoying the benefits of power, all of which provides plenty of ammunition for the irreverent Bartimaeus to exploit. What unfolds is just as good as Amulet, with intrigue and dirty dealings to the fore, and Demons by the dozen. London is being terrorised by a new unknown adversary, and finding himself with a major headache Nathaniel turns once again to Bartimaeus. With the resistance seeking more power, colleagues in Government looking to stab each other in the back, a "thing" on the rampage, the story never flags and I couldnt put it down. Yet again I am left wanting more, and cant wait for The Other Place, shame it wont be out until Oct 05, how will I survive the wait??? Amulet will soon be out in Paperback and I will watch with interest as to how this does in the best sellers list, as it seems to be an undiscovered treasure to date. Wonderful inventive stuff, and I cant get enough of it!

Bartimaeus II : The Commoners Strikes Back !
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".