Bartimaeus Trilogy (plus one)

The Amulet of Samarkand
The Golem's Eye
Ptolemy's Gate
The Ring of Solomon
by Jonathan Stroud
Summer 2011


Madeline had been telling me to read this series and I finally did. What actually hooked me on them was the audiobook. The reading, by Simon Jones, is just fantastic. Bartimaeus, the 5,000 djinni is a sarcastic, egotistical, egocentric troublemaker. He is also charming and hilarious. To me, most of the charm comes from Jones' voice. He is and always will be Bartimaeus to me.

The trilogy involves Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice who summons Bartimaeus all on his own. He's smart enough to have made a foolproof plan for keeping the djinni from breaking the power Nathaniel has over him. It's a good thing, because Bartimaeus really doesn't like the boy. But it's his duty to serve his master.

The books are set in an alternate reality London where the government is run by magicians and common folk are considered to be inferior humans, fit only for manual labor and menial jobs. The chapters alternate between Bartimaeus and Nathaniel, the djinni's being told in first person and the magician's in third person. It's weird, but it works somehow.

Nathaniel has a great desire to become a great magician and to rise to the highest level of government. The problem is, he's not cut out to be part of the greedy, cut-throat world of magicians. The three books of the trilogy takes Nathaniel through that journey and follows Kitty, a commoner, in her quest to change the balance of power.

There's so much involved in these three books it would be difficult to describe it all.

The fourth book, a prequel to the series takes place during the time of Solomon, king of Israel and master of an extremely powerful magical token - a ring. Asmira, captain of the guard in Sheba, is sent to assassinate Solomon and take possession of the ring. Bartimaeus becomes involved as the slave of one of Solomon's magicians.

I loved these books. I hope that Stroud continues to write more and that Simon Jones continues to read them. With Bartimaeus' 5,000 year history, Jonathan Stroud certainly has lots of material from which to draw.



The fabulous Simon Jones

Heroes of the Valley

by Jonathan Stroud
finished June 30, 2010


Madeline told me to read this book. She loved it. Jonathan Stroud is one of her favorite authors. He also wrote the Bartimeus Trilogy.

I really enjoyed it. It's a fantasy, but reads more like an imaginary historical novel. It's set in a kind of medieval viking era, in a secluded valley. The fantastical elements are spoken of, but don't really make an appearance until late in the book.

The heroes of the valley are brave men who settled the land. There are villages or houses named after them - Svein's house and Hakkon's house are the two that drive the plot. Halli Sveinsson is an unlikely hero, but he longs to be one like Svein, the hero of the many sagas and tales he has been told throughout his life. But there's little hope of a life of adventure for Halli. He's a second son and will not inherit any post of responsibility or authority in his house. He is also short of stature and not very handsome. The way he's described, I believe Halli must be a dwarf. Not in the mythical sense, but an actual "little person." He's laughed at and ignored most of the time, which makes him act out. He's often in trouble and that's where the trouble begins.
Halli is forbidden to join the Festival - a time when people of many houses gather at one house for eating, drinking and other activities. Because he isn't dressed in his festival wear, he's mistaken for a servant by a member of the Hakkonson family and treated badly. In retaliation, he nearly poisons the young man and starts a feud which ends in murder. Halli seeks revenge and sets out on a life changing adventure.

Halli's greatest desire is to be the hero of this adventure. He dreams of one day being as great as the heroes of the valley who defeated the deadly Trows - creatures who live beyond the hills and the reason no one can leave the valley. The heroes of old have been buried in cairns around the perimeter of the valley in order to guard against the Trows. Halli meets up with Aud, a girl from another house, who tries to convince him that the Trows and the stories of the old heroes are just fairy tales.

Jonathan Stroud has us wavering back and forth like Halli. Are the Trows real? Should Halli and Aud travel beyond the cairns? The answer to these questions is the most gripping and thrilling part of the book.

Good book suggestion, Madeline!