The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) (Bk. 2) | Jonathan Stroud

The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) (Bk. 2) | Jonathan Stroud | Indescribable

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The Golem's Eye (T...

	The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) (Bk. 2) Jonathan Stroud Miramax, 2006 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 137 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Nathaniel, Kitty and Bartimaeus duke it out!

Having successfully thwarted Simon Lovelace's ill-fated conspiracy in "The Amulet of Samarkand", Nathaniel is "adopted" by Jessica Whitwell, Security Minister in Britain's dark and oppressive government by magic and begins life anew in "The Golem's Eye". Recognized as an up and coming hotshot young magician, Nathaniel (known only as John Mandrake to his colleagues) is appointed the youngest ever Assistant to the Head of Internal Affairs and charged with the elimination of the bothersome Resistance. Nathaniel, initially cocky and confident that he can rid the government of this pesky Resistance problem in short order discovers he is up against sterner stuff than he had anticipated.

Deadly sharks, senior ministers in the government intensely angry and jealous of Nathaniel's rising star, circle quickly and close in for the kill as Nathaniel runs into roadblocks and fails to shut down the Resistance as ordered. Kitty and her fellow Resistance members seem uncannily able to thwart Nathaniel's best efforts at every turn. Nathaniel's future and, indeed, his very life seem in jeopardy when a Golem runs on a destructive rampage through London. Everyone except Nathaniel is convinced that the Resistance is behind the unleashing of the Golem and blame quickly falls on Nathaniel for the continuing mayhem.

The fast-paced narrative shifts point of view with every chapter, rotating from Nathaniel through Kitty, the young fiery heroine who lives life on the run with her fellow Resistance members, and Bartimaeus, the acerbic, witty djinni who continues to regale us with his clever, barbed but dead on point observations. Even though Stroud has produced a plot that never flags and pulls us along at an almost breakneck pace, "The Golem's Eye" is still a much darker, gloomier, minutely detailed and more atmospheric novel than its predecessor. The dominant theme is very clearly the corrupting influences of power, ambition and greed and the reader is left mourning flawed Nathaniel's fall from grace wondering whether he can find the moral strength and intestinal fortitude to re-assert himself as the fine young man we left far behind in "The Amulet of Samarkand".

Despite this rather more gothic approach to the story than its predecessor, readers need not worry that Stroud has lost his flair for comedy. Footnotes, while not quite as plentiful as in the first novel, are still a veritable fountain of wit. One scene in particular in which Bartimaeus destroys an incredibly valuable artifact in the British Museum thinking it to be merely a sign with a set of written rules for the museum patrons is laugh out loud hilarious.

The resolution of the plot line revolving around Gladstone's magical staff and the rampaging Golem provide a perfect opportunity for Stroud to bring this particular novel to a close. But it is quite clear that Nathaniel, now reduced to the status of a failing anti-hero, and Kitty, the charming yet resolute young commoner and apparently sole survivor of her Resistance cell will butt heads once again with Bartimaeus who, for the moment, has been dismissed to his spirit world.

"Ptolemy's Gate" awaits although I'm not sure I can!

Paul Weiss

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Indescribable

This book is amazing.

If you haven't yet read this book, please refrain from reading further, as it contains spoilers. Go read the book instead. Only, read the first book, the Amulet of Samarkand, first.

First of all, I love the way that when Stroud took away Nathaniel's morals, he created a character, a GIRL, who had a strong will and a good heart.

Second of all, I love the way Bartimaeus saved Jakob and Kitty at the end. I think that this shows that he can have a soft spot, even though he probably only did it for his own gain.

I am hoping that in the next book, Nathaniel might summon a tasteful and cool female djinn. Of course, he will have to summon Bartimaeus again. I look forward to his wit.

Oh, and if I could, I would give these books 1,000 stars.

These books are incredible. I'm off to start number three.

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Lessons on fighting the system, for the youth.

I loved the first book so much I had to start this right away (even though I have tons of books waiting to be read). I was wary of the idea of the resistance in the first book coming more into play in the second--wondering if stroud was going to go down the liberal road of bashing governments and extoling the virtues of anti-government retorict (yeah, it's deep for a kids book, but it's lots of fun still for younger kids). Thankfully, Stroud points out that resistance is inherently flawed, leading to an outcome that changes nothing except for the people in the "power" positions.

With that said, the book was wonderfully done. Showing Nathaniels decent into the world of government and power while showing Kitty doing the same in the resistance. Neither truly understanding what it is that they are searching for, in life. The story takes Nate to Europe and Kitty into the bowels of the government. Both discover the danger that awaits and are surprised to find out who's side the danger is coming from.

If 1/10th of the adult writers possesed the skill of Stroud, many more adults would read. Happily give this to your child, as it will not only entertain but teach at the same time. I listened to the book on cd and was stunned by Simon Jones' near perfect rendition of the dozens of voices. Check it out if you get sick of listening to those blathering radio DJs.

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Fantastic and Heartbreaking

The book picks up some time after the first book ended. Nathanial is now a big part of the government, and his childhood innocence is all but gone. I was dissapointed that Nathanial had become so corrupt, but I was dissapointed in the character, not the book. The way that the characters get under your skin is one of the best parts of the series.
Bartimaeus is witty and hilarious as usual. Like the first book, chapters alternate from different characters' stories, but the addition of the new character, Kitty, divides the book into three stories (all of which tie together eventually) rather than two, which took too much time away from Bartimaeus.
Altogether fantastic. The series is my favorite series of all time.

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Better than the first.

I read the Amulet of Samarkand a few years ago, and I just realized this came out shortly afterward so I picked it up. The beginning is extremely slow and it takes a while for anything to happen, its mostly bureaucratic nonsense. Midway through the book, however things begin to heat up and we are set up for a good adventure. This book is slightly better than the first, mostly due to the addition of Kitty and her story, which I liked better than Nathaniel's or Bartimaeus`. Like the first book, it stands alone as its own story, but its clear there is to be a sequel or some sort of conclusion to the story as a whole, which I always enjoy in series books. In terms of the characters, Bartimaeus is more likeable than the first book, in which I wasn't crazy about him for some reason. Nathaniel is less likeable and really quite a jackass. Kitty is my favorite character, she is the run of the mill self-sacrificing heroine of the story, but you still love her.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, of appropriate age, interested in fantasy. I don't think its appropriate for anyone under say, 11, 12 ish, but its good for all others.

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