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The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus #2)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 32,792 ratings · 943 reviews

At only fourteen, Nathaniel is a rising star: a young magician who is quickly climbing the ranks of the government. There is seemingly nothing he cannot handle, until he is asked to deal with the growing Resistance movement, which is disrupting London life with its thefts and raids. It’s no easy task: the ringleader Kitty and her friends remain elusive, and Nathaniel’s job...more

Paperback, 562 pages

Published January 1st 2006 by Miramax (first published September 1st 2004)

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May 05, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

He's rude. He's surly. He won't hesitate to tell you when your haircut looks stupid. And in over 5000 years, he's seen some bad haircuts. I'm talking about my favorite djinni, Bartimaeus, back in book two of his young adult fantasy trilogy.

THE GOLEM'S EYE is an excellent sequel to the first book in the series, THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND. In the first book, we meet Bartimaeus, an ancient creature of enormous power that can best be described as a ty...more Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

He's rude. He's surly. He won't hesitate to tell you when your haircut looks stupid. And in over 5000 years, he's seen some bad haircuts. I'm talking about my favorite djinni, Bartimaeus, back in book two of his young adult fantasy trilogy.

THE GOLEM'S EYE is an excellent sequel to the first book in the series, THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND. In the first book, we meet Bartimaeus, an ancient creature of enormous power that can best be described as a type of demon. Unfortunately, he and all of his kind hate the word demon. He classifies himself as a djinni, so we'll just go with that for the purposes of this review. Why annoy anyone who can shoot magical firebolts at you, right? Anyway, Bartimaeus, and other creatures like him, are summoned by human magicians to do their bidding. Needless to say, this forced servitude, or slavery, is not popular with the servants, so they do their best to turn the tables on their human masters whenever possible.

Enter Nathaniel, a boy who is in training to become a powerful magician. In book one of the series, he summons Bartimaeus from the netherworld and an involuntary partnership begins. In THE GOLEM'S EYE, young Nathaniel again finds himself in need of the djinni's aid, so he again turns to reluctant Bartimaeus. This time, a revolutionary group is blowing things up in London, which may or may not be related to a series of unusual occurrences that have the police stumped. Nathaniel feels that his career would take off if he can solve these crimes. But the stakes are high because he knows that his career, and possibly his life, are in jeopardy if he fails.

A key part of THE GOLEM'S EYE storyline centers on the activities of a London resistance group that is fighting to overthrow the magicians' government. Nathaniel's inability to track down these criminals is part of the reason he needs Bartimaeus's help. Of course, the djinni has little interest in helping magicians maintain their dominance. After all, they're the ones who continually force him and his kind into servitude. This conflict of interest makes for some entertaining scenes and conversations.

If you have not read THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND, I strongly recommend you pick that one up before diving into THE GOLEM'S EYE. Technically, you don't have to read the first one, but there is an awful lot of background you will miss if you don't. Plus, it's really fun.

Normally I find myself disappointed in sequels. Somehow they never seem to live up the expectations established by the original. But in this case, I was pleasantly surprised. This book is full of excitement, political intrigue, and humor. Bartimaeus is back with all of his cheeky comments, and there are plenty of thrills to go around. Overall, a great book. (less)

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Jan 05, 2010 Harun Harahap rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: punya, anak-hingga-remaja, fiksi, terjemahan

Setelah membaca buku ini, saya akhirnya memahami bahwa:

1. Daya tarik buku ini sangat terletak pada Bartimeus, bukan tokoh-tokoh lainnya termasuk Nathaniel. Di buku ini saya merasa Bartimeusnya jarang hadir dan dibicarakan, khususnya pada bagian satu. Akibatnya adalah cerita ini berlangsung dengan tegang karena Kenarsisan dan Kekonyolan Bartimeus yang kurang ditonjolkan seperti pada buku pertama. Catatan kaki yang biasanya membuat saya tertawa terbahak-bahak sekarang lebih sering diisi dengan inf...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Alex Telander rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2004

THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND & THE GOLEM'S EYE BY JONATHAN STROUD: 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 cli...more THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND & THE GOLEM'S EYE BY JONATHAN STROUD: 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 reviews, and author interviews, go to BookBanter.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-recently-in-6th-grade, favorites

CONCLUSION: it was a good read.

First, the book's contents. Each one or two chapters is of a different characters point of view, and the story progressed in a amazing way, with some flash backs and so. The whole point is about a fourteen-year-old magician Nathanial and his tasks and missions being the assistant of the head of internal affairs which concerns a disastrous magical creature and a group of thieves. Kitty, after being wrongly accused, was driven to these criminals and both she, Nathan...more CONCLUSION: it was a good read.

First, the book's contents. Each one or two chapters is of a different characters point of view, and the story progressed in a amazing way, with some flash backs and so. The whole point is about a fourteen-year-old magician Nathanial and his tasks and missions being the assistant of the head of internal affairs which concerns a disastrous magical creature and a group of thieves. Kitty, after being wrongly accused, was driven to these criminals and both she, Nathanial and the djinn Bartimaeus began a terrific adventure. The story, if linked to reality, mentioned how unfair the differences of the rich and poor/ good-looking and not so / normal and abnormal/ young and old... (magicians and commoners or Nathaniel with the other magicians) are, and about the complex feeling of desire for leadership or power ( Nathaniel and Duvall). Also, it explained how important is conscience ( Kitty and Nathaniel) and the laws and judgements ( Kitty).

I didn't even read the first book and I had no trouble reading this second book at all! There is nothing i don't understand and nothing confusing... Jonathan Stroud had done it, whereas the others couldn't. No bewilderment about the planes... the stuff about the government...the idea of a djinn...it's perfect. This technique of explaining some things by a note at the bottom of the page is quite clever too. The writing is just too fabulous.

And I realised something else as well. Stroud here is SO full of WORDS. Even though knowing quite a few words more than people of my age, I filled nearly an entire page of words I've met and said hello in the book but didn't know them enough to start a conversation ( just a little lame metaphor here. skip it if you don't understand it). Here are some examples: flotilla, subjugate, sauerkraut. I do have a vague understanding to some words, of course, but that's probably only because he used them so appropriately.

Next is his WAY of using those words and arranging them into a perfect sentence. Beautiful simile, personification, metaphor...etc. is easy to be perceived. For example : ( ...dishes strewn with sausage scraps, the relics of his afternoon consumption.) , (I didn't like it: too many windows ablaze with the light of the dying sun; it was impossible to tell who might be looking down from them.) ( One moment he was there, the next he was gone, and something heavy was being dragged away from her and down the steps, BUMP, BUMP, BUMP.) ... etc. See? How he used the colons and semicolons, the words and sound effects to his thriller? It's just so magical.

His way of DESCRIBING. I cannot possibly use words to express just how PERFECT he describes his scenes and objects portrayed in them. But maybe he can. Because the way he writes the shadows on the walls and how the illumination produced the shadows are genuine; the way he talks and show the setting's scene to us readers are aesthetic. Believe you me ( that's actually a common phrase used in the book). You might not have noticed so, because Stroud probably kept you quite engaged in the plot and the excellent pacing and the emotional characters. If you look closely-in some parts of course, not all of them- you'll see he sometimes describe the scene as the narrator or main character of a particular chapter's vision. For example, Stroud was describing the spheres of a long shelf... and to guide his next object into the setting, he then wrote-"Kitty shuddered and turned to the main focus of the company's attention-the marble sarcophagus directly below the shelf..." You see, everything was cleverly put.

Last but not the least, AMUSEMENT and HUMOR. That's there, too. It's not only a grim, thrilling tale, but funny occasionally, making you laugh out loud. Bartimaeus is SO funny. He openly produced a fair number of comical scenes and comments. Not gonna tell you what it is in case of spoilers.

CONCLUSION: it was-is-a good-GREAT-read.

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May 14, 2011 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

A good sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand. Bartimaeus is back. And his former, temporary master, Nathaniel. Or, as he is known to everyone else, John Mandrake. Nathaniel. once again, summons the djinni on order to save his career. However things go from bad to worse for Nathaniel. From the Resistance, golems, skeletons and inner enemies amongst other magicians, this duo has their work cut out for them. Also, this story brings in a third perspective. Kitty, the thief leader we briefly met in the f...more

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May 18, 2008 Nilam Suri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nilam by: Roos

Shelves: fantasy, children

ng...

biasa aja euy rasanya. entah ya, si bartimeus emang seru sih, cuma gue ga suka sama nathaniel, dan gue juga nggak suka sama kitty.

i mean, mungkin gue sangat dangkal kali ya, karena mengharapkan tokoh utama yang benar-benar "putih" n nathaniel doesnt fit that description. kalau dibandingin sama harry potter (secara sama2 fantasi) mah jauh...

dan rasanya terlalu banyak konspirasi dan pembahasan politik yang berat, kalau emang buku ini adalah children literature ya.karena biasanya buku2 fantasi...more

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Sep 07, 2008 Benandkaren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, karen-read, bens-read

I maintain that the Bartimaeus books are by and far significantly better than all that Harry Potter stuff (just don't tell Karen I said that). I think it comes from not trying to write a classic... the result is of course a classic.

The Golem's Eye is the second book in this series, where once again there's trouble brewing in London and that annoying Nathaniel summons Bartimaeus to sort things out. In this installment we learn much more about the magical world and get a new POV... Kitty, a member...more

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May 20, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya, favourite

The pace and ideas continue in the second installment of the Bartimaeus Trilogy with The Golem's Eye.

Kitty's character gets more exposure and "page time", while Nathaniel, now a very pompous 14 year old working high up in the government, tries to track her down as leader of the Resistance, and hopefully find a link between her and the giant clay golem trashing London. At risk of making the ruling class (the magicians) look incompetent, a lot of pressure is on Nathaniel's young shoulders.

Bartim...more

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May 09, 2008 Turi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another book in the Bartimaeus series - I really enjoyed the first one, Amulet of Samarkand, so decided to go ahead and plow through the series. Amber was nice enough to lend me her copies, so I didn't have to wait to get them from the library. So this one, The Golem's Eye, continues the story of Nathaniel, a novice magician making his way up the ranks. This time he deals with a traitor within his own government, as well as a resistance movement in the London he lives in. Again: really fun writi...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Clara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I thought it was interesting to learn why Kitty dislikes magicians, and Bartimaeus was hilarious!

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Apr 01, 2009 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Much better than the first book. The demon Bartimaeus is hilarious! Looking forward to Book III!

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Dec 20, 2011 C.e. Crowder rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nathaniel has established himself among the magician's government, and has been placed in charge of containing the Resistance. Scale of the acts of terrorism suggest to him that a greater power than the rebels is afoot, but he needs to prove it - and apprehend the culprit - before his career and freedoms are quenched by his overseers. A large chunk of the story also shifts away from Nathaniel's troubles to introduce Kitty as a new narrator. She presents an insider's perspective of the Resistance...more Nathaniel has established himself among the magician's government, and has been placed in charge of containing the Resistance. Scale of the acts of terrorism suggest to him that a greater power than the rebels is afoot, but he needs to prove it - and apprehend the culprit - before his career and freedoms are quenched by his overseers. A large chunk of the story also shifts away from Nathaniel's troubles to introduce Kitty as a new narrator. She presents an insider's perspective of the Resistance, which is struggling to raise its profile and achieve impact.

I was pleased to see the political and sociological story hinted at in the first novel now come to the foreground. Nathaniel's story fascinates as everything likeable about him is being subsumed. Bartimaeus continues to serve as entertaining comic relief, but also as the author's mouthpiece concerning the changes that have come over Nathaniel and what a true hero should be by contrasting him with Kitty. Here we see the difference underlined between adult novels and YA fiction: an adult rendition of this trilogy would not have Bartimaeus' guidance for our interpretations of character development. Rather than disparage this transparent device as an adult reader, I'm pointing to this trilogy as presenting a wonderful argument for YA fiction's place in the literary cannon. This novel, hence the trilogy, serves as a critical thinking tutorial for younger readers even as it entertains, encouraging them to judge the actions of leading characters, and simultaneously the presented society, rather than accept these at face value as always representing 'the good'.

The overarching storyline appears tied to Nathaniel's descent into immorality, so I hope we'll see some redemption of his character in the trilogy's final third. It would also be nice to see the society turning a page, or at least the setting up of some sure course for the Resistance to eventually succeed by. Whatever's to come, I'm sure it will be conveyed in the same fast-paced, action-filled format with liberal doses of humour thrown in.(less)

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Dec 15, 2011 Ms. Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, really-entertaining

I really like this book series so far: Its definitely been one of the better things I have read recently. Its consistently entertaining, light in tone, and populated with memorable characters. The plot moves swiftly, and although there are definitely some borrowed elements, I think Stroud manages to be innovative within certain bounds. I was constantly entertained, and I really loved the snarky djinni. I also loved that they added a sympathetic character in this one. Kitty was wonderful. She was...more

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Mar 20, 2013 03sethp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Two years passed since the Lovelace affair. After recovering the Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel has been promoted. After the death of his former master Mr. Underwood, Nathaniel has been assigned to Mrs. Whitwell. Now a boy of fourteen, Nathaniel has been sent to work in Internal Affairs of London. Nathaniel has a new project to find and eliminate the Resistance of London. This unknown renegade Resistance leader Kitty, has remained elusive to Nathaniel over the past two years. A new unknown threa...more Two years passed since the Lovelace affair. After recovering the Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel has been promoted. After the death of his former master Mr. Underwood, Nathaniel has been assigned to Mrs. Whitwell. Now a boy of fourteen, Nathaniel has been sent to work in Internal Affairs of London. Nathaniel has a new project to find and eliminate the Resistance of London. This unknown renegade Resistance leader Kitty, has remained elusive to Nathaniel over the past two years. A new unknown threat has arisen in London. This threat has ransacked many museums and artifact shops. Although, this enemy leaves no magical trace to its master, or itself. A lot of pressure has been placed onto Nathaniel's shoulders. Breaking his vow to Bartimeaus, he was last resorted to summoning Bart. His vow was to not summon him, until he starts to grow facial hair. To Bartimeuas's displeasure he is summoned once again. After investigation, one of Lovelace's artifacts has been stolen. The item is the Golem's eye. Nathaniel has suspected that this enemy is magician of some great power, has been causing great havoc in London. To learn more about the Golems, Nathaniel has been sent to Prague, the last known place where Golems have been summoned. After a few days in Prague, they find an old magician. He told his story that he has been creating parchments that animates Golems, turning them into life. After a twist in events he has to return to London to tell the prime minister, Mr. Dereveux what he has learned. Alas he has no proof for the parchment was torn by the creator, when an unexpected visit by a mercenary tried to attack them and take the paper. The prime minister tells Nathaniel that the resistance has raided the founder's tomb, Gladstone.

Now He has to find Kitty and retrieve the stolen magical artifacts. After further investigation, he finds a tailors shop with all the accountants. One of them was Kathleen Jones. With even more research he finds an article, "Kitty Jones vs Julius Tallow." So Kitty is Kathleen Jones, Nathaniel understood now. Kitty, is her name she goes by. So then Nathaniel goes to her parents house to catch her. Nathaniel's plan was flawless, until she ran away. It turns out that she has a resistance, makes her take less damage from magic, demons, and artifacts. However, Nathaniel had another plan, he took one of Kitty's close related friends hostage. He knew that Kitty no longer cared for her parents. This hostage's name was Jakob, he had no kind of resistance so that made it easier. With the help of Bart coaxing out Kitty, Nathaniel finally trades back the artifacts for Jakob. They met in a little town outside of London by a street with an alleyway running in between two houses. Little does she know, Nathaniel was going to send her to prison after the trade. All of the sudden, a thick black cloud was swirling around a figure. It was 8 feet tall, Bart decided to chip in at that moment. "Eh, Nat, that's the Golem your looking for, correct?" Bartimeaus could her him audibly swallow in fear. Nathaniel said in a shaken, but commanding voice. "Bartimeaus, I command you to attack the golem at once!" Bartimeaus replied back cheerily, "The Golem absorbs all kinds of magic attacks, and turns you into ash when it squeezes the life out of you. I cannot harm the Golem, nor prevent it from squeezing the life out of you." Just then, Kitty remembered something that Bart said earlier to her. Bartimeaus told her that there is a paper like object in its mouth, if you yank it out, the Golem dies. The Golem continued forward towards Nathaniel. Nathaniel gave a cry out and fell to the ground. The curb behind him made him fall onto the side walk. On all fours, Nat was crawling backwards, away from the advancing Golem. Kitty decided to act, she ran into the black cloud. Whence inside she could see the clay Golem with a intricate eye in the forehead. With two smaller eyes below the large eye, and a crude cut mouth. In the eye she could see a fire like pupil ablaze with light, fixed on Nat. She ran around the Golem where the large eye could not see her. She started to climb up the moving Golem. Sudden cold pain ran through her. She bit her tongue and continued to clime the monster. The Golem did not try to shake her off because it was a magician moving the Golem, unable to feel anything. She reached the head, with numb fingers she searched the mouth and found the paper. She yanked it out, and slid off the back. The Golem stopped moving as if captured in a picture. Only a mere foot away from Nathaniel's head, was a grasping hand. The cloud dissipated and faded away. Nathaniel was out cold on the ground. Bartimeaus suddenly talked to Kitty. "Nathaniel did not tell me to restrain you from escaping so, go ahead." Puzzled, Kitty grabbed Jakob and ran down the alleyway. Suddenly Nat awoke and explained what happened. He added a lie though that Kitty and Jakob were vaporized after they took the parchment out of its mouth. With a great shudder the Golem started to head to London. Bart and Nat, followed close behind and the soon arrived at the Parliament of London. The Golem was returning to its master! The Golem was now had no arms now with very thin legs holding up the mass of clay. It stumbled towards Julius Tallow and then it fell atop of him in a clay like paste. He was immediately arrested for treason against London. And once again Nathaniel was promoted for protecting London and was given a new house for him to live in.

I Give this book four out of five stars. Because if people have read this book before people would agree with me that Bartimeaus is one of the most favored characters. These fans of Johnathan Stroud like how witty he is and how rebellious he is to Nathaniel. I would suggest this book to people to who like characters who are upshot funny and who mocks to those characters that make stupid or unclever decisions.(less)

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Jan 21, 2013 Sidd Gorti rated it 5 of 5 stars

The world’s favorite sharp-witted djinni (pronounced jin-ee), Bartimaeus, returns in an excellent sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand. The Golem’s Eye, which is the second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, is a book that is sure to please those who are into the fantasy and action type genres. Readers are treated to an interesting mix of power, greed friendship, loyalty and even some rebellion. For an extremely brief summary that doesn’t contain any spoilers, the book is about a yo...more The world’s favorite sharp-witted djinni (pronounced jin-ee), Bartimaeus, returns in an excellent sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand. The Golem’s Eye, which is the second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, is a book that is sure to please those who are into the fantasy and action type genres. Readers are treated to an interesting mix of power, greed friendship, loyalty and even some rebellion. For an extremely brief summary that doesn’t contain any spoilers, the book is about a young magician in London named Nathaniel who uses the hilarious djinni at his command, in this case Bartimaeus, to embark on several adventures to uncover problems threatening the magicians power in London while at the same time trying to quell a ‘commoner’ rebellion. Ultimately the book is about how power corrupts and how friendship and loyalty are lost in the struggle for gaining power over others.

Jonathan Stroud does an excellent job creating his characters. Too many times in action novels, the character aspect is lacking because the story moves so fast and there is no time to learn about a character. Stroud makes sure that his characters come to life with detailed descriptions. The more I read, the more I felt like I really knew the characters in the novels. Each character in the novel is tied to some sort of thematic element and that makes for amusing interactions between the characters. The tension builds up wonderfully through the book and Stroud does a great job of introducing small resolutions along the course of the book only to have the tension climb even higher later on. This gives way to an extremely satisfying resolution at the end of the book. It’s the type where you close the book and you feel all tingly inside.

I am in agreement with many of the reviewers here who like this book. Jennifer Wardrip pretty much summarized what makes Bartimaeus great when she said, “He's rude. He's surly. He won't hesitate to tell you when your haircut looks stupid. And in over 5000 years, he's seen some bad haircuts. I'm talking about my favorite djinni, Bartimaeus, back in book two of his young adult fantasy trilogy”. Wardrip is also right in saying that “The conflict of interest” between the magicians and their forced servants, the djinni “makes for some entertaining scenes and conversations”.

Stroud’s writing style is an interesting mix of slow descriptions and fast paced action. Describing setting is something he does really well. Now, for me, the descriptions he offers of new settings are a pain to read through, not because they’re bad but because I want to skip ahead and go straight into the action. Of course, I force myself to read them because the descriptions are well done and they set the mood for the chapter or section. For example, Stroud writes “Away over in the center of the park gleamed the Great Glass Palace, a marvelous confusion of domes and minarets all shimmering with light. Made of twenty thousand curved glass sheets…”. This description continues for a full page and it is wonderfully detailed, it just takes time getting through. Another unique thing that Stroud does is that when Bartimaeus is narrating the story (it switched between characters), Bartimaeus provides footnotes at the bottom of the page that are usually funny observations or extra information. At first I was annoyed because I had to go to the bottom of the page to read a footnote but I found out that it actually improved the flow of the book because you could read the footnotes after you finished the page without consequence. For example, “Then Nathenial became the Information Minister and I was engaged in more depressing work…setting up 'entertainments' (10)” Then at the bottom of page the footnote reads “Following Roman tradition, the magicians sought to keep the people docile with regular holidays”.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes either action or fantasy novels. It is well written and there are a couple of good laughs along the book. The action is well done and the themes of power, greed and friendship are powerful. Read it. You will not be disappointed.
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Dec 04, 2012 Encruzilhadas Literárias rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: editorial-presença, catarina

Depois do primeiro livro da trilogia Bartimaeus é impossível não querer pegar no livro seguinte. Agora há mais uma personagem que se junta à história. Kitty Jones, uma cara nossa conhecida do primeiro livro mas que não teve muito importância, volta e entra para o elenco das personagens principais.

Tal como o resumo diz passaram dois anos desde o primeiro livro e Nathaniel cresceu. Tem catorze anos e é o mais novo adjunto de sempre do Ministro da Administração Interna, quem leu o primeiro livro sa...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Devin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

There are three Main characters: John Mandrake(A.K.A Nathaniel, though only known by this name by Bartimaeus) who is a Magician working in Internal Affairs where he is in charge of the resistance movement. Kitty who is a member of the resistance, a group of people, who have natural defenses against magic and other abilities, who do not want the Magicians to stay in control of londons government. Bartimaeus: A high ranking djinn (or demon. Magicians can summon demons and force them to their will...more
There are three Main characters: John Mandrake(A.K.A Nathaniel, though only known by this name by Bartimaeus) who is a Magician working in Internal Affairs where he is in charge of the resistance movement. Kitty who is a member of the resistance, a group of people, who have natural defenses against magic and other abilities, who do not want the Magicians to stay in control of londons government. Bartimaeus: A high ranking djinn (or demon. Magicians can summon demons and force them to their will as if slaves. Thats were magicians get their power from) who is currently working for John mandrake.

John Mandrake is in charge of keeping track of the resistance movement when a new threat to london appears and John is put in charge of this.John summons the djinni Bartimaeus and has him track down the new threat. Meanwhile, Kitty and the resistance continue their normal routine and also make plans for ways that they can advance the resistance and possibly be able to make a change. John, with the help of bartimaeus, finds out the the new danger is in fact a golem, a statue made of clay which is controlled through the stone eye. the Golems are immune to magic are were said to have been unable to have been recreated.John continues to take care of both situations though the has to work outside of the government to do so his plans eventually get kitty involved.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud is a great book for fantasy and non-fantasy lovers alike. The fact the the story takes place in a more modern society, in this case london, really adds to the the quality of the storyline. The way that Jonathan stroud makes each chapter about and,or from a different character's point of view really helps the reader to get involved in all three worlds. Where one chapter might have to do with John tracking down the golem, the next might be about kitty and the resistance or about bartimaeus helping john in his search. In the chapters from bartimaeus point, the use of footnotes really help to clarify certain phrase of things that did not make sense at first, or to show bartimaeus’ reasoning behind something.

If I were to rate this book, I would give it around a 4. I would give it a 5 though at the beginning the chapters on kitty were kind of boring and dull and it was not until later on in the book did the chapters on kitty get more interesting and sometimes the chapters went from interesting to the next one being important. Many times on her chapter I questioned why this chapter was important and it was not until later on in the storyline did I realise how it was relevant. Other than That the book was great. The chapters on John and Bartimaeus were full of excitement, though Bartimaeus’ chapters were a little more exciting, I mean a lot of people would prefer to read about tracking down and fighting a monster than reading about planning how to track it down.Over all, It was a great book even better than the first.

If you were to read the series than start with

The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Book One The Amulet Of samarkand

(Really good too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)(less)

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Aug 06, 2012 Matthew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens

This story, a follow-up to the Amulet of Samarkand, takes place two years after the first book. Again, the story centers on Nathaniel amid his rise through the British Empire's government offices, but trouble is brewing in the colonies across the pond for the British. Though the colonies are threatening rebellion, Nathaniel is tasked with finding and capturing the Resistance, with whom he had brief encounters in the first book. This is where we get to (re)meet Kitty Jones.

Learning about Kitty's...more This story, a follow-up to the Amulet of Samarkand, takes place two years after the first book. Again, the story centers on Nathaniel amid his rise through the British Empire's government offices, but trouble is brewing in the colonies across the pond for the British. Though the colonies are threatening rebellion, Nathaniel is tasked with finding and capturing the Resistance, with whom he had brief encounters in the first book. This is where we get to (re)meet Kitty Jones.

Learning about Kitty's backstory and the reason why she has entered into the Resistance and the reasons for joining (and how this is tied to Nathaniel's story) is interesting, the story tends to drag at times. For the most part, during the early parts of the book, the story drags almost interminably, mostly because there is a decided lack of Bartimaeus. Kitty and Nathaniel are interesting characters, but without Bartimaeus' antics, the story lacks humor and pacing.

Finally, when a certain fourth level djinni enters the fray, the story seems to pick up and the plot moves along at an easy and fun pace, building toward a climax that seemed almost forced and rushed. After learning of the plot to unseat Nathaniel and his master, Jessica Whitwell, everything gears down in a rush. Nathaniel is suddenly promoted and is living the high-life in London, an elite now among the elite. While the final denoument for the series is yet to be experienced, a lot of the ending seems lacking. Mostly, the respect and friendship that has begun to blossom between Nathaniel and Bartimaeus is not truly fleshed-out, mostly because Nathaniel is too bull-headed to see it, and mostly because it seemed like the author tried to gloss over the last bits of Bartimaeus' servitude and get him back to the Other Place.

In short, this book suffers from a touch of the typical "middle volume" syndrome of a trilogy: the ending isn't resolved too well because of the final book in the series and the characters aren't fully fleshed-out because they have another book yet to grow. However, this does help to add to the Bartimaeus story overall and is still a fun, enjoyable read. If nothing else, it shows what Nathaniel is capable of, that Bartimaeus isn't nearly as crusty as he'd like us to think, and it whets the appetite for the final installment in the series.(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Mimi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: older-children

The first novel in the series introduced us to Nathaniel/John Mandrake as an eleven-year-old boy who saves the day, not due to a desire to save everyone and risk his life, but more due to the desire to prove how amazing, talented, and smart he is and rub it in everyone's face. But he's young, and that's how he was raised.

The second novel introduces us to Nathaniel/Mandrake again. This time he is fourteen years old and has been under the training of another master. Unfortunately, while this maste...more

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May 22, 2012 Elizabeth Baxter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bartimeaus and Nathaniel make a welcome return in The Golem’s Eye. We meet a new character, Kitty, and the plot deepens, letting us see much more of the world that Bartimeaus and Nathaniel live in.
It seems that the totalitarian regime of the magicians isn’t without its opponents. Kitty is a member of the Resistance, whose goal is to bring the magicians rule to an end. She provides a great mirror to Nathaniel’s character. Were Nathaniel is scheming and self-centered, Kitty is brave and loyal. Ne...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Nur Jihad Dwianri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Buku ini dimulai dua tahun setelah peristiwa dalam Amulet Samarkand di mana Nathaniel telah naik pangkat menjadi murid magang dari Menteri Pertahanan Jessica Whitwell, dan bekerja sebagai asisten Menteri Dalam Negeri Julius Tallow. Secara luar biasa di usia sangat muda, empat belas tahun, ia telah menjadi pejabat resmi pemerintah dan penyihir yang cakap, namun ia sudah tidak mempergunakan lagi pelayannya yang pertama, jin Bartimaeus. Pada awal novel, Nathaniel sedang bekerja menangani masalah da...more Buku ini dimulai dua tahun setelah peristiwa dalam Amulet Samarkand di mana Nathaniel telah naik pangkat menjadi murid magang dari Menteri Pertahanan Jessica Whitwell, dan bekerja sebagai asisten Menteri Dalam Negeri Julius Tallow. Secara luar biasa di usia sangat muda, empat belas tahun, ia telah menjadi pejabat resmi pemerintah dan penyihir yang cakap, namun ia sudah tidak mempergunakan lagi pelayannya yang pertama, jin Bartimaeus. Pada awal novel, Nathaniel sedang bekerja menangani masalah dari sebuah kelompok tak terlacak yang beranggotakan para commoner yang memberontak, yang dikenal sebagai the Resistance. Nathaniel, yang sekarang dikenal dengan nama John Mandrake, hanya mengetahui sangat sedikit fakta mengenai kelompok Resistance ini, termasuk nama dari tiga orang anggotanya: Kitty, Fred, dan Stanley. Ia mencoba untuk mencari ketiganya tapi menemui kegagalan. Ia menyuruh beberapa makhluk halus tingkat bawah untuk menyamar sebagai commoner dan mengirimkan mereka untuk mencari kelompok Resistance, tapi mereka pun gagal menemukan jejak kelompok itu.

Kitty Jones sedang berada dalam sebuah misi Resistance ketika sebuah pertunjukan drama The Swans of Araby sedang berlangsung di teater London yang mewah. Kitty merasa bimbang akan tujuannya bekerja untuk Resistance dan ia mulai teringat akan masa lalunya, dan akan alasan mengapa ia bergabung dengan kelompok itu. Ia teringat masa kecilnya di mana keluarganya tinggal di dekat sebuah keluarga Ceko yang memiliki pabrik yang mencetak buku-buku bagi para penyihir. Kitty sering bermain kriket dengan sahabatnya Jakob Hyrnek, putra dari keluarga itu. Suatu hari, bola yang dipukulnya secara tidak sengaja mengenai jendela mobil dari seorang penyihir yang sedang melintas. Penyihir itu turun dan memerintahkan jinnya untuk melakukan serangan sihir "Pasak Hitam" kepada Kitty dan Jakob.

Kitty dibangunkan dari lamunannya oleh dua kawan Resistance-nya, Fred dan Stanley, dan mereka meninggalkan teater menuju ke sebuah toko yang menjual karpet mewah penyihir. Mereka memasuki toko itu, mencuri beberapa dokumen dan benda-benda sihir, lalu membakar toko itu. Mereka kemudian kembali ke teater tepat pada waktunya dan dengan demikian menghindarkan diri dari kecurigaan.

Sesudah itu, toko-toko sihir utama di London dihancurkan; dan para penyihir yang dikirimkan untuk menyelidiki tempat itu seluruhnya tewas terbunuh. Nathaniel menyeldiki insiden ini dan menemukan bahwa enam polisi dan delapan makhluk halus terbunuh. Hampir seluruh pemerintahan menduga bahwa kelompok Resistance ada di balik serangan-serangan itu sementara Nathaniel berpikir sebaliknya.

Nathaniel dan masternya, Ms Whitwell, dipanggil untuk bertemu dengan perdana menteri. Ia memerintahkan Nathaniel untuk menemukan Resistance dan menghentikan kegiatan mereka. Nathaniel pulang ke rumahnya dan memutuskan untuk memanggil kembali Bartimaeus setelah kegagalan demi kegagalan dialaminya ketika menggunakan jin yang lain. Ia menyuruh Bartimaeus untuk mencari penyerang yang misterius itu, dan membunuhnya jika ia dapat.

dan dimulailah kembali petualangan antara Nathaniel dan Bartimaeus.

buku kedua ini tidak kalah menarik dari buku pertama.(less)

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Dec 10, 2011 Azzurra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, demons

Secondo libro della Trilogia di Bartimeus, "L'occhio del Golem" continua a seguire le vicende del mago adolescente Nathaniel e del jinn Bartimeus, oltrechè di un personaggio non prorpio nuovo in quanto ripescato dal precedente libro. Si tratta di Kitty Jones, una rappresentante della resistenza (organo questo che trama la caduta del potere dei maghi).
Dopo tre anni dagli avvenimenti del primo libro ritroviamo Nathaniel che - oltre ad aver cambiato mentore - lavora presso il Ministero degli Intern...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Kaulin Curtis rated it 5 of 5 stars

After saving the prime minister two years before, Nathaniel has a new life. He lives in the luxury of a magician, apprenticed to the security minister, Ms. Jessica Whitwell. His job in the government of London is to uncover the mysterious group of commoners with strange powers to resist magic, the Resistence. Not able to get any leads, he summons his old demon Bartimaeus from the Other Place...

This book was written from the point of view of three different people-Nathaniel, a 14 year old boy who...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This sequel (or second strand of the trilogy) isn’t as good as the first one; but then, sequels rarely are. And – I’m pretty sure I know why this isn’t as spectacular. But first, the good stuff.

Bartimaeus is just as funny as he was in the first book, but his character is gaining depth each time we meet him. Stroud makes a point to reveal his background a little glimpse at a time, and each revelation may not seem relevant until later in the story.

On the other hand, we are also privvy to the thoug...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had mixed feelings about this one. As usual it took awhile to get going, but would have been worth it if the story had flowed a bit more. The plotlines, although neatly wrapped up in the end, felt awkward mixed together. It made sense until the entrance of Honorius the afrit. Emotionally, even though I have MAD respect for believable characters who act like real humans (i.e flawed), it was hard to watch Pennyfeather and his selfishly stupid and inept Resistance movement. And even though Kitty...more

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Mar 14, 2011 travelmel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book of what claims to be a trilogy but THANK GOODNESS I just found out is not! The fourth book came out already! I am SO happy.

The first book is really good and the second and third top it slightly which is saying something. The language and vocabulary are AMAZING and the writer never writes "down" to children (or young adults) in any way. In fact, I really wish I had read this on a Kindle so that I could automatically look up the definition of some of the words that came at...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Luqman Hakim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SELESAI...

Ada sedikit perubahan pemikiran saya terhadap resistance saat membaca buku ke-2 ini. Entah itu memang kesengajaan Jonathan Stroud atau ketergesaan saya dalam menyimpulkan padahal belum membaca keseluruhan buku dari trilogi ini, yang jelas awalnya saya punya pemikiran bahwa kelompok resistance yang Kitty terlibat d dalamnya merupakan kelompok yang nantinya akan mendapatkan banyak pendukung, terorganisir dengan rapih, dan akan menggulingkan pemerintahan. Namun ternyata mereka tidak uba...more SELESAI...

Ada sedikit perubahan pemikiran saya terhadap resistance saat membaca buku ke-2 ini. Entah itu memang kesengajaan Jonathan Stroud atau ketergesaan saya dalam menyimpulkan padahal belum membaca keseluruhan buku dari trilogi ini, yang jelas awalnya saya punya pemikiran bahwa kelompok resistance yang Kitty terlibat d dalamnya merupakan kelompok yang nantinya akan mendapatkan banyak pendukung, terorganisir dengan rapih, dan akan menggulingkan pemerintahan. Namun ternyata mereka tidak ubahnya seperti segerombolan mahasiswa pendemo yang ikut2an yang setelah demo usai bubar kembali ke persoalan hidup masing2. Kelompok Kitty memang mempunyai tujuan yang kuat dan boleh dibilang sangat muluk untuk ukurang kelompok beranggotakan sebelas commoner anti sihir. Dari awal saya heran karena ekspektasi saya terhadap kelompok ini di buku sebelumnya sangat tinggi, dan percaya bahwa d buku2 selanjutnya usaha-usaha mereka akan membuahkan hasil, namun di buku yang ke-2 ini Jonathan Stroud melenyapkan ekspektasi saya. Saya yang terlalu berharap akan kelompok ressistance ini.
Selanjutnya yang ingin saya komentari ialah Nathaniel alias Mr.Mandrake. Penyihir kecil berbakat ini menjadi bersifat seperti kebanyakan penyihir berkedudukan tinggi lainnya. Ia memiliki segala sifat tamak, angkuh, over Pede, dan menghalalkan segala cara yang wajar dimiliki oleh para penyihir lainnya. Namun d balik itu semua, masih ada banyak pelajaran positif yang bisa kita ambil dari Nathaniel, ia mengajari kita tentang kewajiban, tanggung jawab dan yang terpenting how to deal with those things. Fokus terhadap apa yang ia kerjakan, cerdas dan memikirkan setiap kemungkinan akan langkah yang diambilnya, serta siap menghadapi resiko kemungkinan2 yang muncul. Sosok Nathaniel bagi saya merupakan “jagoan” yang mempercundangi penyihir-penyihir lain. (spoiler alert) Saya sempat berharap ia dapat menguasai tongkat Gladstone saat berusaha mengaktivasinya (spoiler alert).

Kemudian ada Kitty yang sukses menggantikan (setidaknya) bersanding dengan Scatty di podium tokoh cewek jagoan versi saya :D. Asli gak boong, ini cewek bener2 K.E.R.E.N !!! Emosi saya terseret2 olehnya saat membaca kisahnya. Perasaan heroik saya muncul ketika membayangkannya diburu oleh grayback. Sebagai cowok (normal) cewek ini sukses mengambil hati saya dan mendapatkan ruang yang sama dengan Scatty (tetap tidak bisa bersanding dengan The MOMO). Pada buku ke-2 ini, kisah tentang asal usul Kitty menjadi semakin jelas, namun akhir dari kisahnya menjadi semakin terhalang kabut dan sangat membuat penasaran.

Gak ngomongin barty d review buku Barty rasanya jadi sedikit aneh…. Oke, Barty d buku ini tetap sosok jin yang periang, over Pede, Lucu menggemaskan, dan sok dengan modal 5000 tahun pengalamannya. Pada awal buku ini kita akan d suguhkan dengan aksinya yang berkali2 congkak terhadap keberhasilannya membangun tembok praha yang megah. Kemudian, di beberapa kemunculannya yang lain dia juga masih dapat mengocok perut pembaca :D.
(less)

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Dec 20, 2010 Books-treasureortrash rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Book Review: 1 Treasure Boxes

Bartemaeus has an interesting view on life and his reflections are humorous and enjoyable to read. It is interesting how the story unfolds. We learn more about the resistance. We learn more about the history of the world that the story takes place. There is not a lot of growth in Nathaniel's character, although he is a much more powerful magician. We become concerned by the decisions he makes. The story is exciting and there are several battle scenes as well as a cha...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Tanabrus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-storico, in-inglese

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Sono passati due anni dagli eventi del primo libro della trilogia di Bartimaeus.
Ora Nathaniel è l’apprendista della Whitwell, ha un lavoro al ministero degli affari interni e ovviamente è il pupillo di Deveraux, il Primo Ministro dell’Impero.

Ovviamente il giovane prodigio -è solo quattordicenne- è anche accompagnato da una bella schiera di invidie, gelosie e odii. Dopotutto, così giovane, ha già più fama, potere e prestigio di quanti molti maghi potranno mai ottenere in tutta la loro carriera.
E...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Valetta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seconda puntata della trilogia di Bartimeus.
L'atmosfera si fa più cupa, modello 1984, la comunità magica assume in tutto e per tutto le caratteristiche di un'oligarchia dittatoriale e parassitaria che basa la conservazione del proprio potere sul mantenimento di un totale controllo sulla vita dei cittadini comuni.
Come molte seconde parti di una trilogia, anche questo libro da l'impressione di essere più che altro un elemento di passaggio che prepara gli eventi del capitolo conclusivo della saga....more

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About Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Anthony Stroud is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and youths.

Stroud grew up in St Albans where he enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. Between the ages seven and nine he was often ill, so he spent most of his days in the hospital or in his bed at home. To escape boredom he would occupy himself with books and stories. After he completed his studies...more

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Books by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus, #1)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy Boxed Set (Bartimaeus, #1-3)

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“Check out that one at the end. He's taken the form of a footstool. Weird...but somehow I like his style."

"That is a footstool.” — 131 people liked it

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