Brian Burt's Blog: Work in Progress - Posts Tagged "demons"

Sometimes the good guys are the bad guys, and the bad guy is the good guy. I've always loved stories that can invert the archetypes like this. I'll also admit - unabashedly - that I relish well-written speculative fiction that is categorized as "teen or young adult." Maybe I'm young at heart... or just immature, as my wife constantly reminds me... but I often find these stories to be as compelling, clever, and wise as any adult fiction. I loved the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games series. Fantastic storytelling! But, for me, neither boasts a character as memorable as Bartimaeus, the fourth-level djinni from Jonathan Stroud's wonderful Bartimaeus Trilogy.

I stumbled across these books on our regional library network's Digital Library, and I'm ecstatic that I did. Stroud creates a mesmerizing world here, with the story primarily set in an alternate London where the government is run by magicians. There is a delicious thread of political satire woven through the tale: the elite magicians who run the country and control the empire are arrogant, venal, self-aggrandizing, and surround themselves with every luxury at the expense of the "commoners" whom they supposedly serve. They're parasites who wield their power wholly to enrich themselves. (After the past few weeks' interminable RNC and DNC media pageants, this hits a little too close to home.)

Adding insult to injury, these human "magicians" don't really have any true magical power. Instead, they use their arcane incantations to forcibly summon higher magical beings from the "Other Place," drag these spirits into the human world, and bind them to the magician's will. In essence, magicians enslave the immensely powerful creatures they call "demons" and force them to complete a charge or mission before releasing them back into their own non-corporeal realm. For these "demons," being trapped in physical form exacts a heavy toll and erodes their vital essence over time; the longer their period of servitude, the more tormented and depleted they become. Understandably, the demons detest magicians and distrust all humanity. They use all of their guile, subterfuge, and cunning to look for any loophole in the magical contracts that bind them to their human masters; if they can wriggle out of those bonds, they pounce on their summoners and eagerly consume them, freeing themselves in the process. Magicians may rule with an iron fist, but they do so knowing that one misspoken word can doom them.

That brings us to the real hero of this trilogy, the unquestioned star of the show: Bartimaeus, a demon of middling rank from a class of demon (djinni) of middling power in the hierarchy of entities from the Other Place. Bartimaeus isn't the most potent magical servant around. He's often aimed by his masters at opponents with far more firepower. What he lacks in raw strength, he more than makes up in cleverness, creativity, and bravado. What endears him to the reader, though, is his biting wit, his sardonic sense of humor, and his insight into the flaws and foibles of the humans with whom he interacts. As an outside observer of humanity, he sees the best and worst in us with crystal clarity... and doesn't hesitate to tell us what he sees.

As the trilogy unfolds, we also discover something else about Bartimaeus: he has far more sympathy for those rare humans in whom he detects bravery, virtue, or at least a wisp of conscience. He provides more help than strictly necessary or even risks his own welfare to save the young humans who become hopelessly embroiled in the most perilous plots hatched by the most evil of the magician elites. He always justifies this behavior, tries his best to convince the reader that he really had a selfish motive. But - just as he sees through our human rationalizations - we see through his. He may be sarcastic, insulting, and less than trustworthy... but he's a sucker for an idealistic boy or girl fighting for a noble cause.

This isn't a Disney-style storyline. There are dark moments here, heroes don't emerge unscathed, and victory doesn't come without a dreadful price. Yet another reason to savor this tale. Like Bartimaeus himself, this trilogy can be fearsome, and funny, and illuminating when it shines its spectral light into the darkest corners of human nature. Introduce yourself to Bartimaeus when you get the chance. He may not fit the classic definition of a fantasy hero, but you won't soon forget him.

#SFWApro