Books I've Loved: The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud
This would have to be my second-favourite trilogy after Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. Set in an alternate London run by magicians, book one (The Amulet of Samarkand) follows the events after Nathaniel, a young and ambitious magician, summons the powerful djinn Bartimaeus to seek revenge.
The story is told through the alternate viewpoints of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus, but it’s the witty and sarcastic djinn who really steals the show. Fantasy is usually best known for its plot – and there is an abundance of plot in this trilogy – but it was the character that really drew me into this world and story.
Djinn are just one type in a hierarchy of magical creatures with varying levels of power, summoned by magicians and forced to carry out their will through the use of spells and runes. They usually operate on seven planes at once (humans can only see first plane, cats into second – I loved the detail about cats!).
Bartimaeus often address the reader as he narrates, explaining how he can think across the several planes at once but the best he can do for us is footnotes. This is why footnotes are actually scattered throughout the book whenever it is Bartimaeus’ point of view, usually with amusing and sarcastic comments on what’s currently happening. Sometimes this can interrupt the flow of the story, but overall I found it entertaining and it did add a unique element to the books.
The footnotes from Bartimaeus' POV.
As with most trilogies, I find the first book can be read as a self-contained story, and from the second the story expands. In the second book The Golem’s Eye, the political intrigue definitely ramps up a notch, and a third POV character is introduced. Kitty is a non-magician and member of the Resistance, and offers a view of the world from the ‘average person’. I enjoyed the three opposing viewpoints – the djinn, the magician, and the resistance-member – and the conflict and relationships between them. The third book, Ptolemy’s Gate, explores the characters even further, giving more backstory to Bartimaeus especially, who remained the strongest character (the trilogy is named for him after all!).
Although classified as a children’s book, I still love to re-read this trilogy, and I really think any lover of fantasy will love it too.
Happy reading!
