Book Review- Bartimaeus Trilogy

This is a trilogy of three books. The author is Jonathan Stroud. The books are set in modern-day London controlled by magicians. The three books are:

1. The Amulet of Samarkand
2. The Golem's Eye
3. Ptolemy's Gate

THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND

The main characters in this book are:

• Nathaniel
• Mr Underwood
• Mrs Underwood
• Bartimaeus
• Simon Lovelace
• Faquarl
• Jabor
• Jessica Whitwell
• Rupert Devereaux

The story revolves around a boy called Nathaniel who summons a djinni called Bartimaeus to steal a protective Amulet from Simon Lovelace. The story kickstarts and they go on a journey of magic, hate and betrayal. My favourite character is Bartimaeus because

• He is hard-working
• I can relate to him when he is forced to work against his will.
• He faces dangers which not many people could face.
• He is witty and humorous.
• He has lived for 5,000 years.

THE GOLEM'S EYE

The events in this book take place when Nathaniel (now known as John Mandrake) is climbing his way through the government. To save his job, he has to stop the attacks of the Resistance, which is a group of people fighting against the magicians' rule. Before he can start the investigations, another series of attacks begin. Yet, they are nothing like the usual attacks by the Resistance. He is now charged with finding out about these. To do this, he is forced to summon Bartimaeus once again.

In this book, the author gives us an insight on the movements of Kitty and her team as well, hence making it different from the first book. I admire the character of Kitty because:

• She is ready to give her life for the 'cause'.
• She has resistance to magic.
• She is very hard-working.

PTOLEMY'S GATE

This is the last book in an epic series. The book is all about how Nathaniel uncovers and defeats a criminal who is destroying the city government. It is beautifully written with touches of humour. The only downside of this book is that to understand it, you should have read the first two books as well. I have truly enjoyed reading this book.

I would recommend this series to people who regularly read modern classics in fiction such as the Harry Potter Series, The Inheritance trilogy and so on. The book needs the reader to have a strong imagination. Be sure to have three whole days on hand (more if you are a slow reader) because once you start reading this book, you won't want to put it down till you're finished. I give it full five stars.