Bartimaeus Trilogy

[rune]

Ive just got my hands on the 3rd book

 

[Jeremy]

To anyone who has read or is reading Ptolemy's Gate:
Without giving much away, what do you think of the book? I ordered my own copy from GB, but it is taking forever to arrive.

 

[catseyekitty]

It''s fantastic book. I rather like the footnotes...

 

[Alia]

It''s fantastic book. I rather like the footnotes...

Footnotes are a must read in these books. They help make the story.

 

[rune]

Footnotes are a must read in these books. They help make the story.

For once I will agree with you here Normally I hate footnotes. But for this series they add that great humour

 

[catseyekitty]

*nods* I like the one about the rock. He rammed his head one 3 DIFFRENT pebbles, not the same pebble 3 times. *laughs*

 

[rune]

*nods* I like the one about the rock. He rammed his head one 3 DIFFRENT pebbles, not the same pebble 3 times. *laughs*

Sounds like the 3rd book's got some crackers I look forward to reading them, when I eventually get through my little pile of books!

 

[bookhoarder]

Picked it up due to its cover, illustrated by David Wyatt (met him once, wouldnt wish to again) (didnt he also illustrate The Spooks Apprentice? - not one worth reading), but no where near as good as Lathars The Changeling, high impact high imagination.

If you havent guessed, havent finished reading it yet, will let you know what I think of it once i get to the end.

 

[hedgeknight]

All three books are now out in the States - Ptolemy's Gate is in hardback; the other two paperback. I love the first and am gearing up for book two when I finish a couple of other commitments.
If you haven't read it or are considering it for a friend (or young relative), it's definitely worth it.
-g-

 

[dwndrgn]

You're right rune, sometimes footnotes are not only distracting and useless, but a detriment to the reading enjoyment. However, Bartimaeus' internal dialogue is extremely amusing and definitely adds to the enjoyment of the work. I'm anxiously awaiting my library getting the third, or getting it for Christmas

 

[Jeremy]

I just finished Ptolemy's Gate, and I think it is as good as The Amulet of Samarkand, which is one of my favorite young adult novels. Bartimaeus' monologues and footnotes are as witty and funny as ever, and there are more of them around this time compared to the second volume in the series. This book also reveals the sides of Bartimaeus and Nathaniel that perhaps few suspected, which make them much more endearing, and it finally elucidates the bond between Ptolemy and Bartimaeus, revealing the reason why Bartimaeus so often adopts Ptolemy's form. There are parts of the book that are deeply moving, and the end is very sad. After reading this book, I believe The Bartimaeus Trilogy is one of the greatest Young Adult Fantasy series ever. Don't miss it!

 

[dwndrgn]

I just finished Ptolemy's Gate as well. I quite enjoyed the story and very much liked the non-traditional ending. I also wanted to add this listing of Jonathan Stroud's 10 Favorite Fantasy and SciFi books (from The Guardian):


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[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]1. Grettir's Saga by Anon, 1320s (trans. Fox and Palsson 1974)
Not a fantasy really, but the central encounter between Grettir and the monstrous blue-skinned revenant Glam is one of literature's most exciting and terrifying collisions of the fantastic with the human world. All the more effective because it is embedded in detailed realism. Also includes, as a side-show, a nasty barrow-wight: 600 years pre-Tolkien.[/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]2. Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en, 16th century (trans. Arthur Waley 1942)
Hugely entertaining mix of demons, gods, saints and sages; part fairy tale, part allegory, part satire. A literary adaptation of existing legends in much the same way as Malory's Morte D'Arthur, but with far better jokes. Monkey is the personification of charismatic energy, protecting Tripitaka with the same brio he employs to duff up the pious minions of Heaven. [/FONT]
[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]3. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, 1726
The archetypal narrative of extravagant far-flung societies, all of which reflect back the absurdities and follies of our own. Swift's humour and energy of invention allow him to smuggle coruscating satire past the gentle reader's guard: it is a mighty long stretch from the drolleries of Lilliputia to the bleak misanthropy of Gulliver's visit with the Houyhnhnms.
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]4. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, 1908
Perfect fantasy of the small-scale, given shape by the author's mystical devotion to the English countryside. Shrugs off conventional analysis (NB Toad has hair ... ) by means of precise and witty characterisation and by the wistful, frost-sharp evocations of nature, through which the anarchic Toad streaks like an arrow.
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]5. War in Heaven by Charles Williams, 1930
Another English mystic, but infinitely more odd. Williams's occult novels are imbued with his vision of neo-Platonic Christianity. Higher beings appear on Earth in genteel 30s suburbia; the dead and living mingle on London streets; some very unpleasant magicians go hunting the Grail. For Williams, the spiritual is more concrete than the physical; magic is perilous and souls are at risk. If Blake had written thrillers, they'd have been like this.[/FONT] [FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]6. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, 1937
Whereas the monolithic scale and sobriety of The Lord of the Rings ultimately led fantasy into bad habits, The Hobbit keeps the focus firmly on the blossoming of Bilbo, the timorous everyman. The result is the finest quest narrative in children's literature, speedy and light of foot, with a perfect two-stage climax: the elation of Bilbo's solo encounter with Smaug put in immediate perspective by the final battle, in which several central characters die.
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]7. Titus Groan/Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, 1946/1950
Much fantasy revolves ponderously around good v evil; Peake brings us stasis v change. The endless, ancient rituals of Gormenghast are stultifying and meaningless; the urchin Steerpike rebels against them, bringing energy, ingenuity and patience to work in an effort to achieve power. Yet Steerpike is bad, a multiple murderer. We should not sympathise with him, but we do: he is mercurial and creative, the outsider within the system. Ideal teenage reading.
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]8. The Dying Earth by Jack Vance, 1950
In the far future, the old red sun is failing and Earth's inhabitants (human and inhuman) wander amid the ruins of the past. Vance's style is rich and ornate; he conjures a profusion of odd cultures, decadent magicians, predatory creatures chopping logic and trading verbal flourishes with their victims. The collection includes Liane the Wayfarer, a short story with one of the finest endings in fantasy.
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]9. The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones, 1974
DWJ was brilliantly fusing magic and humour for children 20 years before the current wave began. Here, warring step-siblings experiment with wonder-working chemistry sets. The invasion of the fantastical into drably ordinary lives is liberating, but also deeply unsettling, as it should be. The living, breeding toffee bars are unforgettable.
[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]10. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, 1979
Recent developments have seen the divisions between folk-tales, children's fiction and adult fantasy blur more than ever, but Carter's collection is an unashamed reappropriation of fairy stories for a specifically adult audience. She revels in the carnality of Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Bluebeard et al, re-energising the form, while doffing her cap to the traditions on which modern fantasy is based. [/FONT]

I must say, I haven't read quite a few of these. Might have to add them to my ever-growing list of to read books...[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]

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[Alia]

Interesting list of classics that Stroud enjoys...

 

[MJRevell]

I picked up a cheap copy of the Amulet of Samarkand, and i must say, it looks very amusing. I'm interested to see how his blend of viewpoints works out.

 

[MJRevell]

And having finished said book, have now stormed through the second in the series - The Golems Eye, and am on to the final installment, Ptolemy's Gate. It is a terrific trilogy, i can recommend it to everyone.

 

[Sathai]

I loved the first one, Amulet of Samarkand. It's on my list of favorites for YA fantasy.

Yesterday I finished The Golem's Eye. There isn't much for development with Nathaniel's character, and Bartimaeus doesn't have a strong role like the first book. This one focuses more on Kitty and her involvement with the Resistance.I still thought it was a good read though, and will most likely read the third one someday.

 

[Thadlerian]

I finished the trilogy yesterday, and I am very impressed. Most of all by the characterization, which is beyond most YA fantasy I've read (and beyond most adult as well). It's up there with His Dark Materials by Pullman and Ronia the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren. Somehow, it lacks the atmosphere of the two latter, but it makes up for it in well-rendered, thoroughly flawed characters.

 

[Meryt]

I'm almost finished with the The Golem's Eye. It's a pretty good series. Not the greatest, but not that bad either. I'll probably be picking up Ptolemy's Gate within the next few weeks.

 

[Majimaune]

Well I came across it because I had book vouches and thought "Hey this looks good" and so I bought AoS. Then I borrowed the second two off a friend and finished them about last week. Thought they were good, not the best, not the worst. Very interesting though. I liked the third on best but the first was pretty good.

 

[Medea]

I think this trilogy is awesome. The second one gets a lot of flak but it was my second favourite. The best of the lot was Ptolemys Gate.