#Terrific Trilogy#. Review on Bartimaeus Trilogy, The - Jonathan Stroud

The Bartimaeus Trilogy, penned by Jonathan Stroud, is the story of a young magician, his diligent dedication to magic and his subsequent rise to power. This 3-part series is now completely available in India. The name of the three books are:

1. The Amulet Of Samarkand

   
   




2. The Golem's Eye

   
   




3. Ptolemy's Gate

   
   

SYNOPSIS

The book is a work of science fiction. It is based in London, where the power resides with magicians while the commoners are simply pawns in the vast Empire. It is in this set-up that a young boy, Nathaniel, ecounters magic for the first time. He is tutored by Umberwood, a low-level magician and Miss Leutens, a simple and efficient teacher. Nathaniel is shown to be ambitious and he wants to have more power than his master, Umberwood. It is in this greed for power that Nathaniel summons Bartimaeus, a reasonably powerful spirit to help him. He is still a 12 year old boy at this stage, quite oblivious to the dangers this deed can/will put him in. Sure enough, Umberwood is killed at Nathaniel's life is on jeopardy soon after. Amidst all this, he changes his name to John Mandrake, as name-changing is essential for all magicians.

The trilogy follows our young hero as he rises to power and becomes the prime minister's favourite deputy. At first, even the young Mandrake looks after his own interests and forgets his roots- that of a naive, innocent and simple lad. He sets aside his moral values and becomes cold, heartless. But even now, his skills as a magician continue to improve and his skills are finally good enough to match his ambition. But he fails to realise that other people have also contributed to his success, especially the djinni Bartimaeus. So what happens when our hero finally finds his conscience again? Read the book to find out! Also, the endings of all three books are simply outstanding. They provide a bone-chilling adrenaline rush as the book heads towards a fast-paced ending.

CHARACTERS

Jonathan Stroud ensures that the characters in his far-fetched world are surprisingly real, and have faults. The characterisations are excellent- each character has a unique signature and personality. Here is a brief list of some of the characters:

1. John Mandrake (Nathaniel)

Unquestionably the human hero of this trilogy, Mandrake's character undergoes a remarkable metamorphis in the series. A believable character, with whom the audience can relate to and fall in love with at first. But then there are times when you will hate him. A fluctuating pendulum between good and heartless is what Nathaniel is.

1. Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus is shown to be a spirit- a djinn to be precise. Djinns is the third strongest type of spirit-making Bartimaeus look like a wimp in front of some of the stronger spirits. Again, this just proves that Jonathan Stroud did not set about to make a kid's book where evrything falls into place by its own. But Bartimaeus is frighteningly ibtelligent and very, very funny- his pointed humour and sarcastic wisdom keeping the reader in splits on every page of the book. He is the most memorable charcter in the book.

1. Kitty Jones

A resistance leader against the government for which Mandrake serves, she is Mandrake's arch enemy. But what started out as hatred culminates into a awkward co-existence and then even something else...... Throughout the books, Kitty's fiery yet inncoent mind come into strong focus. Her determination to succeed against insurmountable odds matches, or even exceeeds, that of Mandrake's.

EXPLANATION OF THE SCI-FI WORLD OF THE BOOK

In this book, spirits have to be summoned by magicians from the "Other Place", a parallel universe where time and individuality is blurred. But the spirits are not wilful servants of their masters- they are ruthless demons just waiting to hear an ambigious order so that they can devour their masters. Also, staying on Earth saps the spirit's essence, causing them to weaken with each passing day/ order. Also, the commoners are discontent at having to be underservers, having to answer a magician's every beck and call. This creates a very exciting scenario, a must read.

SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS RAISED

Even though the book is a work of science fiction, it raises some socially important questions:

1. is it really possible for rival factions to coexist?

   
   




2. Will enemies really finish you off every chance they get?

   
   




3. Are some people completely heartless?

   
   




4. What is the true definition of love? (only the last book forces you to think of this)

   
   




5. Can we trust other beings with our lives and destiny, even though we are not oin the best of terms? (only the last book again)

   
   

~This book is one which appeals to both the heart and the mind, and leaves an impact on your very soul.~

PLEASE RATE THIS REVIEW & POST YOUR VALUABLE COMMENTS.