Last night, I finally finished The Golem's Eye, the second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. I had to read the first Bartimaeus book, The Amulet of Samarkand for Karin's Harry Potter class last semester. I loved Amulet, so I was excited to read the second Bartimaeus book. However, I found The Golem's Eye to be a little difficult to get into. Amulet had a split narrator: portions were third person limited omniscient and focalized through Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice. Other portions were first person told through the perspective of Bartimaeus, a dijin (demon). I love, love, LOVE Bartimaeus. His snarky and often irreverrent attitude reminds me a lot of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.
The Golem's Eye, however, was a bit of a let-down. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was awesome, but I feel like there was too little of Bartimaeus. This novel saw the introduction of a third perspective, third person limited omniscient narration focalized through Kitty, a teenage member of the Resistance, and underground movement seeking to overthrow the magicians. I like Kitty a lot - I think her morals are in the right place, even if she chooses to act in ineffective ways. However, the introduction of this third perspective meant that Bartimaeus took a backseat to Kitty and Nathaniel's points of view.
Magic in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, functions in an interesting way. The magician of almost modern-day London have all the power and control the Commoners - those that do not practice magic. Unlike other series in which magic figures prominently (Harry Potter, for instance), magical ability seems to be arbitrarily decided. Children are given up to be apprentices to magicians when they are very young - Nathaniel is given to his first master, Mr. Underwood, around age 6. During their apprenticeship, these young men and women learn magic - it is not an inherent quality in an individual. Additionally, all the power of the magicians resides in being able to control various demons through incantations and complicated terms of service. Demons, for their part, are enslaved by the magicians and, once called, MUST do their master's bidding. They do try to misinterpret commands as much as possible, as it is their only way to "fight back" against those that are enslaving them (think disobedient house elves).
Anyway, more to the point. The Golem's Eye develops the series by exploring the purpose and origins of the Resistance. The first Bartimaeus book saw some tangles with the Resistance, but no explanation of why this subversive movement arose. I liked Kitty's perspective and it was interesting to compare her morals and values with Nathaniel. While he was supposedly the protagonist of Amulet, he wasn't the most attractive character. He did show an affinity for doing the right thing, but in the end, he was more interested in the advancement of his career than actually helping people. He was a bit arrogant, and refused to see that other points of view had validity.
The second installment of the Bartimaeus Trilogy is no different. Nathaniel is still arrogant and selfish, even more so than in Amulet. It's not that he's a bad person - he's just concerned about his career. The near-affectionate relationship he developed with Bartimaeus is nonexistent in this volume, and Bartimaeus is less than pleased with Nathaniel's "progression" as a magician.
Kitty, on the other hand, is awesome. She cares about doing the right thing which, for her, is overthrowing the magicians and their tyrannical rule. She, as well as the other members of the Resistance, have a resilience to magic. Some members can see or hear magical auras and all have some level of immunity to the magician's powers. Kitty, for example, survived an attack by a demon that left her friend Jakob near-dead and scarred for life.
Overall, I liked the novel, but not as much as I liked Amulet. Perhaps the third volume will recapture some of that excitement for me.
What's up next: On the Edge: My Story by Richard Hammond. You might recall that I posted last time about purchasing this book. As a refresher, Hammond is one of three presenters of BBC's Top Gear, a show for motoring enthusiasts. Even if you know nothing about cars (like me!) chances are you'll enjoy it. Hammond, James May, and Jeremy Clark do ridiculous things (launching a rocket-powered Mini off a ski jump, driving old cars across Botswana, building their own limos, etc) and hilarity often ensues.
Anyway. Hammond's book is partially biography and partially about his September 2006 car crash that nearly killed him. It's likely to make me bawl like a baby, since his wife writes part of the book (He was in a coma after the crash and basically forgot two weeks of his life). I can only imagine how horrific that must have been...I'm sure I'll get into that when I review the book, though.
Also, I fully plan on posting a review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but I'm waiting until tomorrow when I see it for the second time.
Mischief Managed,
Pearl
