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The Amulet of Samarkand

The Bartimaeus trilogy, Book 1

Miramax Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Alternate Earths, Epics, Occult, Spirits, Urban Tales, Wizards
*****

Description

At five years old, London-born Nathaniel lost his parents and his birth name, recruited by the Government to be trained as a magician. It may seem a raw deal, but by giving him up his parents actually did him a great favor: England, like many modern nations, is run solely by magicians, so their son now has a chance to truly advance in society. (The money they received as compensation didn't hurt, either.) And he'll earn a name back on his twelfth birthday, an official name that - unlike his birth name - can't be used against him by rival magicians or angered demons. A dutiful student to a lackluster mage, Nathaniel might have gone on to a happy, if modest, career... until a moment of utter humiliation drives him to go far, far beyond what his master has ever taught him in pursuit of revenge.
After five millenia, the djinni Bartimaeus has pretty much seen it all. Like most of his fellow spirits - only a crude human would dub his kind "demons" - he has spent more than his fair share of time in bondage to magicians. Once summoned and bound by his name, he's pretty much stuck performing whatever mindless, short-sighted, and counterproductive task he's ordered to do. No great shakes as a life goes, but he usually finds a way to get his revenge in the end, so it evens out. When he finds himself summoned by a stripling twelve-year-old, Bartimaeus figured it'd be an easy gig: probably just a prank on a friend, or something equally banal. Nothing he hasn't done countless times before on behalf of countless previous masters. But the boy orders him to steal a very powerful artifact - the Amulet of Samarkand - from a very powerful magician. Stupid at best, suicidal at worst, but bound djinni must do as they are ordered... and if the brat's that suicidal, well, it's hardly his business.
What started as an angry apprentice's act of vengeance soon consumes both boy and djinni, as they face rebellious commoners, rival spirits, and a maze of dark conspirators that could bring England's government to its knees... and, not incidentally, leave both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus very, very dead.

Review

When most books promise "wit," I mentally brace myself. I've been promised wit and humor far more often than I've actually found it (in books or movies.) This time, however, I had to agree with the reviews. Stroud gives the djinni Bartimaeus a uniquely clever voice, with many amusing observations and footnotes that embellish, rather than obscure, the narrative. Nathaniel's upbringing molds him into the perfect magician, right down to the sense of entitlement and willingness to use any means to achieve his own ends; through the course of the story, he shows streaks of terrifying ruthlessness, with just enough of a conscience to keep him on the "good" side. (I expect he'll undergo more profound transformations in the next two books.) Of the two characters, I have to say that I preferred Bartimaeus's chapters, but both have much to contribute. Stroud's alternate modern-day London starts out looking pleasant and prosperous, but a darker side to the magician-ruled England emerges through asides and passing remarks, most of which go right over power-blinded Nathaniel's young head. The story itself moves along very nicely, full of action and intrigue and amusing dialog. I found this book highly enjoyable, a witty tale that actually contains wit. It came close to losing a half-star due to Nathaniel's obstinate refusal to see the problems right in front of his nose, plus a little weakness in the ending, but I enjoyed the rest of it enough to forgive it. Hopefully I can scrounge up the next two books in the trilogy soon. (They also have shiny covers. Shiny covers rarely hurt a book's chance of ending up in my reading pile.)

 

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The Golem's Eye

The Bartimaeus trilogy, Book 2

Miramax Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Alternate Earths, Epics, Girl Power, Occult, Spirits, Urban Tales, Wizards
*****

Description

The boy magician Nathaniel, now officially John Mandrake, has risen far since his involvement in the theft and retrieval of the powerful Amulet of Samarkand. A favorite of the Prime Minister, his talent and ambition have put him on a fast track to a high-level career as a rising star in the great British Empire... and, naturally, earned him no end of enemies and rivals just waiting for the fourteen-year-old prodigy to slip up.
When a sudden, devastating attack strikes in the very heart of London, suspicion naturally falls on the Resistance, a terrorist group responsible for petty thefts and strikes on magician targets throughout the city. But Mandrake disagrees; the scale of destruction is much too large, the power involved too great for mere commoners to handle. To conduct his investigation - one which may make or break his promising young career - he is forced to turn to an assistant he once vowed never to summon again. A sarcastic, recalcitrant demon that managed to learn his birth name, and thus has a measure of power over the boy... none other than the five-thousand-year-old djinni, Bartimaeus.

Review

This is one of those series that almost makes me want to throw in the towel on my own writing efforts. (Almost...) Stroud continues to build a well-devised alternate world, where a Britain built on slavery (of demons and, in more subtle forms, of non-magical humans) thirsts for global conquest. As part of the establishment, Nathaniel/John works tireless to preserve what he sees as the natural order of things, incapable of understanding the Resistance or the often-rebellious natures of his own bound spirit servants. Bartimaeus, with his trademark wit, watches events unfold with a somewhat fatalistic detatchment, save when he's ordered to involve himself on Mandrake's behalf; he's seen civilizations rise and fall for millenia, and considers such fleeting matters of the material world no real business of his own... an attitude he starts to question through the course of the book. Stroud adds another voice to the cast with Kitty, a commoner girl mentioned briefly in Book 1, who offers a glimpse into the heart of the Resistance and the often-counterproductive efforts of its members. Their stories meet in a tale of oppression, intrigue, and plenty of action, all enlivened by sharp writing and clever humor. I can't wait to start the third volume, which beckons from my reading pile even as I type.

 

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Ptolemy's Gate

The Bartimaeus trilogy, Book 3

Miramax Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Alternate Earths, Epics, Girl Power, Occult, Spirits, Urban Tales, Wizards
*****

Description

John Mandrake's formidable mastery of magic, his well-chosen political allies, and a healthy, ruthless self-interest have carried him far from his old life as Nathaniel, the unappreciated apprentice to a weak master. A powerful young force in Britain's magician-ruled government, helping orchestrate the political propaganda to sell the increasingly-weary commoners on the country's flagging international wars, beset at every turn by jealous rivals, Mandrake has money, influence, fame, prospects... everything that poor little boy he used to be could ever have wanted out of life. If not for the pesky tinglings of an atrophied conscience, he might even convince himself he's happy.
The djinni Bartimaeus has seen better days. Once a force to be reckoned with, now - thanks to extended servitude in the material world, which weakens a spirit's essence - he can barely hold himself together... literally. But, (generally) uncomplaining and (more-or-less) loyal as ever, he suffers his chains in (near) silence, helping Mandrake patrol London's increasingly dangerous streets in search of foreign agitators and home-grown rebels, some of whom are developing immunity to magical attacks. He's seen it all before, of course, the rise and fall of empires: the names and the languages change, but the slavery of spirits like himself remains the same. Only one boy, in all his five thousand years, ever thought that the cycle of bondage could be broken, that spirit and mage might someday work together... but Ptolemy paid a terrible price for his faith, and most of his groundbreaking research was lost to the ages. A terrible pity, but even a five-thousand-year-old djinni knows better than to think human nature can ever change.
Kitty Jones has officially been dead for three years. After a moment of mercy (or foolishness) prompted her to spare John Mandrake's life, she's been hard at work learning everything she can about magicians and spirits, even going so far as to become an assistant to a particularly eccentric mage far outside the squabblings of the powerful Parliament. Her unusual encounter with the djinni Bartimaeus forced her to re-evaluate her assumptions about "demons." Coupled with her lingering dismay over the ineffective Resistance and other equally toothless commoner efforts to throw off their chains, Kitty realizes that someone has to act if the endless, futile cycle of slavery and oppression is ever going to be broken... but what can one commoner girl hope to do when even Ptolemy, a powerful magician and a prince in his day, was ignored?

Review

Some trilogies are simply three stories stitched together by recurring characters. Others - usually the best - are a single story that takes three volumes to tell properly, a continuous arc from start to finish. The Bartimaeus trilogy is one of those. In this third installment, Stroud wraps up all the hints and threads tossed out in the preceding books. The shadows of darkness in the halls of Parliament that young Nathaniel scarcely noticed grow to dominate the life of John Mandrake, the hinted tale of Bartimaeus's peculiar bond with his former master Ptolemy comes full-circle, the injustice of an empire built on slavery in any form builds to an explosion with cataclysmic consequences. The story overall is darker and somewhat more complex than the previous two books, because the lives of Mandrake, Kitty, and Bartimaeus have grown much darker and more complex; all three have important lessons to learn, facts to face, and sacrifices to make if they want to see their respective worlds saved. I've read that some readers didn't like the turns it took, but I loved it for that same reason. Throughout, the sparkling wit and wry commentary of the titular djinni remains unabated, even when faced with near-certain death and destruction. This is a magnificent conclusion to a great trilogy, one of the few books that's tempted me to raise the bar above five stars.

 

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The Ring of Solomon

A Bartimaeus novel

Miramax Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Alternate Earths, Epics, Girl Power, Occult, Spirits, Urban Tales, Wizards
****+

Description

As Egypt's glory wanes, a new power rises near the shores of the Great Sea. From his mighty capital in Jerusalem, the influence of the famed King Solomon spreads across the ancient world, fueled by his legendary wisdom, his political savvy... and a powerful ring, with which he can summon ten thousand demons in the blink of an eye, should the wisdom and savvy fail. With it, he has brought peace and prosperity to his nation and many others, and attracted the greatest magicians in the known world to his service. No fewer than seventeen mages labor under Solomon's command - each and every one of them with a covetous eye on the ring. All attempts to steal it, by rivals or magicians or angered spirits, have ended terribly... thus far.
Asmira serves the glorious Queen of Sheba, a prosperous Arabian nation, with her body, mind, and soul. Like her mother before her, she has risen far in the hereditary guard of Queen Balkis, her silver blades ever ready to defend her liege against attacks mundane and magical. When messengers from Solomon demand tribute, lest the Ring's demonic armies lay waste to the realm, the queen sends Asmira to kill the Israeli king and steal his ring - for a lone assassin might slip close enough to succeed where others have failed, especially one with a beautiful, young face like Asmira's.
Bartimaeus of Uruk has suffered many indignities in the two thousand years since he was first named and summoned to Earth from beyond, but his slavery in Solomon's Jerusalem is by far his worst incarnation ever. Tortured and humiliated daily by the sadistic mage Khaba, the djinni has long since lost hope of being dismissed from service before his overtaxed essence dwindles out of existence. He cannot even vent his frustration with his usual pithy remarks and petty disobedience, with the threat of the ring hovering over the head of every man, woman, and spirit in Jerusalem's walls.
On a long and dusty desert road, in the aftermath of a devastating bandit raid, Asmira and Bartimaeus meet. Each has a vested interest in the destruction of the Ring of Solomon... but can either truly afford to trust the other?

Review

Technically a prequel, taking place some three thousand years before Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, one needn't be familiar with Bartimaeus's previously published adventures to enjoy this book, though a few passing remarks here and there foreshadow events in the trilogy. As before, the sparkling wit enhances a truly interesting story, rather than distracting from it. Also as before, the characters all have important lessons to learn, and apply them in ways I didn't always anticipate. It lost half a star for the occasional intrusion of modern terminology into the ancient world setting, but otherwise it fully lived up to the standards set by Stroud's previous stories. I'd happily read more tales of Bartimaeus if this level of quality endures.

 

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Heroes of the Valley


Disney Hyperion
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Ghosts and Spirits
****+

Description

In ancient times, the great hero Svien came to the valley as a babe; strangling a serpent with his bare hands, it was clear he was destined to become a hero. He fought many a monster, squabbled with many a man, and - at the end - joined forces with eleven other mighty heroes to destroy the foul, tunneling Trows. Upon his death, he was laid to rest in a cairn, sword in hand, to defend the valley forevermore.
Halli, born to the House Svien, never fit in with his family. Bandy-legged, short, and homely, full of restless energies, he chafes at the sedate life of the peaceable household. He dreams of being an elder-day hero - but, in these times, blood-feuds have yielded to dull laws, with rivalries settled by marriage more often than murder. Only his uncle, another family outcast, seems to understand... but even that small solace is stolen from him when a drunken insult spirals out of hand at a Gathering. Witnessing his uncle's murder at the hands of House Hakon, the boy's anger knows no bounds. Unsatisfied with the prospects offered by the laws of the valley, Halli determines to settle the score as Svien himself would have done... no matter what the consequences.

Review

Many tales, especially Young Adult tales, tell of heroism in its many forms. Few explore its meanings and complexities as Stroud does here. Halli starts off, frankly, as a bit of a brat, selfish and short-sighted. His emotions rule him, as do his dreams based on elder-day tales of daring and bravery and brutal justice - dreams that cannot work in the real world. Slowly, through many mishaps and harsh lessons that return to haunt him, he learns the truth about the heroes and the stories he so long held dear. Along the way, he learns just what it means to become a real hero, not just a tale-teller's grandiose vision of one. The story drug now and again, taking its time setting up Halli and his world. Once it starts moving, it takes some unexpected turns on its way to a fitting finale. An enjoyable tale!

 

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The Screaming Staircase

The Lockwood & Co. series, Book 1

Disney Hyperion
Fiction, MG Fantasy/Horror
Themes: Alternate Earths, Cross-Genre, Ghosts and Spirits, Girl Power, Urban Tales
****

Description

Since the dawn of history, humans have started at darkness, shadows, and things that go bump in the night. Since the Problems woke spirits across England, those things have become all too real - and the touch of a ghost is just as deadly to grown-ups who barely sense their presence. Iron, silver, salt, and lights help keep the wraiths at bay after sundown, but thus far the most effective ghost-fighters have been gifted children. Armed with silver-tipped rapiers, salt bombs, iron filings, chains, and other gadgets, they prowl the nights dispersing specters and, where possible, identifying and neutralizing the Sources, the item (often mortal remains) to which the spirits are bound.
Lucy Carlyle is one such girl. She had a promising career ahead of her, until a disaster led her to be blamed for the deaths of several fellow agents - a disaster caused by the cowardice of their adult supervisor. She came to London hoping to find a new job, but her record holds her back, until she makes it to the door of Lockwood & Co. Anthony Lockwood's an inscrutable boy, prone to mercurial moods, not to mention a certain eccentric streak. For one, he tolerates George, who's tooth-grindingly annoying on his best days. For another, he runs his agency without adult supervision - a serious risk, and one that puts him at odds with DEPRAC, England's official government department for handling the Problems. Lucy might've passed if she'd had other options, but she needs the job, and Lockwood and George need a new partner. Little does she know what adventures lay ahead... particularly the case of the Screaming Staircase, which begins innocuously enough with a standard suburban haunting, but leads to a forgotten murder, a vengeful spirit, and deep into the blood-soaked halls of one of England's most haunted sites.

Review

Stroud creates another interesting twist on modern-day London with his latest series, creating a haunted world where children - tradtionally the victims of nocturnal fears - are forced onto the front lines of a nightly supernatural battle. In a country with as long and bloody a history as England, there's no shortage of spirits to haunt the night, and for every one dispatched a dozen more are waiting to take their place. It's not a victimless fight, either; agents (and their adult supervisors, often those who have outgrown most of their Talents) frequently die confronting spirits, sometimes to return as wraiths themselves. Even those who survive are haunted by what they see and experience. This adventure acts as a pilot episode, establishing the characters and the world as the story unfolds. As such, at times it seems a bit slow, backtracking through Lucy's history and other things, but even when it's simply laying groundwork it's interesting enough to keep reading. Lucy's Talent for psychometry (picking up residual memories and emotions off haunted objects) draws her deeper into the world of the ghosts than either of her partners, an empathy that threatens her more than once; even a victim of terrible injustice is deadly to the living. George is the comic relief, chubby and food-obsessed and always ready with a smart line, though his research skills and other talents make him a fully competent team member when it counts. As for Lockwood, he's almost annoyingly inscrutable at times, a junior version of Carnacki with touches of Sherlock Holmes around the edges. The three work fairly well together in their investigation, which tangles paths with the living as much as the (un)dead. All in all, it's a fine, spirited adventure, with some truly chilling moments and a decent mystery at its heart. I expect I'll read on if and when I track down Book 2 at a reasonable price.

 

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The Whispering Skull

The Lockwood & Co. series, Book 2

Disney Hyperion
Fiction, MG Fantasy/Horror
Themes: Alternate Earths, Cross-Genre, Ghosts and Spirits, Girl Power, Urban Tales
****

Description

After the incident of the Screaming Staircase, small-time ghost hunting agency Lockwood and Co. - run by preteens Anthony Lockwood, George, and new recruit Lucy - became famous... temporarily, at least. They still struggle to compete with larger, better-funded outfits of ghost-sensitive children fighting the Problems, the deadly spirits stalking London's nights for over fifty years. A botched case solved by their rivals in the Fittes agency leads to an informal bet: the next time they go head-to-head on the same haunting, whoever fails to crack it first must take out a public ad praising the other. But that was before they found themselves involved with the mysterious corpse of one Mr. Bickerstaff, a Victorian eccentric whose unwholesome obsession with ghosts led to the creation of an artifact so deadly one glimpse of it can be maddening, even lethal - an artifact that kills one of the thieves who steal it shortly after its discovery. Worse, the haunted skull Lockwood keeps in the agency cellar has become "talkative" again, telling Lucy all sorts of half-truths and tantalizing hints that it might know something about Bickerstaff. If she listens to it, they might crack the case before anyone else dies... or the skull's twisted words might kill them all.

Review

Like the first volume in this middle-grade horror series, The Whispering Skull offers a nice blend of eccentric characters, humor, and spooky ghost-hunting action that doesn't water down terror or blunt corners; though there is no graphic violence or gore, some of the hauntings are downright scary, and there are actual deaths involved. Lucy's Talent of hearing ghosts makes her the only conduit for the titular skull's advice and warnings; even as she knows they can't be taken at face value, given the questionable nature of their source, she can't help but be swayed by them. Scholarly George, meanwhile, develops an obsession of his own as they research Bickerstaff and his "bone glass" mirror, which may answer questions about the Problems and about the nature of death itself. As for Lockwood, his tendency to remain inscrutable, particularly about his past, creates problems that could fracture their agency just when they need each other most. Though ghost-hunting has grown them all up faster than ordinary kids, they do remain children at heart in some ways, not quite as mature as grown-ups might be in similar situations... though, in this world, with maturity often comes obsolescence, as spirit-sensing Talents fade with age (even as the touch of a ghost remains lethal; aged-out ghost hunters often remain on as handlers for younger agents, but can do little to protect or help their charges on the job.) Aside from some moments of plot-extending obliviousness (not quite rising to the level of stupidity, given circumstances, but still subtly aggravating at times), the story moves at a fair clip toward a conclusion that, while not entirely unexpected, nevertheless delivers decent thrills and a nice wrap-up, segueing (naturally) into the hook for the next volume. It made for a good read, all in all, and I expect I'll continue with this series through at least one more book.

 

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The Amulet of Samarkand

A Bartimaeus graphic novel, Book 1
, illustrations by Nicolas Chapuis and Lee Sullivan
Disney Hyperion
Fiction, MG Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Themes: Alternate Earths, Epics, Occult, Spirits, Urban Tales, Wizards
****

Description

In a modern-day London ruled by magicians, young Nathaniel finds himself apprenticed to Mr. Underwood, a mage of modest ability, miniscule courage, and less ambition. The boy might have gone on to follow in his footsteps... but when another magician utterly humiliates him (while Underwood does nothing to defend him), a great rage awakens, driving Nathanial to go far beyond anything his master dared to teach him in search of revenge.
After five thousand years in and out of service to various magicians through the ages, the djinni Bartimaeus has pretty much seen it all. When he catches sight of the stripling apprentice who summoned him, he figured it'd be an easy job: a prank on a rival, a levitation, some other flashy but ultimately pointless display of his incredible powers. But this boy has a much more dangerous game in mind. He orders Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand, a powerful artifact with a bloody past, from a dangerous mage. Soon, boy and djinni find themselves caught up on a dark plot of rebellion, black magic, and betrayals that could shake the very foundations of the House of Parliament and England itself.
Based on the novel The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.

Review

A pretty good interpretation, it captures the essential humor and hidden shadows of Stroud's novel. Having the author involved in the graphic novel adaptation really does make a difference, here, as many of the fun touches that made the book so fun survived translation. Some parts might have been a bit hard to follow without knowing the original story; it was, necessarily, condensed somewhat from the original. The artwork strikes a nice balance, not too simple to tell the story yet not so busy as to clutter the pages. While some of the characters may not have matched my mental images of them, all are recognizable from the descriptions in the original book. If you enjoyed Stroud's books, you'll enjoy this graphic novel.

 

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