something to read
Sep. 12th, 2004 10:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threeplusfireThe Amulet of Samarkand: Book One of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Stroud has written several novels aimed at the market between "adult" and "children's" fiction. I'm hard pressed to say where this one falls. That mysterious "young adult" category will have to suffice for the moment.
I am enjoying this book as much as I enjoyed Harry Potter, but for different reasons. His world is not as fully fleshed as Rowling's, but Stroud presents an intriguing alternate history of modern day London. Parliment is packed with wizards, and the country is at war with Prague. These wizards do not seem to require wands, but they do pack incantations and lots of magical devices. What really sets them apart is their ability to summon demons.
Half the book is told from the perspective of a demon, and the other half from an eleven year old wizard. I like Nathaniel, because he's not an entirely good person. He's manipulative, he lies, and he's a bit of a sneak. That said, he is also a very intelligent and lonely boy who spent his life learning everything from books. I can picture myself making some of the very same mistakes. But Nathaniel does grow a bit of a spine and a conscience as well. The djinni Bartimaeus supplies copious informative footnotes to his narrative, and I was never tired of his version of the events. His voice balanced the story between grimness and fun.
Stroud has written several novels aimed at the market between "adult" and "children's" fiction. I'm hard pressed to say where this one falls. That mysterious "young adult" category will have to suffice for the moment.
I am enjoying this book as much as I enjoyed Harry Potter, but for different reasons. His world is not as fully fleshed as Rowling's, but Stroud presents an intriguing alternate history of modern day London. Parliment is packed with wizards, and the country is at war with Prague. These wizards do not seem to require wands, but they do pack incantations and lots of magical devices. What really sets them apart is their ability to summon demons.
Half the book is told from the perspective of a demon, and the other half from an eleven year old wizard. I like Nathaniel, because he's not an entirely good person. He's manipulative, he lies, and he's a bit of a sneak. That said, he is also a very intelligent and lonely boy who spent his life learning everything from books. I can picture myself making some of the very same mistakes. But Nathaniel does grow a bit of a spine and a conscience as well. The djinni Bartimaeus supplies copious informative footnotes to his narrative, and I was never tired of his version of the events. His voice balanced the story between grimness and fun.
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Date: 2004-09-12 06:08 pm (UTC):: wahs quietly ::
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Date: 2004-09-12 07:43 pm (UTC)