The Bartimaeus Trilogy Bk. 2:
The Golem's Eye
by Jonathan Stroud

    THE GOLEM'S EYE by Jonathan Stroud
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  1/1/06
    Publisher:  Miramax
    Reviewed by:  K. Osborn Sullivan
    Rating:  5 Stars


    He's rude. He's surly. He won't hesitate to tell you when your haircut looks stupid. And in over 5000 years, he's seen
    some bad haircuts. I'm talking about my favorite djinni, Bartimaeus, back in book two of his young adult fantasy
    trilogy.

    THE GOLEM'S EYE is an excellent sequel to the first book in the series, THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND. In
    the first book, we meet Bartimaeus, an ancient creature of enormous power that can best be described as a type of
    demon. Unfortunately, he and all of his kind hate the word demon. He classifies himself as a djinni, so we'll just go
    with that for the purposes of this review. Why annoy anyone who can shoot magical firebolts at you, right? Anyway,
    Bartimaeus, and other creatures like him, are summoned by human magicians to do their bidding. Needless to say,
    this forced servitude, or slavery, is not popular with the servants, so they do their best to turn the tables on their
    human masters whenever possible.

    Enter Nathaniel, a boy who is in training to become a powerful magician. In book one of the series, he summons
    Bartimaeus from the netherworld and an involuntary partnership begins. In THE GOLEM'S EYE, young Nathaniel
    again finds himself in need of the djinni's aid, so he again turns to reluctant Bartimaeus. This time, a revolutionary
    group is blowing things up in London, which may or may not be related to a series of unusual occurrences that have
    the police stumped. Nathaniel feels that his career would take off if he can solve these crimes. But the stakes are high
    because he knows that his career, and possibly his life, are in jeopardy if he fails.

    A key part of THE GOLEM'S EYE storyline centers on the activities of a London resistance group that is fighting to
    overthrow the magicians' government. Nathaniel's inability to track down these criminals is part of the reason he needs
    Bartimaeus's help. Of course, the djinni has little interest in helping magicians maintain their dominance. After all,
    they're the ones who continually force him and his kind into servitude. This conflict of interest makes for some
    entertaining scenes and conversations.

    If you have not read THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND, I strongly recommend you pick that one up before diving
    into THE GOLEM'S EYE. Technically, you don't have to read the first one, but there is an awful lot of background
    you will miss if you don't. Plus, it's really fun.

    Normally I find myself disappointed in sequels. Somehow they never seem to live up the expectations established by
    the original. But in this case, I was pleasantly surprised. This book is full of excitement, political intrigue, and humor.
    Bartimaeus is back with all of his cheeky comments, and there are plenty of thrills to go around. Overall, a great book.