Due to the success of his first campaign involving the Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel, now fourteen, has been appointed the youngest representative ever to the Office of Internal Affairs, and has been devising traps to capture members of the Resistance--a secretive group of commoners who are determined to undermine the ruling class of magicians. When a magic-sapping Golem’s surprise first attack is labeled an act of Resistance terrorism, Nathaniel reluctantly summons Bartimaeus for help. Meanwhile, a zealous young member of the Resistance, Kitty Jones, is planning to rob the sacred tomb of the great magician Gladstone, and turn the power of his buried magical instruments against the spell makers. The towering clay Golem and its shadowy master unites the destinies of Nathaniel, Bartimaeus, and Kitty together in one fateful night--unfortunately, that night is much too slow in coming. Stroud’s second book is far too long and gloomy, focusing more on the priggish Nathaniel and wronged Kitty than the dijinni readers have come to adore. Fans of Jonathan Stroud’s breakout hit, The Amulet of Samarkand, may be a little disappointed to discover that Bartimaeus features so little his second book. While Stroud cleverly uses the class war between the ruling magicians and the disgruntled commoners as a metaphor for current political and social clashes, the text suffers overall from a lack of the dijinni’s famous facetious footnotes. Avid fans are left skimming the slow parts and hoping that when Bartimaeus escapes his servile bonds he will be given more space to make them laugh. --Jennifer Hubert


From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 6 Up–This sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand(Hyperion, 2003) takes place two years later. Now 14, Nathaniel works in the Department of Internal Affairs trying to stop a group of commoners who are responsible for small rebellions against the magician-run government. As he pursues the elusive Resistance, he discovers that an unknown individual is using ancient magic to control a golem and wreak havoc on the city of London. Meanwhile, readers get a look into the heart of the Resistance through the eyes of Kitty, a resourceful young commoner. She was born with a "resilience" to magic, an ability that drew her to the attention of the rebels, and her motivations for joining them are clearly presented. As events unfold, Nathaniel and Kitty are faced with choices that will test their courage and honor. The third-person narrative switches focus between the two characters. As in the first book, occasional chapters narrated by the demon Bartimaeus add sarcasm and irreverent humor to the text and offer a break from the ever-growing tension. The story, which stands alone nicely, retains all of the strengths of Stroud's first installment and adds many more details to his already vivid fantasy world. The characters are well developed and the action never lets up. A must-purchase for all fantasy collections.–Tasha Saecker, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Gr. 7-12. This sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand (2003) takes up the story two years later, in 1868. According to Stroud's alternate history, London is governed by powerful magicians who keep the commoners in line through intimidation. Among the magicians maneuvering for power is the rather unlikable Nathaniel, now 14. When a golem destroys part of the British Museum, Nathaniel is sent to Prague to investigate the creature's origin. Once again, he calls on the powerful djinn Bartimaeus, one of the more memorable characters in fantasy literature, to help achieve his goals. Though bound by enchantments, Bartimaeus has a mind of his own and an ironic attitude that colors his witty commentary. Chapters narrated in first-person by Bartimaeus are interspersed with third-person narratives focused on Nathaniel or Kitty, a determined young commoner who appeared briefly in the first book. With a much larger role now, she emerges as a sympathetic young protagonist fighting against the injustices perpetrated by the ruling magicians. A dark, intriguing offering in a highly original fantasy series. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
The second adventure in the Bartimaeus trilogy finds our young apprentice magician Nathaniel working his way up the ranks of the government, when crisis hits. A seemingly invulnerable clay golem is making random attacks on London. Nathaniel and the all-powerful, totally irreverent djinni, Bartimaeus, must travel to Prague to discover the source of the golem's power. In the ensuing chaos, readers will chase a dancing skeleton across London's skyline, encounter the horror of the dreaded Night Police, witness a daring kidnapping, and enter the Machiavellian world of the magician's government. Eventually, Nathaniel and Bartimaeus have to go head to head with the fearsome golem before the surprise identity of his master is finally revealed.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Jonathan Stroud's mischievous djinni makes a thrilling comeback in this magically delicious sequel to the bestselling The Amulet of Samarkand. Starring Bartimaeus, the boy magician Nathaniel, and Resistance fighter Kitty, Stroud's follow-up takes readers again to London, where a string of mysterious breaks-ins at high-profile buildings has officials scratching their heads. Now 14 and working in the government's Internal Affairs office, Nathaniel has been assigned to determine the cause of these crimes; unfortunately, the magician is able to make little headway until he summons Bartimaeus for service. Is it the Resistance causing all of these problems or something much more dangerous? Audiences will sit agog as they follow the interconnected stories of Nathaniel, Kitty, and the famous djinni, especially as they learn how Kitty's run-in with a nasty magician develops into her allegiance to the Resistance. As with his previous book, the author packs enough punch to delight fans of Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter, brilliantly weaving plotlines together and developing his characters so that none is totally admirable. Given the success of Stroud's first book and the merit of his second, it's no doubt that audiences will surely be salivating to see what will happen in Book Three. Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

In their continuing adventures, magician's apprentice Nathaniel, now fourteen years old, and the djinni Bartimaeus travel to Prague to locate the source of a golem's power before it destroys London.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In their continuing adventures, magician's apprentice Nathaniel, now fourteen years old, and the djinni Bartimaeus travel to Prague to locate the source of a golem's power before it destroys London.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The sharp-witted shape-shifting djinni returns in Stroud's second volume of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, this time dealing with a mysterious attacker that is terrorizing London. Nathaniel (aka John Mandrake), now 14, is apprenticed to Jessica Whitwell (as established at the close of the first book), "one of the four most potent magicians in the government." When several terrorist attacks take place, the ruling party blames the Resistance, the young commoner idealists introduced in the previous title. Nathaniel, rapidly rising through the ranks and serving as assistant to the Internal Affairs minister, Julius Tallow, suspects something larger at work. He once again summons Bartimaeus; the djinni's charge: "Pursuit and identification of an unknown enemy of considerable power." When it appears that a golem is behind the attacks, the duo's mission takes them to Prague to uncover the magic behind the creature's appearance. Readers learn more about Kitty, previously met as a member of the Resistance, as the narrative shifts among her, Bartimaeus and Nathaniel. Kitty aids Mr. Pennyfeather, leader of the Resistance, in the group's effort to rob the grave of the legendary magician Gladstone to gain power. Bartimaeus once again steals the spotlight; his pages are the most entertaining (one of his signature footnotes points out that his guise as a feathered, winged serpent "used to bring the house down in Yucatan"). Although the thrill of discovery of Stroud's magical realm may have worn off slightly, fans of book one will enjoy revisiting this delectably uneasy bond between boy and djinni. Bartimaeus's pointed humor makes for a story worth savoring. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Christopher Moning

Book two of Jonathan Stroud's delightful "Bartimaeus Triology" reacquaints faithful readers—and no doubt introduces legions of new fans—to Bartimaeus, the quirky, sarcastic, and irreverent djinni that serves as the honest but ribald narrator of this fantasy novel. In an alternative British Empire, an empire that is ruled by corrupt magicians who use enslaved demons, such as imps, djinns, and foliots, to do their bidding, a small but powerful insurgency is developing. Kitty, a commoner who has an uncommon resistance to magic, is part of the resistance. A young magician, Nathaniel, is moving up through the ranks of government. His djinni, Bartimaeus, must obey Nathaniel, but never does willingly, and never without reminding Nathaniel that as he grows in power, he loses his humanity. Complicating matters is the violent appearance of a golem, a clay giant of a figure that is wreaking havoc and destroying British landmarks. The golem is controlled by an unseen force; Nathaniel's reputation depends on his success at finding and destroying that force. Some chapters of the novel are related through Nathaniel's and Kitty's opposing viewpoints. But the most entertaining sections are the first-person narratives of Bartimaeus, which are replete with hilarious footnotes. For instance, while staking out a demon, Bartimaeus ruminates on his life. An accompanying footnote reads, "There were plenty more incredibly intelligent thoughts, which I won't bother your pretty little heads with. Take it from me it was all good, damn good." There is action galore as well, culminating in a climactic battle against the golem. Folks will be clamoring for the next installment in this entertaining series.2003, Miramax Books/Hyperion, Ages 10 up.

VOYA - Cindy Dobrez

He's ba-ack! The wise-cracking, omniscient djinni, Bartimaeus, with his funny footnotes, has been summoned again. His master Nathaniel, now a member of the magical government of London, is responsible for stopping the Resistance attacks and capturing a menacing clay golem with a mysterious master. Bartimaeus is disgruntled to be called back into service after only two years, but Nathaniel is desperate to prove his worth and to continue his quick climb up the political ladder. Stroud continues the multiple narrator and first- and third-person narration format of the prequel, The Amulet of Samarkand (Hyperion 2003/VOYA December 2003). Unfortunately Bartimaeus disappears for far too long as the story is set up and Kitty's narration is added (including a three-year flashback to recount her history with the Resistance). Ardent fans will enjoy the intelligent text, but less experienced fantasy readers might get lost in the many shifts in place and time or become impatient with the pacing of the adventure that meanders more than the Thames. Among the new treats is the skeleton of London's magical founder Gladstone, inhabited by the delightfully maniacal afrit, Honorius, delirious to be free of the crypt but intent on revenge nonetheless. The many plot threads are sewn together satisfactorily in the exciting conclusion, but happily the characters are left poised for their next adventure. Plenty of teens will be waiting; the astute ones will be pondering Stroud's timely message about the importance of education and knowledge of the past-and the dangers of powerful government. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School,defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Hyperion, 556p., Ages 11 to 18.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-This sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand (Hyperion, 2003) takes place two years later. Now 14, Nathaniel works in the Department of Internal Affairs trying to stop a group of commoners who are responsible for small rebellions against the magician-run government. As he pursues the elusive Resistance, he discovers that an unknown individual is using ancient magic to control a golem and wreak havoc on the city of London. Meanwhile, readers get a look into the heart of the Resistance through the eyes of Kitty, a resourceful young commoner. She was born with a "resilience" to magic, an ability that drew her to the attention of the rebels, and her motivations for joining them are clearly presented. As events unfold, Nathaniel and Kitty are faced with choices that will test their courage and honor. The third-person narrative switches focus between the two characters. As in the first book, occasional chapters narrated by the demon Bartimaeus add sarcasm and irreverent humor to the text and offer a break from the ever-growing tension. The story, which stands alone nicely, retains all of the strengths of Stroud's first installment and adds many more details to his already vivid fantasy world. The characters are well developed and the action never lets up. A must-purchase for all fantasy collections.-Tasha Saecker, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake, WI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews