Have you read 'Bartimaeus Trilogy'? -Thanks

[Steve]

<--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, kemper mentor
><kempermentor at y...> wrote:
> I have read the first two books of the trilogy.  And, while I 
> enjoyed them, they are not books that I would re-read... probably.  
> I will definitely read the 3rd book whenever it comes out.
>  
> The boy in the books is a bit how I imagine a young Snape to behave. 
> I read him similarly... 
>  
> The magic in the books is nothing like HP.
>  
> ...edited...
>  
> Hope this is found to be helpful.
 
 
> Steve originally wrote:
> 
> Saw this book in the store ...
> 
> It's about an 11 year-old magician (not the stage kind) who is
> learing magic, ...
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> Also, I've only see two volumes availabe. Is that correct, the third
> volume hasn't been written yet?
> 
> Just curious.
> 
> Steve/bboyminn
> 
> Volume 1 - The Amulet of Samarkand (author - Jonathan Stroud)
> Volume 2 - The Golem's Eye
> Volume 3 - ?


bboyminn:

Thanks for the report. I did manage to find the first book in
paperback at WalMart at a fair price, and in that vain, there is good
news and bad news.

The good new is that I was thoroughly capivated by the book, and read
it straight through in two days. Last night I read Parts 2 & 3
straight through in about 10 hours of laying in bed. So, you can be
sure if I did that, I was truly captivated by the story.

The bad news is, my back is killing me from all that time in bed, and
now I don't have anything to read. I was hoping for a leisurely read
of a couple of chapters a night.

This is definitely a much darker book that the Harry Potter books. The
hero is darker, but at the same time strong, brave and determined
although just like Harry frequenlty misguided, stubborn, and very very
luck. The Wizard World of London and the Wizard Government are also
much darker, more corrupt, and a more treacherous places than the
world of Harry Potter.

Like Rowling, Stroud uses wizards and magical creatures to give the
reader insight into human nature. 

The magic is also very different. In some ways both author have put
clear limits on the extent and nature of magic, none the less, within
those boundaries, the capability is there for dark and terrible things.

For anyone looking for an interesting read, and especially for someone
who does like the fantasy genre, I really recommend this book. Just
don't go into it expecting Harry Potter, and you'll be fine. Despite
being dark, it does have its elements of humor, especially in the
character of Bartimaeus.

So, in summary, I emphasize again that I was thoroughly captived by
the story and couldn't put it down. It's a very interesting twist on
magic, and also a very interesting insight into a world (or at least,
Europe) run by wizards. That is, wizards are the primary government,
and rule both wizards and /commoners/.

For Fan Writers, this is also an excellent example of how an author
can effectively use the point of view of more than one character, and
this author does it to great effect. 

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn