The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Jonathan Stroud (Author), Simon Jones (Reader)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Unabridged, 10 tapes.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

In the second installment of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, Simon Jones again narrates Jonathan Stroud's fantasy of a wizard-ruled Britain. Young wizard Nathaniel has risen quickly in the government and finds himself in charge of uncovering the elusive Resistance. Listeners are reintroduced to Resistance leader Kitty, whose alternating narrative demonstrates the cruelty of Nathaniel's ruling class. Nathaniel himself is discovering the Machiavellian nature of the government and, under pressure, calls up the irreverent and dangerous djinni, Bartimaeus. Listeners will again delight in Simon Jones's characterization of the biting wit and subtle humanity of this demon. Dangerous or no, listeners would be devastated if Nathaniel did not call upon Bartimaeus and if Simon Jones were not there to give him voice. K.C. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (August 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807219789
• ISBN-13: 978-0807219782
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.2 x 2.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Books on Cassette > Children's Books > Fantasy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 17, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) (Audio Cassette)

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 (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1). 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 (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1), 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.

Reviewed by: K. Osborn Sullivan

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! (did I mention I liked it?), September 19, 2004

By 

Lillian (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) (Audio Cassette)

I have always preferred "real" books to audio books, until now that is. Simon Jones perfectly captures the characters in this book (especially Bartimaeus). The story is wonderful and well-written. My sons and I listened to the Amulet of Samarkand on tape and knew we had to have this one as well. I hope the third one comes soon!!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel, February 27, 2006

By 

Nadia "Fleet UK" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2) (Audio Cassette)

The Golem's eye is the second book in the delightful and superbly written Bartimaeus trilogy.
Like its predecessor, there is plenty of action, intrigue and humour, largely provided by everyone's favourite djinny Bartimaeus. As with the Amulet of Saamarkand, he manages to steel the show whenever he's given page time.
Jonathan Stroud continues to show the style and attention to characters and detail that he displayed in his first book, only this time, the pageant of characters has been augmented by Kitty, a commoner struggling to live her life under the magician's rule. In Kitty, Jonathan Stroud has created a strong feisty young woman who stands up for what she believes in, and I feel that she is definitely one of the better modern female heroines to emerge in recent years.
Nathaniel is also developed well. Stroud has depicted a deeply flawed, but essentially human hero, whom it is always hard to predict.
The reader is drawn in to the separate stories of Nathaniel, Kitty, and Bartimaeus, and is hooked long before the inevitable moment when their worlds collide.
A worthy sequel. Just as difficult to put down as the first one, and of course, the superb narration of Simon Jones is just the icing on the cake.