Stroud's thrilling fantasy novels "The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye" and "Ptolemy's Gate" are now available in a gift edition, hardcover boxed set.
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Stroud's thrilling fantasy novels "The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye" and "Ptolemy's Gate" are now available in a gift edition, hardcover boxed set.
Read Less
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
I picked this up in the $3 bin at my local Big Lots. Let me tell you, I was a ravenous fantasy/sci fi reader in my teens about 20 years ago, and then suddenly I just quit. I was sick of the same old plots and bad writing. Since then, I've read maybe 2 books cover to cover. When I found this in the cheap bin at Big Lots, I thought it a bit dubious, but when I started reading, the old excitement of reading returned to me again!
Stroud has created a very believable universe where magic exists, but is only wielded by the demons who are enslaved by the upper class of humans, namely magicians. The main characters are well developed and have faults. Very human in character, expecially the non humans, such as Bartimaeus, one of the main characters. He's quirky, funny, and well, pretty much helpless when it comes to his situation, but his trials and tribulations make you really root for him and ultimately leads to redemption for the other characters in the book, but only after one really messy situation after another! This is definitely NOT your typical "Mary Sue" type of story. Excellent and very believable bad guys suck you into the plot quite effectively.
I definitely would recommend this whole trilogy to any fantasy fan. I've actually come to replace my paperback copies with hardback editions. I hope the next read is as enjoyable. I hear good things about Artemis Fowl. Perhaps I'll give that a try.
bruce69
Jun 11, 2009
Would like more of these characters
My only regret is that this is a trilogy, and not an on-going saga. I lost a lot of sleep because I could not put any of them down.
organicfairymom
Apr 10, 2008
I didn't want to like these ...
I'm an adult with a big addiction to youth fantasy. When I ordered The Bartimaeus Trilogy, I wanted to like the books, but I didn't really expect that I would. It took me a while to get into the reading -- the writing style is great, very readable and fun, but I just didn't like the main character (Nathaniel). Bartimaeus, on the other hand, had me charmed pretty early on.
I struggled with the books until almost the end of the second book -- mostly because I really didn't like Nathaniel, and I couldn't see how the story could do anything worthwhile in the end because he was such a self-serving egomaniac. By the end of the last book, though, I was really sorry to see the trilogy end. The story closed beautifully, and I almost started them over again.