The Bartimaeus Trilogy

>Discuss The Bartimaeus Trilogy Here*

The Bartimaeus Trilogy consists of three books and a prequel, all set in an Alternate Universe version of modern London ruled by a corrupt bureaucracy of magicians. A young apprentice magician named Nathaniel summons the ancient, powerful, wisecracking djinni Bartimaeus to steal a valuable amulet. He quickly finds himself caught up in a dark world of corruption and political intrigue with the unwilling djinni in tow.

• Link to the trope page

• Link to the Author's site

• Link to the official site for the books

Been a while since I read that series, but they are all pretty good. I especially like Bartimaeus' footnotes.

Oh, man. I forgot about the footnotes. Those were especially great.

Who thought the ending was like the most frustrating thing with very little closure?

Like, I mean, ONE PARAGRAPH? Somewhere, a Stroud is laughing... But seriously, one of the biggest whoppers was that, if you think about it, the Bartimaeus Trilogy has NO indication of any afterlife, so Nathaniel might and probably did Cease To Exist, and Kitty has no idea if Bartimaeus is alive, so no indication if he ever did tell Kitty hello...

It took me years to realize that Nathaniel died when he broke the staff. I just thought it blew up the demon and he lived happily ever after.

The best footnote is the one that Nathaniel cuts off when sharing his body with Bartimaeus.

It's a seriously great series. I quite liked all three protagonists for different reasons.

I didn't even know there was a prequel. I found it and started reading it because of this thread.

I only read to the end of Golem's Eye, the reason being that I forget what Nathaniel actually did at the end of that one, except for the acrid remark Bartimaeus made about it. I should reread before going on to Ptolemy's Gate, for sure.

I loved this series.

So. Much.

Ha, I was just thinking about these last night. Haven't read them in a long time, but I really love them.

This series cracks me up big-time, but it's got profound stuff too. Bartimaeus himself is awesome and hugely entertaining, but there's a lot of good material from Kitty as well, and even Nathaniel. The prequel was great, and I'm still holding out hope of more material. Or another graphic novel adaptation, or the possibility of a movie.

I would love a movie. I have very fond memories of this series and would love to see a sequel series show up.

Chance of a movie with a shapeshifter main character who shifts forms near constantly: Nil, they need a marketable face.

edited 16th Nov '12 1:36:49 AM by Scardoll

There's always Kitty and Nathaniel for that.

Exactly. If you put a focus on them, while at the same time having some absolutely fantastic looks for Bartimaeus, then you have a good shot. And for the posters you could maybe go for two or three different looks for Bartimaeus, but each has some signature feature that is recognizable.

There actually was a movie planned, but I think it's in Development Hell.

edited 16th Nov '12 9:37:16 AM by JMQwilleran

I read the Bartimaeus Trilogy ages ago, I had no idea there was a prequel.

Was it any good? What was it about?

Solomon's Ring.

Yeah, it was called The Ring of Solomon, and you may recall in the other books Bartimaeus's references to having "spoken with Solomon." In this one, you get to find out what that's all about. It's really good. Starts a bit slow, but then there's a lot of great stuff, everything you'd expect from the series.

edited 16th Nov '12 12:35:10 PM by JMQwilleran

Oh man, I love this series. Bartimaeus is awesome in so many ways, and while Kitty's friends always bothered me, I did like her herself. And I loved Nathaniel more than I really expected, considering how much of a jerkass he is in Golem.

The first book I read was Golem (was given it as a birthday present), so that was my first impression of Nathaniel, and it was really quite interesting reading Amulet afterwards.

I really need to pick up Solomon.

edited 17th Nov '12 1:17:30 AM by Fiwen9430

Awesome, I'll try and see if it's in the local library. It's been ages since I read these books and I'd be glad to read something new in the setting.

Am I the only one who thinks James Earl Jones voicing Barty would be awesome. He doesn't fit the character really, but it would be cool anyway.

Unnecessary when we already have the fantastic Simon Jones doing the job. (Eh? Mr. Jones doesn't already have a page here? I thought for sure he did.)

edited 19th Nov '12 9:38:15 PM by JMQwilleran

So I got the Ring of Solomon for the nook... and while it's hilarious as ever, the footnotes don't show up.

This is tragic.

I read the trilogy a few years ago when I was in high school. I admire it especially from a worldbuildng point of view. It's rare to come across a magic system in a series that makes me feel like the writer wasn't cutting corners. I'm a bit of a sucker for detailed worldbuilding, and a well-constructed magic/fantasty/supernatural system can keep me reading a series even if I become less than enamored at some of its other aspects.

The whole magic system honestly does freaks me out though (perhaps in a good way), considering the alarming frequency that spirits are subjected to fates worse than death. I like how those creepy tidbits are usually told from the point of view of Bartimaeus's snarking footnotes.