Review: Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud

Title: Ptolemy's Gate (Bartimaeus #3)

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Published: 2006 by Random House

Pages: 515

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

Review Highlights: High on fantasy, gripping, perfect ending to trilogy, great writing style, amazing story

Blurb from Goodreads

Three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel helped prevent a cataclysmic attack on London. Now an established member of the British Government, he faces unprecedented problems: foreign wars are going badly; Britain's enemies are mounting attacks close to London; and rebellion is fomenting among the commoners. Increasingly imperious and distracted, Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever. The long-suffering djinni is growing weak and vulnerable from too much time in this world and is nearing the end of his patience.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel's longtime rival Kitty has been stealthily completing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus's past. She has a daring plan that she hopes will break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say?

In this glorious conclusion to the Bartimaeus trilogy, the destinies of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel, and Kitty converge once more. Together the threesome faces treacherous magicians, a complex conspiracy, and a rebellious faction of demons. To survive, they must test the limits of this world and question the deepest parts of themselves. And most difficult of all-they will have to learn to trust one another.

My Thoughts!

I love reading books by Jonathan Stroud. Before I picked up this trilogy, the only book by Stroud I'd read was called The Leap, which had intrigued me for many years afterwards. Reading the Bartimaeus trilogy, I'm mighty convinced that Stroud is a writer I greatly admire. Ptolemy's Gate, the final book in the series, brings everything to a satisfying conclusion. Although the book is divided into stories of Bartimaeus and also those of Nathaniel and Kitty, I found the first book to be more of a Nathaniel's book, while the second seemed to focus more on Kitty. The third book focuses more on Bartimaeus--we get to know about the past of this beloved and unique djinn, his favourite master, and how the past relates to the present.

Meanwhile, the story is progressing with Nathaniel finding himself in thick soup in the government ranks. He needs to desperately find out and bring an end to the rebellion among the commoners, and for that, he is using Bartimaeus recklessly, so much so that the djinn's essence is nearly gone doing Nathaniel's bidding. That's not all, the excitement gradually mounts up as Stroud narrates parallel stories in a finely balanced fashion, so that the greatest mystery of the book is unveiled at the time when everything suddenly comes together and makes sense, and it is fantastic! 

The book was gripping right from the beginning, which is why I love the author's writing style. Bartimaeus' narrations were fun as usual. I absolutely hated Nathaniel when he was being such a one-sided guy, but his actions were the result of a stressed state of mind, so that somewhat became all right in the end. When it comes to Kitty, though, she absolutely steals the limelight! She has taught herself magic for the purpose of defeating it, she manages to find out secrets no one else could work out, and she plays a major role in bringing an end to the savage destruction being inflicted in London, and which has left even the government in tatters.

I really loved the way the story has been presented in this trilogy. Each book has a certain theme, but the connecting stories and characters grow and develop throughout, which makes the whole story connect and go forward. Even though I didn't prefer the ending to be exactly the way it was, it was still nicely wrapped up. Thank goodness Jonathan Stroud wrote a fourth Bartimaeus book (The Ring of Solomon) that has nothing to do with Nathaniel and this story. I'll be reading that next!

Recommended for: Fantasy lovers, Young Adult readers, Teenagers, anyone looking for a fantasy-trilogy. You will not be disappointed.

Review: The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus #2)

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Published: 2004 by Corgi Children

Pages: 592

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts

The Golem's Eye is the second book in the Bartimaeus series, after The Amulet of Samarkand. Nathaniel has now been in the government job for two years under the guidance of Jessica Whitwell, a high level minister in the Department of Internal Affairs. Nathaniel has become overly ambitious, and detests people in the government who seem to jeer at him for his young age and lack of experience. He hasn't seen Bartimaeus in two years, because of their previous pact to not come across each other again, but when he is assigned the arduous task of finding the mysterious, terribly destructive creature or group roaming around the streets of London, he feels no one but Bartimaeus would be up to the job.

Popular magical places have been destroyed around London, and the Night Police or any magical security could detect no trace of a djinn or any being of magic. The suspicion goes to The Resistance, a group of youngsters who go around stealing magical artifacts to annoy the magicians. Nathaniel, however, does not think teenagers could have managed destruction of such magnitude. There is something far more sinister, something the magicians have believed to be extinct. 

Inspired artwork by www.elfwood.com

The London government is run by magicians, and the commoners are grateful to them for providing them security. Well, not everyone is grateful, however. Some 'commoners' have suffered at the hands of magicians, like everyone else, and resent their power to the extent of attempting to overthrow them. Kathleen (Kitty) Jones is a young teenager who appeared briefly in the first book and occupies a large part of The Golem's Eye. She is part of The Resistance, and is slightly disconcerted by the fact that the major attacks are being attributed to them. The Golem's Eye takes us into two parallel worlds - one of Nathaniel and the magicians, and the other of The Resistance and the commoners. The back-story of Kitty and the members of The Resistance comes up in this book, and makes the whole story very, very interesting.

Bartimaeus is, as usual, his witty, humourous self. It's hard not to smile at his dialogues or footnotes. It's even harder not to be inspired to adopt that kind of attitude in real life situations as well. Bartimaeus is one of my favourite magical characters in literature! As for Nathaniel, I did think he was being a prick in a lot of instances. What happened to his character? He seemed totally influenced by his hunger for power and recognition, and the barely-decent boy in him seemed to have vanished, as Bartimaeus rightly observed.  

Cover *_*

The other thing that made me give this book a five-star review is the manner of writing. It's engrossing, gripping, and in one of the crucial scenes, downright scary. In hindsight, it doesn't seem that horrifying, but it nevertheless made me gasp and shudder, and that's what matters. Who cares about reality anyway? I had been thinking that The Amulet of Samarkand would be superior to its sequel books, but Jonathan Stroud is excellent in all his books. I have to admit that the beginning of this book was a little confusing, and not entirely gripping, because of new information of the past in Prague and about Kitty Jones, and also the lack of Bartimaeus, but it soon picked up pace as the background was set in place, and from there on it was a non-stop reading gala. 

  

I'd highly recommend this series to fans of fantasy and young adult fiction. If you're looking for a mix of old magic and modern taste, this is the book for you! If you've read The Amulet of Samarkand, you have to continue this series. Now I'll be waiting for my copy of Ptolemy's Gate to arrive, and devour it in one go. The quotable quotes from the book are mostly dialogues by Bartimaeus, such as:

“Hey, we've all got problems, chum. I'm overly talkative. You look like a field of buttercups in a suit.” 

“I wanted to wake you straightaway, but I knew I had to wait several hours to ensure you were safely recovered."

"What! How long has it been?"

"Five minutes. I got bored.”  

Review: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Trilogy)

Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1)

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Published: 2003 by Disney-Hyperion

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5!

(Read the blurb at Goodreads)

My Thoughts

The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus trilogy - a magical book where magicians rule Britain and it is common for them to use imps and djinn of all kinds for their 'magic'. Magicians have an apprentice each, a child brought from willing parents at a young age, to be educated as a magician and possibly hold a reputable post in the government. Nathaniel is six when he is brought to the magician Arthur Underwood.

That's the basic premise of the story. 

The basic, because you would ask, "What's Bartimaeus?" unless you have already read the books. (I've been a laggard. This book first came out in 2003) Bartimaeus is a 5,000 year old djinni who has lived through, and witnessed, the world's great civilizations, wars, hideousness and humour. He's really intelligent, to say the least. And powerful. That is why Nathaniel, aged 12 and very ambitious, decides to call the famed Bartimaeus to do his bidding - stealing the Amulet of Samarkand from his enemy.

The edition I have

One of the many cool covers for this book

The book opens with Bartimaeus entering the scene in what he hopes is a dramatic way. It worked on Nathaniel to some extent, but it works at multiple levels for a reader. We are immediately introduced to this ancient magical creature, who has seen so much of the world that he decided to be totally modern and 'keeping up with the times'. The entire book is narrated simultaneously from Bartimaeus and Nathaniel's perspectives, going back and forth (to the past and present) in between. Yet, it isn't confusing. If you happen to love Bartimaeus from the very first page (like I did), you'll simply look forward to his POV. 

Why? It's not only interesting and full of action, it is also incredibly funny. 

That's what struck me more than the story. From the very beginning, Bartimaeus had me in splits. Be it direct narration, dialogue, or footnotes, it was written and presented so well that I couldn't resist smiling at the way he talks (and what he says). A major part of what we see in the story (minus the back story) comes from Bartimaeus, including Nathaniel's description, and whatever action is taking place. 

As events unfold and we realize why Nathaniel wants to seek revenge on a powerful magician, we're travelling to many places and witnessing many secrets. Nathaniel has no idea that the thing Bartimaeus has stolen for him would make him run around the city and facing its many dangers. It's not only personal revenge, but a huge machination to overturn the government. It is a pretty interesting story, but more than the plot, it is the elements that are appealing and add weight to the story. Die-hard Harry Potter fans would relate certain instances/plot/ideas that seem similar, but isn't it true that after Harry Potter, most YA fiction stories, especially if those happen to relate to magic, seem somewhat similar? I wouldn't take that against this book, however. It has a decent enough plot, it keeps its focus on central characters, and Bartimaeus takes all the credit for making us laugh. Full marks to that.

PS- I had the fourth book, The Ring of Solomon (received as a gift) since years, but about two weeks ago, I found this book sitting in the 'Free Reads' section of a fantastic sale in a fantastic bookstore. I would have been crazy to not pick it up, right? You have to admit that my impulse book-buying decisions turn out well. ;)

Now I'll sit and begin reading The Golem's Eye, part 2 of the Bartimaeus trilogy. Yay!

Psst: I would recommend this book to readers of all ages, if you're interested in fantasy, that is. If you still need proof, take these quotes from the book:

“A word of friendly advice could have saved him, but dear me, I was too busy watching him unravel to think of it until it was far too late.”

“He was transfixed at the sight of the lords and ladies of his realm running about like demented chickens.” 

“And then, as if written by the hand of a bad novelist, an incredible thing happened.” 

“When I set out from the boy's attic window, my head was so full of competing plans and complex stratagems that I didn't look where I was going and flew straight into a chimney.

Something symbolic in that. It's what fake freedom does for you.” 

You can also get the complete book-set here

Review: Love Among the Bookshelves by Ruskin Bond

When you read a book you really enjoy, and you feel it has become your ultimate favourite (like the previous ultimate favourites), what do you do? Ask your friends if they've read it, in the hopes of sparking a new, interesting discussion; search the web to find people who've read it; read up book reviews and secretly hate those who hated the book; and then you read up on the author. Who is/was he/she? What did they like doing? What were their views on stories and literature? Did they give any interviews? Can I read those?

From what I believe, these are the typical traits of a reader who loved a book and doesn't seem to have had enough of it. The most ardent readers would not only savour the book over and over, but would also read about the author's story, imagining a person who created a story they could associate with so well. 

Therefore, if you are a fan of legendary author Ruskin Bond, the Indian writer who wrote his first book in London at the age of seventeen and decided during childhood that he would be a writer, this is the book that chronicles his reading and writing experiences, and loves. Ruskin Bond begins the book with a clarification - this is not a seamy love story that happened behind a bookshelf, but one person's love of books, reading and writing that happened throughout his life. 

Ruskin Bond was a small boy (of eight, I think) when he accompanied his father in a hunting group. They stayed in a wilderness resort for a few days, when Ruskin realized that he found hunting as a sport rather distasteful. He preferred to stay behind in the lodge and spend time with the caretaker, who left him to his own account for the most part. She did, however, tell him that the books Ruskin discovered there belonged to an old Englishman who had lived there previously, and now belonged to the lodge. By then, he had already read some popular books, but with nothing else to do, he found those books as treasures that opened a whole new world for him. "He reads too many books," complained one of his father's friend, but little did he know how wonderful that habit was.  

Throughout the book, Bond narrates his personal relationship with certain books: books that shaped his ideas, that appealed to him in some way or the other, those that held special significance, and nearly all that helped him learn more about the world, or made him experience beautiful emotions. In a writer's life, the books he/she reads matters a lot. Those books are telling of the writer's sources of information, ideas, thought-processes, likes and dislikes. These help a reader grow close to a favourite writer. 

It's not even just about Bond being a favourite, but about how someone who identified, against all social expectations, early during childhood that writing would be his sole career focus, managed to do it. And do it spectacularly. Ruskin Bond takes us into his growing years, his years in London, and even shows us a glimpse of his favourite passages/pages from his favourite books, telling us more about those books, those writers, the era they lived in, and why they are still relevant. An ardent reader would enjoy discovering titles they never knew existed, and get a better idea of how it all shaped Ruskin Bond's mind, if one is interested in that kind of thing. 

Ruskin Bond

The writing style employed in this book is refreshing, articulate, informative and appealing. I'm not just using these adjectives for the sake of making this look like a book review, but because Love Among the Bookshelf truly deserves all these! I found the beginning chapters really, really interesting, and the level of interest slightly petered out towards the end, but that is entirely personal. You could end up loving it all the more. 

There were instances where I had to stop and look for a pencil to mark certain passages or sentences, because of course, Ruskin Bond is good, and when you come across strong these-completely-makes-sense words, you are left with no other alternative than to mark those out. 

"In time I was to learn that it's the onlooker who sees more of the party than the party-goer; that it's the man on traffic duty who sees more of the passing show than the man behind the wheel; that the man on the hilltop sees the curvature of the earth better than the man on the plain; that the hovering vultures know who's winning the battle long before the opposing armies; and that, when all the wars are done, a butterfly will still be beautiful." 

Details of the book are thus:
Title: Love Among the Bookshelves (as is evident from the post title and the post itself)
Author: Ruskin Bond 
Published: April 2014 by Penguin Viking
Pages: 185
Genre: Non-Fiction; Memoir
Find it at: Amazon

Book Talk: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

Jean Webster

Author: Jean Webster

Published: 1912

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

There was something about the title that appealed to me. It was also a title I remembered having seen somewhere, apart from having heard of, so when I came across it while loading up my Kindle with classic ebooks, there was no reason to overlook it.

Goodreads Blurb

Laugh out loud at Judy's charming and unforgettable letters

Young Judy Abbott has been saved from life at the orphanage by a generous--and anonymous--guardian. He will pay for her education if she promises to write to him every month. Judy writes the most exuberant and lively letters--packed with laughs, and tales of friendship and college life. Judy's having so much fun she can scarcely stop writing...

My Thoughts

Boy, was it the best impulse-reading-decision or what. Daddy Long Legs is an epistolary novel chronicling the story of Judy (Jerusha) Abbot, a seventeen year old orphan from the John Grier Home. She has stayed two years more at the home than most kids, and even though she has worked for her boarding, the Home cannot keep her much longer. At the home, the first Wednesday of every month was a day of great trepidation, as the trustees would visit and dine with the matron, looking at the children to see if all was well. On one such Wednesday, Judy had barely entered her room after an arduous day when she was called by the matron. On the way, she saw the shadow of an extremely tall man in a suit and a hat - a trustee, most probably - and his long legs in the shadow were all she knew about him.

To her great astonishment, as the matron informed her, the man had decided to send her to college. He usually despised girls, but the matron had spoken of her intelligence and prowess at English, and the trustee had decided to send her to college so she could be an author. There was one condition - Judy had to write at least one letter to him each month, informing him of her progress in studies. He wished to remain anonymous, and would never write back, but Judy was to address him as Mr John Smith and keep him updated.

The story follows Judy's letters that bring out not just the happenings in the four years of her college life, but also her development as a girl who literally sees the world for the first time. Judy Abbot is quirky, full of life and curiosity, guarded about her past, yet open to making friends. She writes way more than the stipulated 'one letter a month', because Mr John Smith is the only one who could be called a relation, even though he is only a sort of guardian for her. Nevertheless, she grows close to him, calling him Daddy-Long-Legs, and respecting his wishes (that he sent through his secretary in one-sentence-messages) for the most part. Gradually, the book explores much more than teenage or a parent-child relationship.

As she studies harder and tells Daddy Long Legs about the subjects she has undertaken, her friends - the kind and the conceited, her new dresses and things courtesy Mr Smith, she presents to him a picture of a young, empowered woman. She refuses to follow his orders if she found those unfair, or at least frankly letting him know of her opinion. By way of such a relationship and her personal development, Judy represents the power of education, and how men cannot decide to own any woman or make her do as he wished. She also builds an interest in Mr Jarvis, a kindly man whom she befriends. Despite Mr Jarvis being 14 years elder to her, she feels a strong sense of connection with him.

I found the book's language and writing style immensely refreshing. It was a surprise that this book was written so long ago, as it seemed quite 'contemporary'. It was initially categorized along with chick-lit books of the age and gradually came around to being tagged as a children's book. It is a book for all ages, I believe. There is good humour, sarcasm and intelligent conversations - the perfect ingredients for readers who feel put off by dumb dialogues. Daddy Long Legs is extremely well written! Some might find a few gaps in the story, but the essence of the novel is in the letters and including just that what is important, so I did not mind those at the least.

Jean Webster came from a family of women who strongly believed in education of women, and worked for the cause. That was undoubtedly her inspiration, as the theme of the book relates of social ideas, and presenting those ideas in a light manner, yet being able to drive home the point. (And oh, she happens to be Mark Twain's grand-niece) I'm glad I read this book, and I would recommend it to everyone.

There were so many wonderful lines in the book that I was continuously highlighting paragraphs after paragraphs. Some of my favourites are listed below:

“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit."

“I think that the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's places. It makes them kind and sympathetic and understanding.” 

“I believe absolutely in my own free will and my own power to accomplish - and that is the belief that moves mountains. ” 

"It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity."

"The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way."

"But what's the use of arguing with a man? You belong, Mr Smith, to a sex devoid of a sense of logic. To bring a man into line, there are just two methods: one must either coax or be disagreeable. I scorn to coax men for what I wish. Therefore, I must be disagreeable."

^ This one is a favourite.