Review Detail

Reader reviewed by kim

In these novels, magicians are the ruling class and young children are sold to the government for their training and apprenticeship. Nathaniel is the young apprentice who summons a very powerful 5,000 year old dijiin (demon) to help him enact revenge on those who humiliated him. I absolutely loved these books. The sharp wit of the dijin Bartimaeus and his sardonic footnotes are strong enough to keep you eagerly turning pages for the sheer hilarity of that alone! It was not uncommon to be repeatedly insulted in the footnotes by Bartimaeus either ! Kitty was my favorite character with her fierce independant spirit, and desire for justice in the world. Bartimaeus' tenuous relationship with Nathaniel was amusing to read but also had added depth to the books as their relationship grew and evolved. Nathaniel's ultimate sacrifice in the end for Bartimaeus actually had me choked up for a moment. Bartimeus is my favorite dijiin - I would recommend these books to Harry Potter fans who are looking for another series with sorcery, magic and lots of imagination!