NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bartimaeus Trilogy

The Bartimaeus Trilogy is a fantasy series by Jonathan Stroud and was published as a series of three novels between 2003 and 2006. Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Jonathan Stroud Jonathan Anthony Stroud (27 October 1970, Bedford, England) is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and youths. ...

The title character, Bartimaeus, is a five-thousand year old djinni, a spirit of approximately mid-level power. There are five basic levels of spirits, in order of increasing power: imps, foliots, djinn, afrits and marids. There also exists a variety of subclasses in each level. Above these levels exist more powerful entities, who are only occasionally summoned. Most notable of these entities are Ramuthra and Nouda. The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... The cover of the book depicting the Afrit Honarius The Golems Eye is the second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... Ptolemys Gate is the third book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... Bartimaeus is a fictional character in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ...

The story is told through the viewpoint of four characters, the magician John Mandrake (birthname Nathaniel), the djinni Bartimaeus, the commoner Kitty Jones, and, briefly, the foliot Simpkin.

Setting

The three novels are set in an Alternate history to our own, though many countries, cities, events, and people are from actual history (such as Prague, Solomon, the Roman Empire, William Gladstone, the American Revolution, etc.). The books take into account the idea that magic, magicians, and Djinni have been active throughout history, thus radically altering it. In particular these changes are reflected in various contrasts between modern aspects (electricity, cars) and older ones (colonial era weapons such as muskets). The current time period is purposefully never given, although one can draw the conclusion from some dates given that it takes place in the mid to late 1900s. The books incorporate references to various world mythologies and folklore, such as the Arabian Nights and Homer. Alternative history or alternate history can be: A History told from an alternative viewpoint, rather than from the view of imperialist, conqueror, or explorer. ... Nickname: City of a Hundred Spires Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century - Mayor Pavel BÃ©m Area - City 496 kmÂ² (191. ... King Solomon Latin name (Hebrew: ×©Ö°××œÖ¹×žÖ¹×”, (Shlomo) Standard Tibe88rian ; Arabic: Ø³Ù„ÙŠÙ…Ø§Ù†, Sulayman; all essentially meaning peace) is a figure described in Middle Eastern scriptures as a wise ruler of an empire centred on the united Kingdom of Israel. ... The Roman Empire is not the Holy Roman Empire (843-1806). ... William Ewart Gladstone (December 29, 1809 - May 19, 1898) was a British Liberal politician and Prime Minister (1868-1874, 1880-1885, 1886 and 1892-1894). ... Before the Revolution: The 13 colonies are in red, the pink area was claimed by Great Britain after the French and Indian War, and the orange region was claimed by Spain. ... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ... Homer (Greek: , HÃ³mÄ“ros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos (rhapsode) traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ...

In the Alternate history existing in the story, a type of feudal society exists (the British monarchy is mentioned in passing, but is said to have been overthrown long before the events of the book) where the people are mainly of two classes. Peasants plowing in front of a castle, French manuscript c. ...

The magicians are the governing class who hold the important posts in the government. The magicians have limited powers of their own and mainly perform their magic indirectly by summoning, binding and controlling various types of spirits, and creating magical artifacts to do the same.

The commoners are those who can not invoke magic and make up the rest of the society. They are kept in line by the governing class through the use of fear and ignorance. It should be noted that some commoners are born with a resistance to magic, or a sensitivity to its presence.

The books blend modern day England with past epochs. The London in the trilogy still has the Crystal Palace, which was destroyed by a fire in 1936. It is where the climax occurs. Because it is stated that the trilogy occurs over a hundred years after the death of William Gladstone (1898), it is clearly not 1936. Airplanes and e-mail are mentioned, so it can be assumed to be set in modern times. The Tower of London is still used as a prison. A chandelier in the first book is said to be made of "crystal taken from the ruins of Versailles," and it is implied that France, Germany, and Italy belong to Britain. Britain's main rival is the Czech Empire, which has fallen in power, but still resents Britain. The 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park . ... Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic monument in central London on the north bank of the River Thames. ...

In the third book, the war against the "American colonies" is a main cause of the commoners' dissent. Apparently, Britain retains its power in North America and is sending troops there to suppress discontent.

Overview of the Trilogy

As the books progress, three cycles become evident. The first and largest from the overarching plot line standpoint is the rise and fall of London as a world power. The second and third are more personal; the boy changing from the pitiful, yet noble, Nathaniel, to the power hungry, arrogant John Mandrake and back again to the boy he was, and the third, involving Kitty and Bartimaeus, who have one of the most unusual relationships ever between human and spirit, who restore each other's faith in their races. Though nothing is certain, in one of his visits to the Bartimaeus trilogy forums Jonathan Stroud did say he was planning on making a Bartimaeus "bible".

The Amulet of Samarkand

The first book in the series introduces Nathaniel as the gifted 12-year old apprentice of a middle-aged mid-level magician, taking his first lessons in the arts of magic. He assumes a new name -John Mandrake-to protect him from those who would wish to harm him, as magicians always wish to do to each other, sooner or later. When the magician Simon Lovelace cruelly humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to have his revenge by stealing a powerful amulet from Lovelace. Unknown to his tutor, he begins the study of advanced magical incantations in order to summon the djinni Bartimaeus and enslave him. But Bartimaeus overhears Nathaniel's birthname, which greatly reduces Nathaniel's hold over him (since he can cast counterspells incorporating the birthname). Things soon get out of hand and Bartimeaus and Nathaniel find themselves caught in the middle of magical espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt; in which Nathaniel defeats a powerful entity, Ramuthra, and a rebelious Lovelace. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The Golem's Eye

The second book picks up almost three years later and features Nathaniel as a junior magician working his way up the government ranks. In this book Kitty Jones is introduced as an important character. She is a part of the resistance movement which seeks to end the oppressive rule of the magicians. Nathaniel is tasked by his superiors to crush the resistance movement and capture the members. His task is complicated when a seemingly invulnerable clay golem starts to make random attacks on London. Much to the displeasure of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel recalls the djinni to aid him in uncovering the origins of the golem, and to save his own skin. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Ptolemy's Gate

In the final book of the series, Nathaniel is a senior magician and a member of the ruling council, an elite class of magicians in the government. Bartimaeus is still trapped on Earth by Nathaniel and is treated with disdain. Meanwhile, Kitty Jones has been hiding undercover and completing her research on magic and spirits. She hopes that this will enable her to break the endless cycles of conflicts between djinn and humans. The main plot of this story is a conspiracy to overthrow the government which causes the most dangerous threat in the history of magic. Together, Nathaniel, Bartimaeus and Kitty try to save the city of London from this dangerous threat. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Bartimaeus tells us that there is a never-ending cycle going on, where magicians take over commoners, the magicians summon spirits, the spirits spread magic throughout the city, some of the commoners gain a resistance to magic, the commoners rebel against the magicians, the magicians are overthrown, and the spirits go back to the Other Place until once again another magical empire rises up. This cycle proves to be the main plot, with the overthrowing of London. Bartimaeus makes references to other magical empires in his long life, such as Baghdad and Egypt, all of which have fallen from power as well. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The Other Place

The Other Place is the world of demons where time supposedly does not exist and where demons are all one entity while in it. In The Other Place, the essense of the demons can heal and replenish. The only known visitors to The Other Place include Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy) using a focusing reversal while summoning and Kathleen Jones (Kitty Jones). It is the world where the witty fourth-level Djinn, Bartimaeus, dwells when he's not off as the slave of some magician. A medieval artists rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; c. ... A medieval artists rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; c. ... Kathleen Kitty Jones, a character from Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. ...

Main Characters

The following is a list of characters in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. ...

Bartimaeus

One of the main characters of the trilogy, after whom the trilogy is named. Bartimaeus is a sarcastic djinni. He usually provides comic relief in the form of footnotes which provide various views into his past exploits as well as the nature of djinn and magic. Bartimaeus (bar-ti-may-us) is a fictional character in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... Bartimaeus (bar-ti-may-us) is a fictional character in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ...

One of Bartimaeus's most important masters is Ptolemy, who was a very good master to Bartimaeus, and gave him three great gifts. The first gift was that he treated Bartimaeus like an equal, which most magicians never do. The second gift was that he gave Bartimaeus freedom to walk the Earth and the Other Place. The final gift was that when death was inevitable, he sacrificed the last few seconds of his life to dismiss him, (Sending him back to the Other Place) saving him. Nathaniel would later do the same in the fight against Nouda.

In the first book of the trilogy, Bartimaeus learns the young magician Nathaniel's birth name, and therefore gains some power over him . This knowledge complicates things for Nathaniel, much to Bartimaeus' amusement.

Nathaniel/John Mandrake

One of the trio of major characters in the series. In the first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, he foils a coup and saves the life of the Prime Minister, Rupert Devereaux. In the second book, The Golem's Eye, after assuming a mantle in the government, he works towards stopping various attacks occurring in London. In the third book, he is caught up in an all-out revolution by djinn on earth, but ultimately manages to stop it, with the help of various others, though with tragic results (Ministers death). Over the course of the trilogy, Nathaniel the innocent young boy, hungry for knowledge, is transformed into the arrogant John Mandrake, who is hungry for power. By the end of book three, however, he becomes more responsible and honorable, more like his younger self. He becomes more self-conscious, helps destroy an evil demon, saves Bartimaeus (following Ptolemy's example), and indirectly falls in love with Kitty, which can be proven when Bartimaeus reveals his thoughts about her. Nathaniel is a character in Jonathan Strouds Bartimaeus Trilogy. ... Nathaniel is a character in Jonathan Strouds Bartimaeus Trilogy. ... The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... The cover of the book depicting the Afrit Honarius The Golems Eye is the second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Kathleen (Kitty) Jones

A commoner formally known as Kathleen Jones who is one of the main characters of the trilogy; she appears in book one, but only for a few scenes, and has about five lines in the entire book. However in book two, The Golem's Eye she assumes a much larger role and some of the story is from her point of view. In book two she is duped into unleashing a terrible afrit onto the streets of London as a result of her work in the anti-magician rebels, the Resistance.When Bartimaeus lies to Nathaniel, She is believed to have been killed by the golem that was one of the major antagonists in that book but in fact wasn't. In book three, Ptolemy's Gate, she assumes a more important role as she searches to look for an end to the human-djinn hatred by following the steps of Ptolemy and going into the Other Place. She also becomes fond of Nathaniel, through their adventures together. Kathleen Kitty Jones, a character from Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. ... Kathleen Kitty Jones, a character from Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. ... The cover of the book depicting the Afrit Honarius The Golems Eye is the second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... Ifrit, also spelled efreet, also ifreet, afrit (Arabic: Afreet:عفريت, pl, Afareet: عفاريت), are a kind of Jinn from Arabic mythology. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Ptolemys Gate is the third book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ...

Contents

Setting

Overview of the Trilogy

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Golem's Eye

Ptolemy's Gate

The Other Place

Main Characters

Bartimaeus

Nathaniel/John Mandrake

Kathleen (Kitty) Jones

See also

External links

Contents

Setting

Overview of the Trilogy

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Golem's Eye

Ptolemy's Gate

The Other Place

Main Characters

Bartimaeus

Nathaniel/John Mandrake

Kathleen (Kitty) Jones

See also GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

External links

See also