Review: #574
Title: The Golem's Eye
Series: The Bartimaeus Trilogy - 2nd book
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Read Before: yes
Comments: A fantastic follow-up to The Amulet of Samarkand. The Golem's Eye excels in its storyline, weaving an amazing tale of conspiracy, nobility and wittiness. A few years has passed since the events of the first book and John Mandrake has risen up in ranks in the council of magicians among an alternate history London. Trouble ensues and Mandrake can't resist but call back Bartimaeus, once he is summoned, things get much more interesting, especially with his sarcastic nature and valuable insights. The story swaps between three different perspectives and while it loves to end one perspective on a cliffhanger, it works extremely well. You will be hooked onto it unwittingly. It weaves several plot threads together beautiful and it works so well. While the plot can be called complex, it is still easy to understand and the ending, where the traitor was revealed, gives you a sense of satisfaction. The Golem's Eye dives more into the workings of magic and summoning, as well as trying to communicate that history repeats itself, empires rise and fall. There was a particular memorable scene that would send chills down your spine. This is an amazing story and should not be missed with laughs, sadness and cleverness.
Rating: 8.5/10