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The Golem's Eye
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The Golem's Eye
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The Golem's Eye
Audiobook16 hours

The Golem's Eye

Written by Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by Simon Jones

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

When a seemingly invulnerable clay golem begins making random attacks on London, Nathaniel and Bartimaeus must travel to Prague to discover the source of its power Meanwhile Kitty and the Resistance attempt their most audacious plot yet…robbing the beloved magician Gladstone's tomb in Westminster Abbey. London is now in an uproar; the golem is still loose and the released djinni is wreaking havoc. Returning from Prague, Bartimaeus is sent to deal with the djinni, while Nathaniel attempts to capture Kitty and retrieve the staff.

In the ensuing chaos, listeners will chase a dancing skeleton across London's skyline, encounter the horror of the Night Police, witness a daring kidnapping, enter the Machiavellian world of the magician's government, and find Kitty and Bartimaeus coming to an understanding.


From the Compact Disc edition.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 24, 2004
ISBN9780807219805
Unavailable
The Golem's Eye

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Reviews for The Golem's Eye

Rating: 4.095301189940437 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,511 ratings61 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jonathan finds himself in a pickle again and calls upon Bartimeus to help him out. Unfortunately, he's become nearly as loathsome as his magician colleagues. Bartimeus is still fun to listen to, but Kitty is the real hero of the story. We learn more of her history and motivation and I'm interested to see what she'll do in the next installation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love so many different things about this book! Simon Jones narrations beautifully. Humor weaves through, sometimes subtle and dry, sometimes slapstick, and always supporting the story and the characters. The characters are all very real with depth and complexity.

    I hope to get my nephew to listen to this trilogy. Without any hint of pedantry, the story teaches about loyalty, bravery, and honor. While the world is far from perfect, the characters manage to make a difference by their choices. Sometimes it's a very small difference, and sometimes it's a more far-reaching effect than the characters realize.

    I'm a bit afraid to start another young adult series. This one and Ranger's Apprentice have quite spoiled me :)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nathaniel is two years older than he was in book #1. He now has a position of some influence among the magicians, and (sadly) he seems to have been indoctrinated into their competitive, cutthroat, and ethically bankrupt society. The magicians form a minority, but it monopolizes wealth and power. It exploits and oppresses the masses of non-magical commoners at home and wages cruel war on people beyond. But there is a resistance movement....

    Despite this reasonably accurate summary, this isn't really a dark fantasy. There's a certain Pratchett-like quality to it. It addresses some serious themes in lighthearted, entertaining ways. But most importantly, it's an enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    second in the Bartimaeus trilogy. A golem and a crazed afrit are terrorizing the mortal and magician population of London.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Honestly this is worth a listen at any age. I first read this book when I was maybe 15, I’m 28 now and have been revisiting books I read as a child. I’m glad to say this was well worth the listen.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Oh gosh how did I get so behind on book reviews?!! Anyway, I enjoyed this book although I really began to dislike one of the main characters, Nathaniel. Fortunately this book also introduces Kitty, who I love. Again the story wasnt what I was expecting but still very good, and features an interesting and thought provoking magical world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The second book in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Golem's Eye finds Nathaniel almost three years later as an important member of the government despite his youth. Some of his governmental duties include tracking down the Resistance, an elusive group of commoners challenging the magicians' power. Kitty, who was introduced briefly in the first book, becomes an important character in this story as the heart of the Resistance movement. She and several other young people have been born with a partial resilience to magic that enables them to resist magical attack. Other powers are also afoot in London with the advent of a mysterious clay golem. Who is controlling it? Nathaniel has to find out, and quick. Cue Bartimaeus!This story really zooms in on the cutthroat political scene of the magicians' bureaucratic government, and I can't help but be reminded of the Ministry of Magic in Rowling's Harry Potter series. But unlike Rowling, Stroud is unrelievedly pessimistic about those in power. On the way to the top you have to step on a lot of people, magician and commoner alike — and positively crush the lower orders of magical slaves like djinni. I've always been a bit skeptical of the apparent lack of ambition on the part of the Rowling's wizards. Let's be honest here: would powerful magicians really be content to sit on the sidelines in secret and play at having their own cute little magical government while the non-magical people rule the world? Uh, no. Power corrupts and what else is magic? Or at the very least, think of all the good the magicians could do by ruling the world! (At least, start out by doing.) Stroud's oligarchical society reflects a more accurate view of human nature and is therefore more believable.Another similarity between the Bartimaeus and Harry Potter books is how the boy-magician's role model (Gladstone for Nathaniel and Dumbledore for Harry) is deconstructed somewhat from a hero to a very flawed human being. Stroud takes it farther than Rowling does, revealing Gladstone as an oppressor and conqueror. Dumbledore gets off with a streaky history, it's true, but he's redeemed himself by years of service to others. It's interesting because Gladstone is set up as Nathaniel's inspiration in the first book when we don't know his real nature... and he's still that hero in the second even when we learn about his misdeeds. Nathaniel is learning to value power over everything else, and his hero keeps pace.The characters are deepened in this story, and again I was surprised to find how much I cared about their fates. Bartimaeus is hilarious, as usual, and though he is probably an unreliable narrator where his own interests are concerned, he does have some good insights on what is happening in Nathaniel. I absolutely love the character of Kitty. She's one of Stroud's best creations; she could walk off the page. With the development of her character we now have three different viewpoints on the story, Bartimaeus's first-person narration and two third-person voices following Nathaniel and Kitty in alternating chapters. Stroud keeps all the reins of his plotlines taut and takes his readers on quite a ride. I read this in a day, almost in a sitting, and when I finished it I couldn't wait to start the last book. Funny, sad, dark, and wry all at the same time — there's a reason this series made the bestseller lists. And don't forget the footnotes! Good stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent fantasy adventure. Well written, exciting, with good characters including , of course, the incomparable djinn Bartimaus. "Young Adult" in name only, this series has a very cynical, adult outlook (courtesy of Bartimaeus, whose observations of human foibles are frequently hilarious). If I had to knock it, I'd mention that some of the descriptions of setting, etc could have been more concise. Looking forward to volume 3.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Simon Jones did an excellent job narrating this audiobook. He truly captured Bartimaeus's sarcasm, which is what makes this book so fun. The story was fun with a predictable ending. Stroud, tried to add a plot twist in the end, but he really did have to end the story the way he did. It wouldn't have made sense any other way. I liked that Kitty played a stronger role in this episode. She was a strong and fun character who forced Nathanial to do a lot of thinking. I'm very interested to see what trouble these three get into next time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Now under the apprenticeship of Jessica Whitwell and going by the magician name John Mandrake, Nathaniel again calls on the djinni Bartimaeus to help him track down the Resistance, that band of commoners (ie., non-magic folk) that are causing the magicians trouble in London.As in The Amulet of Samarkand, we have the first-person, snarky and footnote-strewn narration of Bartimaeus and the third-person perspective of Nathaniel; added to this now is Kitty, the mysterious commoner first encountered in an alley trying to steal the amulet from Bartimaeus. We get more of her background and how exactly she became involved in the Resistance. Nathaniel (who has become more of a magician and less of the sympathetic young boy from the first book) and Bartimaeus become involved in magician politics while Mandrake tries to rise in power and prestige and Bartimaeus just tries to stay alive. Simon Jones narrates fabulously, and the books are fun to reread as you can see how seamlessly Stroud has created the alternate history and plot of this trilogy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Rife with snark and highly entertaining. Though I kept hoping Nathaniel (the sorcerer from the last book) would redeem himself, but he just keeps sinking further into an amoral muck.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I feel like any Kitty-chapter should have been automatically skippable, btu I was *so* hopeful she would eventually be relevant, or interesting. Sadly, that never happened. Bartimaeus chapters were the only ones that were really engaging.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'd say I enjoyed about 75% of this story, but the rest I just couldn't pay attention to, for no clear reason. I loved Kitty's storyline, but some of the complex machinations of magician politics were lost on me, as I simply tuned out of the narration.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Another installment of the Bart. trilogy. The alternation between third person omniscient to djinni perspective keeps either voice from getting stale. The slave vs free issue comes up often as well as moral dimensions which is interesting from the djinni's perspective. Kitty Jones is a strong female character in contrast to our weak Jonathan magician. The social criticism is good where the magicians are socially decadent. Just a bit slow in parts.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    One of two books I've read in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Satisfying read for fantasy fans.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nearly three years after the events described in The Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel has gone up in the world: he's now a junior minister in the Department for Internal Affairs and apprenticed to the eminent magician and Security Minister Jessica Whitwell, and tasked with capturing the ringleaders of the Resistance. When several shops catering for a magician clientele in Piccadilly are raided - their ground floors virtually destroyed and several officers of the Night Police are killed - the general suspicion immediately falls on the Resistance. But Nathaniel has doubts, and summons Bartimaeus once again to find the real perpetrator.A worthy (and improved) follow-up to The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye oozes atmosphere, tension, style, wit and a few heart-stopping moments of sheer terror. The action takes place both in London and Prague, and the stakes are raised considerably. The reader learns more about the beginnings of the Resistance and about Kitty Jones in particular, and it was Kitty's story and her independent spirit and bravery that was the big surprise for me; unfortunately Nathaniel doesn't come away from this as a very empathetic character, and I hope the rest of the series won't shape up in such a way as to make the reader choose between Kitty and Nathaniel. Where its predecessor was one mad chase after another, this title had quite a different pace to it, which may not endear it to those who expect more action as that featured in The Amulet of Samarkand, but in my opinion the darker mood of the entire book and its predominant focus on the three major characters made this a superior, intelligent and very enjoyable read. Not everything is tied up neatly at the end, and I can't wait how the story progresses. The next volume in the sequence, Ptolemy's Gate, is already lined up.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ok so finished the Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud, and while I had a little harder of time getting into it than I thought I would, I did wind up getting sucked into it towards the end and enjoying it immensely. I loved having Kitty’s POV in this book because it added so much more character to it and it was great getting away from Nathaniel cause he was sooooo bratty. As alway Bartimaeus is just one of the best characters ever, i love the snark, sarcasm and footnotes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    So much stronger than book one, this book reaches the potential of Stroud's fantasy universe. > "What choice do you have, Ms. Jones? You are already in something of a corner. A savage demon stands guard over you—" She looked from side to side in puzzlement. I coughed. "That's me," I said.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Just as adventurous as the first, with an introduction on a new character I hope is in the last book. Kitty kicks ass, and Nathiel is turning into a douche!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A great read by one of my favorite authors.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nathaniel (aka John Mandrake) and the djinni, Bartimaeus are back, in another action-packed, humour-filled, adventure. Two years have passed since Nathaniel dismissed the wise-cracking djin from his service, two years in which he has risen to a Minister of Internal Affairs in the English parliment, aged only 14. But these are not your amicable and noble witches and wizards - these are the ambitious, oft greedy, yet afraid to get their hands dirty (they send their demons to do the dirty work, and observe from afar) breed of magician. The sort that act amicable enough to each other's faces, but in the next breath would plot to destroy them. The sort to which deceit comes easy.

    Nathaniel has been charged to track down and eliminate the Resistance, a group of commoners who, sick of having to be subordinate to the pompous magicians, have begun in small acts of terrorism. Stealing artifacts here, causing minor havoc, but nothing fatal, nothing deadly. So when a fearsome golem, shrouded in shadow carves a path of terror through London, can it really be them behind it?

    I enjoyed this book for the dry humour, particularly surrounding the quick-witted, sharp-tongued djin, Bartimaeus. I found myself liking Nathaniel less and less, considering him something of a pretentious teenager, and instead found my affections directed towards Bartimaeus and Kitty Jones, a commoner and one of the Resistance. Her honour, quick-wits and indomitable attitude certainly called out to me. I cannot wait to see where Stroud takes her and Nathaniel in the next story, which I am going to guess will concern bringing about a drastic change to teh English government. All in all, plenty of excitement, twists and dry British humour make this an enjoyable and appealing read, even if you wish it were you that hit Nathaniel in the face.

    One intensely annoying part of Stroud's technique, however, is to skip from first person to third within a few sentences, so that whilst one minute you're in Bartimaeus's head ("I" etc) the next you're watching him from afar ("...the blackbird hopped across the lawn...") which given Bartimaeus' tendency to change form frequently and me to read too fast, lead to me thinking for an entire passage that he was being helped by a cat, whereas he was in fact the cat. I'm not sure if this distracting tendency is intentional or not, and I cannot surmise what purpose it really serves to the narrative. I DO like the first person for the djin, but he could have kept it consistent!

    Otherwise = good book, although perhaps not quite as fresh and original as its predecessor, it is certainly a rather different way of looking at magic-users!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Follow-up to the Amulet of Samarkand and in the style of the Harry Potter books, but somewhat darker. Well written and a good story about a young wizard dubbed a golden boy and his fall from grace followed by a resurgence. Very good detail, but lots to keep straight. Good on audio.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Again, these people are assholes -- even the heroes.

    At first I was all excited because it seemed they'd fridged the girl-hero character's male best friend, but he recovered (if disfigured) and lived happily ever after. Gratuitous fridging is awful, but I thought a parallel would at least be *fair*. No such luck, though.

    What *is* interesting is that the girl-hero is totally the mary sue of the book -- except that she's playing the role of the iconic curious, rebellious, brainy athlete, who goes into battle and risks her life to save people who totally don't deserve the favor.

    However, Bartimaeus is still the only character who held my interest.

    As a series aimed at junior high kids, these books are like lessons in misanthropy. I am trying to decide whether I'm invested enough to slog through book 3. I just don't know...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn't like this book as much as the first one in the series. I still loved the main characters, and the plot was a good idea, if a bit predictable. But I feel that the author tried to make this book just as long as the first one when there wasn't enough content to do so. Especially when reading from the point of view of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. Kitty's POV was good for the most part, as there was always something happening with her. And I enjoyed the new POV from this character and learning more about the beliefs of the resistance. But when it came to Nat and Barty, the story dragged on and not much happened. It was mostly filler. It became a chore to read and my mind kept wondering off. I ended up skipping pages and I felt like I didn't miss anything. If the book was shortened by about half, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Ein wirklich unangenehmer Sprecher.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    second in the Bartimaeus trilogy. A golem and a crazed afrit are terrorizing the mortal and magician population of London.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It has been 3 years since Nathanial saved the ministers from being killed by Simon Lovelace. Nathanial is now 14, and has a new master. Now there is a new threat. England is being attacked by a golem(strong magical creature). Nathanial must now summon Bartimaeus again, and together they have to find out you is responsible for the golem. Nathanial and Bartimaeus are searching for one tiny shread of information because no one seems to know who is controlling the golem. After traveling to Prauge Nathanial and Bartimaeus find out something that will change their lives. One of the ministers is a traitor controlling the golem, and wants to start a war. The only problem is Nathanial does not know who the traitor is.I enjoyed reading this boo very much. The book was another 165 pages, but it was not that bad. There was something I did not like about the book. For example, in the story of the book is being told from three points of view. Besides that it was a fantastic book. The book is as unpredictable as the first one. The second book also explains a little bit about what happened before the first book. I recomend this book for anyone who enjoyes reading action packed books with a touch of humor.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was fantastic. We cannot wait to read the next book! The story from Kitty's point of view quickly became a favorite with the children. These books are so wonderful to read, jumping from character to character seamlessly and so witty. Definitely a new favorite in our house.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nathaniel (or 'John Mandrake') is now fourteen years old - two years older than when he saved the Prime Minister and recovered the Amulet of Samarkand. As a result of those actions, Nathaniel has been given a job with the government, assistant to the man in charge of finding and getting rid of the Resistance. However, when something starts destroying tourist sites in London, Nathaniel must summon Bartimaeus to help discover who's behind the destruction before Nathaniel loses his job. This second in the series fleshes out the Resistance members, adding a very interesting backstory for "Kitty".Recommended for those looking for funny fantasy stories - Bartimaeus's snide and snarky footnotes are delightful!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
     The main reason this didn't get 5 stars was because there was a definite lack of the best character, Bartimaeus, through the first half of the book. In his place you get Kitty, a member of the Resistance that Nathanial ran into in the first book. Also, this book was, to me, much scarier. There was one scene in particular where the description of a decaying skeleton almost made me stop reading it was so creepy! I still love the book as a whole, and will definitely read book 3, but I hope Bartimaeus plays a bigger part in the next book.