Monday, March 4, 2013

I Dream of Djinni

I usually make a point to differentiate between "young adult" fiction and "adult" genres, but I suppose Harry Potter smashed all those barriers. 

At a library book sale I picked up The Amulet of Samarkand: Book 1 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud. It was fifty cents, so it joined the rest of the books on my already teetering stack. 

 
I find the writing style very much like J.K.'s—meaning that it could be read by the young and older—except that it is much funnier. The book changes narrators every few chapters; Bartimaeus' viewpoint is hysterical. As an immortal, crabby, and shape-shifting djinni (genie), one finds oneself rooting for him rather than any of the human characters. 

I've read the whole trilogy (The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate) as well as a prequel (The Ring of Solomon, which is a tad blasphemous to whatever vision previously had of Shlomo HaMelech)

I hear they're making the series into films. They better not mess it up by adding emotional Disney-esque goop. Bartimaeus wouldn't like that.
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3 comments:

  1. The BecksterMarch 4, 2013 at 1:56 PM

    But I like "emotional Disney-esque goop"!
    On a different note, I should check this series out. Sounds cool.

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  2. FrumGeekMarch 4, 2013 at 7:36 PM

    I always feel somewhat uncomfortable reading portions of books I find blasphemous. Especially when it's Dan Brown claiming it to be fact :P

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  3. Princess LeaMarch 5, 2013 at 9:34 AM

    Beck: Oh, I like things to be crisp and rational. Emotional stuff makes me feel icky. I just squirm and wait for something to blow up.

    FG: Dan Brown is a terrible writer. No nuance; only overkill.

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