Bartimaeus (Bartimaeus trilogy)
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Bartimaeus (bar-ti-may-us) is a fictional character in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. He is a sarcastic djinni of the fourth level and 5,010 years old at the beginning of the first book. His many masters have included Gilgamesh, Solomon, a Ptolemy princeling, Tycho Brahe, Faust, Zarbustibal, and, most recently, the British boy magician Nathaniel (known as John Mandrake to his peers), who is his master for the duration of the trilogy. His trademark cheekiness and wry, often hilarious side comments annotate the novels. The chapters that he narrates often contain footnotes that add information on the nature of demons and his history.
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[edit] Overview
Bartimaeus has many names. The quote shown at the back of one loition of Ptolemy's Gate states:
I am Bartimaeus! I am Sakhr Al-Jinni. I am N'Gorso The Mighty and the Serpent Of Silver Plumes... I have spoken with Solomon...rebuilt the walls of Uruk, Karnak and Prague
His other names include "Rekhyt Of Alexandria," "Necho Of Jerusalem," and "Wakonda Of The Algonquin." He also had a hand in the building of the Parthenon, the Stone Bridge, Jericho, and the Leaning Tower Of Pisa. Also, he was the mythical creature known as the Wendigo.
[edit] History
Bartimaeus's past ties in to the plot of the novel. One of Bartimaeus's most important masters was Ptolemy, a young magician of ancient Egypt. Ptolemy was a good master to Bartimaeus and gave him three great gifts: The first gift was equal treatment, an almost unheard of kindness between Magician and Djinni. The second gift was the freedom to walk the Earth and "the Other Place" when ever Bartimaeus chose, without the normal restrictions magicians placed upon Djinni. The final and greatest Gift bestowed upon Bartimaeus by Ptolemy was that when death was inevitable, Ptolemy sacrificed the last few seconds of his life to save Bartimaeus (an unheard of action among magicians). Out of deep feelings of respect for him, Bartimaeus often wears the guise of Ptolemy on most visible planes.
There are also hints during the course of the trilogy that Bartimaeus may be or used to be considerably more powerful and resourceful than he lets on. This is shown by him being able to survive encounters with very powerful spirits, as well as brief asides where he mentions singlehandedly killing an afrit on two occasions and destroying six other djinn alone on another. Whether there is any basis in his claims, is never confirmed or not.
[edit] Role in trilogy
In The Amulet of Samarkand, Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus end up foiling a conspiracy to destroy the British government, and Nathaniel allows Bartimaeus to return to the Other Place (upon doing so promising never to summon Bartimaeus again, in exchange for Bartimaeus'word that if summoned by another magician, not to reveal Nathaniel's birth name). Before he leaves, Bartimaeus advises Nathaniel not to fall prey to the same cruelties and dishonesties which most other magicians exhibit.
Nathaniel summons Bartimaeus again in The Golem's Eye, (much to his displeasure) reneging on his original promise not to do so. He is now having to deal with the Resistance, a group of freedom fighters who have formed with the aim of destroying the domination of the magicians. One of their members, Kitty Jones, becomes a survivor when her group meets disaster and continues her own campaign. She strikes up the beginnings of a bond with Bartimaeus, who has been invoked by Nathaniel (now known as John Mandrake) during her capture while Mandrake is trying to solve a mysterious series of robberies and break-ins. All leading to the explosive truth behind it all.
The story continues in Ptolemy's Gate which reveals some interesting facts about Bartimaeus' background. By now he is quite weak through having being over-used by John Mandrake (who is afraid that if he dismisses him, Bartimaeus will reveal his birth name, Nathaniel, which will put him in danger) without return to the Other Place, and he is close to disintegration. Kitty Jones, although not a magician, manages to learn some spells with the aim of tracking Bartimaeus down and trying to establish peace between djinni and humans. The story is fast-paced with some unpredictable twists and turns, but ends with the government being destroyed, and rule being restored to ordinary people.
[edit] Books In The Trilogy
- The Amulet of Samarkand ISBN 0-7868-1859-X
- The Golem's Eye ISBN 0-385-60615-X
- Ptolemy's Gate ISBN 0-385-60868-3
[edit] External Links
| Bartimaeus Trilogy | |
|---|---|
| Books | The Amulet of Samarkand | The Golem's Eye | Ptolemy's Gate |
| Main characters | Nathaniel | Bartimaeus | Kitty Jones |
| Other topics | Magic in the Bartimaeus trilogy | Characters of the Bartimaeus trilogy |
