The Golem's Eye
Second book in the Bartimaeus trilogy about a magical dystopia.
The Golem's Eye is a children's novel of alternate history, fantasy and magic, the second book in the Bartimaeus trilogy by British author Jonathan Stroud. It was a New York Times best-seller in 2004 and has sold 6 million copies in 36 countries. The book takes its name from the cyclops-like eye of the golem, a magical artifact that, along with an animating parchment, activates the golem.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Jonathan Stroud
- Cover artist
- Melvyn Grant
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- Bartimaeus Sequence
- Release number
- 2
- Genre
- Children's, fantasy novel
- Publisher
- Doubleday (UK); Miramax Books (US)
Facts from the source article.
Principal characters
Many characters have names of biblical persons or historical literary, scientific or political figures, but not in biblical or historical contexts; most such persons have been transmogrified into members of the elite ruling class of magicians. Bartimaeus is a mid-level djinn and servant to Nathaniel. Queezle is a female demon friend of Bartimaeus. Honorius is an afrit occupying Gladstone's bones, guarding Gladstone's tomb. Kathleen "Kitty" Jones is a mid-level member of the Resistance. Terence Pennyfeather is the leader of the Resistance. Jakob Hyrnek is a childhood friend of Kitty Jones. Verroq is a mercenary of great physical strength and stature. Clem Hopkins is a member and betrayer of the Resistance. Nathaniel (alias John Mandrake) is a junior magician in the Security Ministry of the government and chief protagonist. Henry Duvall is chief of the Night Police and commander of the golem. Jane Farrar is assistant to chief of police. Rupert Devereaux is Prime Minister of Britain. Gladstone is a powerful dead 19th century British magician. Jessica Whitwell is Minister of Security, Nathaniel's boss. Quentin Makepeace is a British magician playwright. Julius Tallow is Minister of Internal Affairs. Harlequin is a British government spy stationed in Prague. Kavka is a master Czech magician in Prague, creator of the golem. The benefactor (aka Quentin Makepeace) to the Resistance. The Resistance is an organisation attempting to overthrow the magicians' government. Magician's Council is the city council of London. Night Police (werewolves) are the main law enforcers of the city.
Magical objects, spells and places
Seven planes are somewhat like 'dimensions': the first plane is that of earthly existence, in which all humans dwell. The higher planes may be inhabited by spirits only, and only spirits can normally see into them. The more powerful the spirit, the higher the plane on which it can exist, and see into. Magicians can see into the first few planes using special devices. The Staff of Gladstone casts lightning bolts upon incantation and can destroy even very powerful spirits. The golem's eye is clay in the form of an eye which when inserted into the forehead of a golem allows one to see through the eyes of the golem and control it. Other place is a kind of dimension invisible and inaccessible to humans, where spirits normally dwell when not enslaved to a magician. The animation parchment, placed in a golem's mouth in conjunction with a golem's eye, animates a golem. A golem is a large homunculus made of clay and animated by means of a parchment and golem's eye; while not strictly a magical object, a golem is created by magic and immune to magical attack, and any such attempt is likely to result in a backlash that injures or kills the attacker. Vigilance spheres are eyes in the sky used for tracking and spying, though it is not clear whether these are magical or mechanical objects. Seven-League Boots allow the wearer to take seven-league strides, thereby attaining great speed.
Alternate history
This alternate history unfolds in London and Prague, where magic has largely taken over the role technology once played in driving society forward. The result is a strange blend of old and new: Britain flies jets, yet its most modern warships are ironclads from the American Civil War era. The dominant power of the past was the Holy Roman Empire, a magocracy centered on Prague for centuries, often called the Czech Empire. Unlike in our own history, this empire held on for an extra 62 years before its capital fell to British forces led by Prime Minister William Gladstone in 1868. That victory shifted the world’s magical center to London. Even now, more than a hundred years later, the Czechs in the empire’s former heartland are still seen as a threat to Britain. Prussia exists too, but it is under British rule. The main story, excluding a prologue, takes place in what is roughly the present day. The only specific date comes in this second book, which mentions that Gladstone has been dead for 110 years. Since Gladstone died in 1898, that places the events of this novel in 2008, and the first book two years earlier, in 2006. Because the books were published in 2003 and 2004, the author was writing a near-future history.
Plot
Two years after the earlier events, Nathaniel, now known publicly as John Mandrake, works for London's Ministry of Internal Affairs, tasked with crushing the anti-magician Resistance. His superiors pressure him, so he summons the djinn Bartimaeus, his former servant. Bartimaeus is furious because Nathaniel broke their agreement: the djinn had promised never to reveal Nathaniel's birth name in exchange for never being summoned again. Still, Bartimaeus accepts six weeks of service, provided he is not sent to the war in North America. Meanwhile, commoners Kitty Jones and Jakob Hyrnek are attacked by a magician. Jakob receives severe burns, but Kitty is unharmed, showing a natural immunity to magic. When they are denied justice, a man named Mr. Pennyfeather approaches Kitty. His wife was killed after refusing a magician's advances. Convinced to fight against the magicians' unjust rule, Kitty joins the Resistance, performing small thefts and attacks. During a night heist, she sees a huge creature march through a street lined with magician-owned businesses, causing massive destruction and killing several Night Police officers. The police assume the Resistance is responsible and begin a citywide crackdown. Investigating the attack, Bartimaeus meets the spirit Queezle, who has discovered the creature can destroy spirits. The creature returns, kills Queezle, and Bartimaeus fights it at the British Museum, but is knocked unconscious, and the creature escapes. At a meeting of senior magicians, Bartimaeus identifies the creature as a golem. Police Chief Henry Duvall blames the Resistance and urges the Prime Minister to grant him more power. Mr. Pennyfeather plans a final bold raid on William Gladstone's tomb, but they accidentally free Honorius, a powerful afrit. Trapped inside Gladstone's bones and driven insane, Honorius kills the grave robbers. Kitty escapes with Gladstone's staff, and Honorius swears to hunt her. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus travel to Prague, where the last known golem appeared over a century earlier. They locate Kavka, the magician who made the golem with help from a high-ranking traitor in the British government. Nathaniel promises to free Kavka's children, held in a British prison, if he helps expose the traitor.
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