Just wanted to put my two cents in :D I have to say I quite enjoyed GE;) I had previously read reviews for it while I was waiting to buy it and stumbled across the fact that Kitty would have a major role ( in comparison to the few times we encountered her in AOS ) and was excited for that, I wanted to see what she would bring to the mix. Like Mwamba mentioned earlier, I expected Nat and Kitty to interact much more and far earlier in the book than what really happened ( thank goodness PG had a lot more of *them* :wub: Sorry guys...shipper drabble lol! ) Anyways- This might seem strange, but Nat really didn't bother much in GE ( don't get me wrong some of his mood swings were annoying ) judging from the ending of AOS, I oddly expected this change in Nat, so I guess that's why? lol! GE as a whole ( to me ) was right up there with AOS, the story was strong, new characters glore, and more wonderful Bartimaeus! :D ( the Prague chapters were excellent ) This of course is just *my* opinion, and yes Nat was a *jerk*, but I still liked it overall;) Thanks for putting up with my rabblings, I'll leave you in peace now:P lol!

Ah... peace... hmm? :P

With rereads, I think you get used to Nate's obnoxiousness... certainly the book seemed better to me the second and third times I read it than the first.
The Kitty flashback sections did get annoying with multiple rereads, though.

I found that too, actually, they bugged me the first time :P

The flashbacks would have been okay if they had been spaced out further then they had. And the flashbacks were what helped me to not really mind Nat's obnoxiousness. Once you finished reading 60 pages of stuff (I personally) didn't care about, I practically was begging for the biased opinion of Nathaniel the popinjay.

lol, and we dont really need more reasons to dislike it do we :P

Nope. :D

I'm like the critics, I really thought this book was powerful.

Hmm.. the book wouldn't have been 'powerful' without Kitty's story. Stories of opression and resistance always make for interesting themes. I remember reading (not on this forum) someone's comment that he didn't like Kitty because she seemed like a terrorist. This children's series (I thought The Amulet was plodding at times and a HP wannabe) only started to become more complex and adult at this point. That I love. A poignant scene for me was the exchange between Kitty and her dad in front of Mr. Mandrake. Nearly gave me the sniffles.

I loved watching Nat change. I can't say this enough: he was a very well written character.

HP Wannabe? Yes, I'd think it would have started something like that... writing a book about an adolesenct magicain in London right after Book IV, stroud got balls.

Yes it would seem that way.

It might seem that way, but it actually isn't.

It kicks Harry Potter butt.

wrote:It kicks Harry Potter butt.

I don't know. Thet're both good but in different ways. HP is more complex (and longer) and funny, and it's meant for a younger audience (no swear words). BT is more serious and it makes you think. It's like a tragedy kinda.

Don't get me wrong, I love Harry, I really do. I even take out PotterCast and MuggleCast. And have newsletters. And if it comes down to it, I'd say the Harry Potter books are on my top five all time favorites.

But Bartimaeus is still the best ever, in my opinion.

True, I can't decide so I compromise by protecting HP here and talking about BT everywhere else.

Good plan lol

Ianna wrote: It kicks Harry Potter butt.

BT and HP are different. Same genre but different. I can't really compare them.

I compare them by which one I like best.

But yes, you guys are right.

Luciene wrote:

wrote:It kicks Harry Potter butt.

I don't know. Thet're both good but in different ways. HP is more
complex (and longer) and funny, and it's meant for a younger audience (no swear words). BT is more serious and it makes you think. It's like a tragedy kinda.

HP isn't really more complex, and BT is definitely funnier.

I guess it seems more complex because it shows all seven years of Harry's schooling, save for the seventh book than skipping the non-important years like Jonathan Stroud did. Not that I think any of the Harry Potter books should be cut, just pointing out that if Stroud really wanted to he could have made other books, especially after Golem's Eye.