#if u hate hp read bartimaeus

[dykemcqueen]

not the person who sent the ask that received these tags but... i too am a lover of egotistical asshole self sabotaging suicidal codependent protags. tell more about bartimaeus?

THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY by jonathan stroud is the greatest fantasy series for children ever written. it takes place in an alternate history london where magicians make up the ruling class. as was once true in real life, england is a massive colonial power with a baseless aristocracy that brutally oppresses the working class. the "commoners" believe that magicians have inherent power, but secretly all magicians are just educated in the art of summoning and controlling spirits (hatefully referred to by humans as "demons"). all western magicians of this period punish and abuse spirits into doing what they want, no exception, as has been the case in many places and in many time periods over the years. the spirits are just invisible, giving the magicians the illusion of power.

the series is about 3 people: nathaniel, a traumatized adolescent boy who rapidly starts sacrificing his morals for power and prestige in the cutthroat world of the magic elite; bartimaeus, an ancient all-powerful djinni that nathaniel relies on to do his dirty work; and kitty jones, a commoner whose friend is brutalized by a magician who is never brought to justice. it's actually also about a fourth person who died thousands of years ago, but that's a surprise tool that will help us later.

the story is about how these 3 lives intersectin a decade of political turmoil, as the commoners' oppression becomes untenable and foreign governments sick of the british empire's power seek to exploit its growing weaknesses. it's about how the power-hungry oligarchy cannibalizes itself, and how external political, cultural, and social forces shape the characters and their relationships.

it's about trauma and power and justice. it's about oppression and freedom and classism and colonialism and the many purposeful lies inherent in the system you believe you can't change (*cough* capitalism *cough*). it's about how connection to another person can change you. it's about recognizing who the real enemy is.

it's also, if you would believe it, riotously, insanely funny, mostly because bartimaeus—who narrates about 50% of it—is a sarcastic, irreverent drama queen who can never shut the hell up. he's been alive for 5000 years and he's made it this far by being avoidant and self-serving and bitchy and lucky. he thinks he's hot shit and he kind of is, but he's mostly just driven by a need to survive. he and nathaniel are friends but also not really. nathaniel is both scared of him and scared to lose him, and the series ultimately centers on their relationship, the wariness and abuse and dependence, and the way it changes as nathaniel changes. nathaniel also does go through severe depression, for that anon who was asking about lockwood.

the bartimaeus trilogy is tightly, deftly written, and one of the only kids' series that i think 100% holds up without caveats. there's a great balance of action, emotion, humor, character development, and plot, and the worldbuilding is insane—it's very smart and never overexplains anything. i can't recommend it enough. every character is written with such care and realism by a writer who Knows How to Write. it's so, so good. every fantasy fan should read it imo.

[dirtyhancls]

ask meme: do all of the them Ψ(｀▽´)Ψ

What’s the last book you read? What did you think of it?

hmmm I reread like half of Graceling, and it’s as good as ever and I’m still bitter that Kristen Cashore hasn’t written anything since the series. it’s YA but also Monster novel TM and so thought provoking

What’s the worst book you’ve ever read, and why?

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (tbh i read this in 6th grade and HATED it with a Burning Passion but I also don’t remember like 90% of it. just kno that i hated it)

A book you found overhyped, and why

A Hero At The End of the World. I agree with most of the review about it-- it’s very evident the author comes from a fanfic background bc writing fic is very different from novels and there’s some things that don’t translate (character development? relationship development?) if you read the book with the knowledge that its essentially drarry fanfic it makes sense, as its own novel there’s a lot rushed

Ereaders versus physical books is such a false dichotomy. Instead, tell me what other formats (phone apps, tumblr fiction, twitter haikus) you read in

IBOOKS !!!!!!!! ibooks saved my life bc now i can find most books online and then download them and read them it’s amazing

Which genre(s) don’t you read? Why not?

romance jfc i just dont go there sorry (mostly bc of the covers)

If you read in more than one language, is there a difference between the experience of reading in your native language(s) and reading in other languages?

nope cannot read chinese rip

If you’re not a native English speaker, how much do you read in your native language versus how much you read in English? How do you feel about that? // If you’re a native English speaker, go find a book in your second/third/etc language, or in translation, to add to your to-read list

can i count latin as a third language lmao?? screw it i’m doing it one day i’ll read the entirety of the aenied in latin

The book you read when you’re stuck in bed sick

HMMM my go to book is probably The Amulet of Samarkand? or maybe Six of Crows 

Fiction or non-fiction or both? In what ratio? Where do you draw the line between the two?

pretty much 100% fiction but i;m aiming to change that (And the Bnad Played On is next on my list)

The book(s) you bought because the cover was pretty, and whether it was worth it

:/ i dont usually buy books but i guess you can count A Conjuring of Light? Bc the cover was super pretty and my aesthetic, although i would’ve bought it regardless just bc it was the final book in the series

The worst book hangover you’ve ever had

HOO BOY Ptolemy’s Gate or Code Name Verity

Do you have to finish one book before you start the next one, or do you read multiple books at the same time?

finish but mostly bc i read so fast that if i finish a book it’s usually in a day or two

The fictional character you want to believe you resemble and the fictional character you actually resemble

i want to believe i resemble Sirius Black but i probably actually resemble Remus Lupin 

The book that, in hindsight, really should have clued you in to the fact that you’re _________ (queer/in love/doomed to be an academic/etc)

Artemis Fowl/The Bartimaeus Trilogy that I’m not as clever as i fancied i was

The book that you reread over and over again and get new things from every time

G O D probably The Bartimaeus Trilogy 

The book that you don’t dare reread for fear it won’t be the same any more

Hnnnnnnnnng i’m a huge believer in rereads so but lowkey Percy jackson bc now that i’m older i've realized a lot of its flaws 

Preferred bookshelf organisation scheme

by my favorites

Do you theme your monthly/yearly/etc reading (eg Year of Reading Women)?

Nope bc i’m super inconsistent with reading nowadays and i’m super picky about tstarting new books

That book with a twist that felt like a blow to the chest. Tell me about it. (But warn for spoilers if necessary!)

CODE NAME VERITY once we got to Maddie’s POV i sobbed my way through it culminating in me having to put the book down at that one BANG BANG moment bc i couldnt see through my tears and also my heart had died inside my chest, AND THEN ALSO when they read her notes/confession and my mind was blown by how clever everything was. 

The coolest bookshop you’ve ever been to

i can’t remember the name I think it’s the one world cafe but it’s a cafe/bookshop/bar and super cool, but also there’s a barnes and noble with a fishtank built in an old powerplant thats hella cool 

The book you gave up on, and the reasons why

The Wrath and the Dawn, sorry too boring and generic and also like, annoyingly straight

The book you finished even though you hated it, and the reasons why

Heart of Darkness bc i had to for school

The book you expected to hate, didn’t, and then got angry about not hating

Grapes of Wrath tbh

The book that you got into because of the movie/TV series/etc, and the relative merits of each version

HOWLS MOVING CASTLE

i luv the movie ofc, it’s gorgoeus in all ways and delightful but not gonna lie the story telling is not very good and it sorta makes no sense until u read the book. don’t like the witch of the waste plot and howl becomes much too mysterious wizard for my tastes

SOPHIE AND HOWL ARE THE DELIGHT OF THIS BOOK, their characters are what makes it tbh, Book Howl is the best howl bc he’s ridiculous and hilarious and a coward and i luv it. sophie is less of a mouse (even tho she still thinks she is ahaha) and the part where she’s so pissed off she turns water into weedkiller is my fav. it’s also just a complete subversion fo fantasy which i think miyazaki sorta doesn’t get

The only book care question that actually means anything: do you write in your books? If so, in pen or in pencil?

NOPE I WANT MY BOOKS IN PRISTINE CONDITION

Do you read reviews of books? Before or after you read the books themselves? Why? Why not?

usually only read reviews of 1. books that havent come out yet and 2. books after i’ve read them to see what other people say. also occasionally 3. i read reviews to make fun of them 

The book you’re embarrassed to admit you’ve read

tbh tbh tbh captive prince just to see what it was like for myself and god jfc

The one where the fanfic was better than the original (and the relevant AO3 links, pls)

like, any number of klance fic tbh or HP fic but here’s some like, absolute amazing ones

As Red as Hearts and Autumn- Mauraders Era fic that breaks my heart everytime, particularly fond of this Sirius

call me, beep me most people kno this, but a staple of klance and very well done

it’s quite bizarre, and will remain this way- more klance but also this made my heart hurt

we must unite inside her walls or we'll crumble from within more respectful of HP women than JK Rowling ever was or will be, i love this so much

Catfished- never thought this would be a thing but draco is turned into a glass fish and harry realizes things

thread our way through a string of stars tbh one of the best klance fics i’ve ever read and probably ever will read

Your vacation reading habits

agressive rereads

The book you read the blurb of, constructed a version of in your mind, and were promptly disappointed by once you finally got around to actually reading it

A Hero At the End of the World :/

Bonus question: rec me something!

READ CODE NAME VERITY FOR THE LOVE OF UR LIFE