Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Stroud is the author of the excellent "Bartimaeus Trilogy", a fantasy/alternate history series starring a terrorist, a fairly unpleasant boy, and a very sympathetic demon. In Stroud’s universe, England’s political class is entirely made up of magicians, the only people with the ability to summon demons. The main human character in the books is a boy named Nathaniel, who has been training to be a magician since childhood. By the second book in the series, another human has become a major character: a girl named Kitty, a non-magician with some ability to resist magical attack and a burning desire to take down the current system of government. The human characters will arouse various degrees of reader sympathy, but the most entertaining personality in the series is undoubtedly Bartimaeus, a mid-level djinni with a smart mouth and a healthy ego.

Stroud’s books are clever and well written, and his vision of a magical world is unique. Much as I love the Harry Potter series, it’s nice to see a story that socks some fantasy stereotypes in the nose, rather than wallowing in them.

Aftertaste:
The cover art is unbelievably ugly.

Availability:
Everywhere.

Other Recommendations:
Anything by Diana Wynne Jones

Fables, by Bill Willingham

Gormenghast, by Meryn Peake

Website:
http://www.bartimaeustrilogy.com/ -