8/5/10

Book Review (Theory of Settlements)


The Golem's Eye
The Bartimaeus Trilogy [II]
By Jonathan Stroud, 2004
Published by Random House


The Bartimaeus Trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud, is a series of fantasy novels based in London, though it travels to a few other parts of Europe as well. It is set in an alternate history, with political constructs similar to that of our reality. The magicians constitute the tyrannical government, having their own hierarchy, while the lowly common people are abused and taken advantage of and then there is the rebellion consisting of commoners with weak magical powers. Being a fantasy novel, it has its share of spirits like djinns, foliots, imps and afrits.
The place I have chosen is the Old Town’s Square, Prague in ‘The Golem’s Eye’, the second book in the trilogy. Although it wasn’t my first choice, I picked it because I liked the image that had formed in my head of that place. The square is mentioned throughout the book, in little bits and pieces, but is not given much importance in the story.
When I read the book, I imagined a laid-back and elegant space, simple and charming and very social- the typical, cliché European image of a public square. In the book, the Square was used during the day for casual, public meetings with hidden innuendo. The author talks about cobblestoned roads and narrow side streets. There are buildings with arches and gargoyles, and spires and towers are seen in the background. The buildings that surround the Square are all quaint, four to five storey high stone structures. There are flowers in the balconies of some. There is an old clock tower on one side of the square which rings at every hour, the number of hours it is. Many cafes and restaurants border the area, and most of them provide outdoor seating by keeping wooden tables, chairs and large colourful umbrella’s,  propped up next to every table, outside during the day. All the people there seem to walk about at a leisurely pace, as if mimicking the pigeons which populate the area.
As the Sun starts to set, the mood of the place changes. The enchanting side streets turned into dark alleyways lit only by the occasional oil street lamp, perfect for lurking around. The cobblestone reflects the little light that falls on it. The cafés call it a day and pack up their chairs and umbrella. A few windows have light shining out but no one makes a sound. The pigeons have left and only the patrol orbs and the occasional man in a black coat are left.
I liked the way the author portrays the square in different places in the book. During the day it is a bustling, lively area where people congregate and enjoy the ambience, oblivious to what others were doing around them. At night the same square is shown as a dark and dangerous place, with mention of different vantage points of the enemy and crevices in which to hide, so as to elude the government spies. At the end of it all, though, the one image I have of the square is a man sitting at a table, relaxed, observing the person who he is to have a meeting with and sipping a petite cup of cappuccino.   

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