You Only Get One First Time, Part 2

Last night I finished reading The Amulet of Samarkand, the first in the Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. I enjoyed it, but I didn't get the same rush I got when I was reading Ptolemy's Gate, the third book in the series.

Once again, there may be a few reasons for this.

1. Perhaps Stroud gets better and better as he writes this series and the final book in the trilogy is the best.

2. Knowing how everything ends may undermine the beginning of the story.

3. Maybe being able to just sit and read Ptolemy's Gate for hours last month as part of my Cybils duties drew me into the book in ways that reading while eating, while on the exercise bicycle, and before going to bed just can't.

4. Finally, it may very well be that you can only be shocked and awed once. It happened with Ptolemy's Gate, so it just can't happen with The Amulet of the Samarkand.

I bought my own copy of Amulet, and I plan to buy the second book in the series, too. Then I'll have the whole set. I can't wait to recommend it to the young ones in the family.