Reread November 2012 
 I loved it when I first read it, and am still loving it upon reread. Yes, the prose is altogether verbose, the plot sometimes dragging, the changing POV's sometimes annoying, and the whole rather over-the-top...but it still comes together beautifully. It is like a canvas strewn haphazardly with bright, furious, clashing colors, which end up creating something beautiful and mesmerizing instead of something hideous. I loved it! That is all I have to say on the subject of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel and a London run by Magicians and opposed by a Resistance of commoners.