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Amulet of Samarkand (Hardcover)

by Jonathan Stroud (Author) "The temperature of the room dropped fast ..." (more)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Doubleday Childrens (Oct 2 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385605994
ISBN-13: 978-0385605991
Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.4 x 4.6 cm
Shipping Weight: 640 g

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #808,553 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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This is item 1 in The Bartimaeus Trilogy Series.

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

Author Jonathan Stroud delivers such a potent and unforgettable mix of magic, history and intrigue with The Amulet of Samarkand, the first part of his compelling Bartimaeus Trilogy, that it is difficult not to want to read the next novel immediately. Undoubtedly the shortest 480 pages you'll ever read, The Amulet of Samarkand is a superb novel of revenge and adventure with the most original central character for years.

Bartimaeus is a wisecracking Djinni (pronounced "Jinnee" we're reliably informed) unlike no other. Summoned from some otherworldly place to do the bidding of a pipsqueak trainee magician called Nathanial, he sets about his given task reluctantly but with aplomb. Nathanial is after revenge and that makes him dangerous. Previously humiliated by a powerful magician called Simon Lovelace in front of his impotent master, Nathanial has spent every waking hour for years cramming knowledge of the highest magic into his head so that he can exact his own special kind of vengeance.

Bartimaeus is charged to steal a precious and powerful object--the Amulet of Samarkand--from Lovelace's residence, which the Djinni achieves but not without angering a few old mates on the same astral plane and having to spend the night annoyingly disguised as a bird. Bartimaeus, despite being bound to Nathaniel, discovers the boy's real name--a tool he can use to his own advantage. But he is constantly outwitted. Then an overriding danger becomes apparent that threatens the whole fabric of society and they must work together to combat it.

Stroud's fantasy world is familiar, yet fascinatingly different. It's almost Victorian London, yet Magicians hold overall power and inhabit parliament. The writing is captivating, the story intelligent and mesmerising. It's difficult to imagine a more scintillating collection of characters and situations. Unmissable. (Recommended for ages 10 and over.) --John McLay

From AudioFile

Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, possesses abilities far beyond those of an extraordinarily talented magician. Simon Jones excels at projecting the personality characteristics of someone who has seen and done it all: sarcasm, facetiousness, and dry wit. Jones's narration easily balances this cynicism against his portrayal of Nathaniel, an 11-year-old apprentice magician who has called up Bartimaeus to avenge himself against a brutal magician, Simon Lovelace. Nathaniel can summon Bartimaeus, but can he control him? The story is the told from a fresh viewpoint that will attract any listener with a yen for intelligent and humorous fantasy. E.J.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2004 YALSA Selection © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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First Sentence
The temperature of the room dropped fast. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

88 Reviews

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (88 customer reviews)

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars sinked in to?, Oct 7 2007

By	Jac - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: Amulet of Samarkland, The (Paperback)

The amulet of Samarkand was good and very funny, but I could not seem to sink in to it. It isn't really my style of novel. I moved on and never finished it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining - not just for kids, Nov 20 2006

By	Serendipity (Toronto) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: Amulet of Samarkland, The (Paperback)

Although this promising start to a new trilogy by Jonathan Stroud gets all-too-often compared to Harry Potter (wizards in London), it takes quite a different turn.

In a world of bureaucratic magicians who get their power from summoning magical creatures like djinn from another plane, Nathaniel is apprenticed to a horrible man as a young boy. Impatient, and chaffing at the bit, he summons an upper level djinn called Bartimaeus and uses him to steal a powerful amulet, an amulet that another powerful and corrupt wizard, Simon Lovelace, is also after.

This book is a rollicking adventure, with Nathanial a measly, selfish, stubborn anti-hero (Bartimaeus is the true hero), counter-balanced by Kitty, leader of a "gang" of street kids, persecuted by the wizards, who can see through the djinns' disguises. She lends a moral voice and a fighting spirit as she tries to get Nathaniel to look at his conscience. Bartimaeus is the strongest character, and the most entertaining, with his scathing sarcasm and wit, and his funny anecdotes in the footnotes. His puffed-up view of himself is more comic than Nathaniel's misguided and narrow-minded narcissism. Kitty, too, is a strong character, very likeable, with all the redeeming qualities that Nathaniel lacks. Yet, as you read, you keep hoping for the boy, hoping he will learn humanity, and hoping that, as he continues to fight the real "bad guys", he will do so for the right reasons.

There is also the element of bureaucracy and the digs the author gleefully makes at our society. You could have a lot of fun finding all the metaphors and satirisations in this book. The Amulet of Samarkand is a lot more than a simple magic-adventure fantasy story.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Very funny, Mar 23 2006

By	K. Fleming (NS, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: Amulet of Samarkland, The (Paperback)

Bartimaeus is oneof the funniest characters I've read in a while, although I cannot say that Nathaniel was a character I was overly attached to.
I liked the interactions between the two, but found the parts about Nathaniel sort of dragged on. However, it is definitelly worth the read for Bartimaeus. He's purely enjoyable, and I would read more of the books if only for him.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great adventure though light in character
Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy" is very strong young adult fantasy. Bartimaeus, the demon, is the best character and the footnotes he gives when he writes his portions of... Read more

Published on Feb 23 2006 by Tommy Tom Tom

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't even touch it!
This book is incredible. I called my review 'Don't even touch it' because it's terribly addictive. I don't own the other books in the series, but believe me, I will. Read more

Published on Sep 15 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and new. A fantastic read.
Despite how many time people have already compared it to Harry Potter, I shall do so as well.

First of all to start off, I must say that the magic used here is quite different... Read more

Published on Sep 10 2005 by Kie

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitly different...
This book oozes new talent. The author's voice isn't so bright and out there like Lemony Snicket but his voice is like Norah Jones, you note its softness but its powerful chords... Read more