The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1

The first volume of this YA fantasy trilogy that was published two decades ago introduces us to Nathaniel, a preteen apprentice to a powerful magician since he was little. After he’s humiliated by a formidable foe during a magician gathering, Nathaniel wants revenge by summoning Bartimaeus, a magical djinn (genie) to steal the man’s amulet that’s planned to be used to take control of the government. This will bring a life changing adventure for Nathaniel as he must stop those who plan to use magic for their own control.“AOS” is certainly not like most YA fantasy as it’s not “Harry Potter” or “His Dark Materials” exciting but more serious and well toned. The main protagonist can be a bit bratty at times, yet Nathaniel does grows more likable as his story continues. The cast and the fantasy lore manage to keep it a solid read, though I wish it could’ve have more excitement up its sleeves. <b>B (75%/Good)</b>

Well, on the one hand, I loved this book. On the other...it was pretty dark. I have a hard time reading books where I can count on all the characters to treat one another badly, time after time. I know that a lot of books are full of people who are more principled and generous than almost anyone is in reality. The Amulet of Samarkand is the exact opposite of that: everyone is always selfish, amoral, opportunistic, nasty. No good deed goes unpunished. Anyone who won't threaten you to your face is just waiting to stab you in the back.But it was so well done. The main character, Nathaniel, is particularly interesting. You can't help but feel for the poor kid - given away as a child by a family who apparently didn't much regret his loss, he's placed as an apprentice with a master who'd rather not have a child in the house. The master, Arthur Underwood, is petty and small minded. He is a mediocre magician, but an excellent bureaucrat. That is to say: he is sycophantic to those more powerful than him, and he is tyrannical to those less powerful than him. Poor Nathaniel sits at the bottom of the totem pole and so he is Arthur Underwood's favorite whipping boy. Nathaniel is smart, diligent, desperate for affection - and it's hard to see his talent unrewarded, his thirsty heart dry.In some books young children deprived of affection, family, friends, and playtime grow up to have a heart of gold and keen sympathy for others who suffer. I have to admit that Nathaniel is the more realistic character - he's angry, greedy, and untrusting. As much as he hates his master, he mimics Underwood's bad attitude, treating commoners (non-magicians) with contempt and cultivating a sense of extreme self-importance. Sometimes I liked Nathaniel, sometimes I hated him. He's not a good kid, to be perfectly honest - but he's better than he could be, and I learned to admire him for it.While magic rules this world, humans do not really possess it. Rather, they summon and enslave demons who wield magical power. The book is narrated both by Nathaniel and by the djinni he commands, Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is fantastic, a constant delight in a very grim book. He's funny, full of quips and cynical insight, a real showman, worldly and knowledgeable. As many reviewers have mentioned, his footnotes are a delight to read. The second one in the book, added to a scene where Bartimaeus is contemplating Nathaniel during a summons, reads, "I couldn't do anything while I was in the circle, of course. But later I'd be able to find out who he was, look for weaknesses of character, things in his past I could exploit. They've all got them. You've all got them, I should say."It would be easy to get bogged down in how horrible it is that all the demons in the book are the unwilling slaves of unworthy magicians. The only thing I can say in the magicians' favor is that the demons aren't any nicer to one another than the humans are to them. Organized into a strict hierarchy, a djinni like Bartimaeus is always ready to put a less-powerful imp in its place, and eager to avoid a higher-ranking afrit who will casually and painfully exert his dominance over Bartimaeus. Comforting, right?The plot is full of crazy twists and turns. The mystery isn't who the villain is (this is clear from the beginning) but how twelve-year-old Nathaniel is going to win the day against such a devious and powerful magician. Even Bartimaeus, clever and cocky as he is, isn't sure it can be done.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the world, it's a nice blend of magic and a modern world. I liked Bartimaeus better than Nathaniel, but it was still fun to see their adventure.

If I had to pick one fantasy series that both adults and children will absolutely love to pieces, Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus series is it. It delighted me to no end!A quick synopsis of book 1: a very young, magically gifted boy named Nathaniel has been forfeited by his parents to the magician's adoption service in exchange for money and he goes to live with and be the apprentice to Arthur Underwood, a mediocre magician and Minister of Internal Affairs of the British government, who turns out to be a very strict, uncaring, cowardly master. Mr. Underwood's wife, Martha, welcomes young Nathaniel with open arms and cares for him greatly, and the feeling is mutual. Little does Mr. Underwood know of the true talent of his young apprentice, and while Nathaniel is barely being taught anything at all by his pompous old master, the brave young boy is devouring the books and learning much on his own.One day, a group of Mr. Underwood's friends, all powerful magicians and fellow employees of the government, are having a little get-together and Arthur decides to present his young apprentice, "the boy", to everyone. Simon Lovelace, one of the most powerful and arrogant magicians in the group, decides to question the boy about what he has learned, and although Nathaniel obviously displays much natural talent and knowledge of magic (much to his master's and everyone's surprise), Simon Lovelace completely dismisses the boy's talent and tries to make him look like an ignorant little buffoon. Completely angered and embarrassed now, Nathaniel talks back to the powerful magician and in return, he angers Mr. Lovelace so much that the magician does something awful to the boy to humiliate him in front of everyone present. Afterwards, Nathaniel runs up to his room crying and immediately plots his revenge on the evil magician. And this is where everything gets REALLY exciting.Nathaniel spies on and learns some devious details about Lovelace. Then he furiously reads all the books on magic he can get his hands on, and when he thinks he's ready, he secretly summons up the dangerous spirit Bartimaeus to do help him do his bidding. But Bartimaeus is much more than Nathaniel thinks he his and very difficult to control. And young Nathaniel is far more than what Bartimaeus is expecting, too. Together, these two embark on a hilarious, exciting, and very dangerous adventure while trying to bring about the ultimate downfall of the great magician Simon Lovelace.The chemistry between the outspoken, determined little boy and the endlessly sarcastic Bartimaeus makes for some of the most fun, enjoyable reading I've done in a very long time. The writing is so clever, witty, and devious that it had me laughing all the way through the book, and it's definitely humor that would appeal to all ages. Very highly recommend to everyone. This is a must-read!* Update 12/13/2014 - Just finished a back-to-back reading marathon of all four Bartimaeus books (The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate, and The Ring of Solomon). If you love the first book as much as I did, you will be unable to resist reading them all. Every single book in this series is just as wonderful, hilarious, and engaging as the others. 5 BIG STARS to all four books and crossing my fingers that one of these days I'll get to go on another wild adventure with my favorite naughty spirit, Bartimaeus. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

So, I’ve done it a bit backwards, I read Lockwood and Co first, loved it and moved onto this which I also really enjoyed. Lockwood and Co is one of my favourite series, and while Bartimaeus hasn’t beaten it, it still gets five stars from me.The descriptions, the characters, the fantasy elements that get wound into the story, the humour, the action scenes, Jonathan Stroud’s stories hook me in, make me care, laugh along, and I love being taken along for the ride.I hope Mr Stroud is writing another series of books because I’m going to carry on with this series, and hopefully by the time I’ve completed it a new book of his will be out. No pressure at all.

Before I started reading this book I was totally unprepared for Stroud's style. I was expecting the conventional 'amighty demon filled with wrath bound to the courageous but challenged master' sort of thing but was rather taken aback by what I got. a)The djinn Bartimaeus always addresses the reader in 1st person, whereas his 'master' Nathaniel is dealt with in the 3rd person; and b)Bartimaeus is deeply cynical and intelligent in a way that challenges the typical fantasy pretension. However, once I overcame my shock (and Bart's ironic little footnotes) 'The Amulet of Samarkand' was worth the read.I'm not saying it will grip you in a Potteresque fashion, for the plot sometimes moves a bit slowly, but I did enjoy reading it. Interestingly, none of Stroud's characters are very likeable --possibly he's read too much Iris Murdoch?-- and though my sympathies often went to Nathaniel as the underprivileged apprentice, he's far from being a 'hero'. Bartimaeus, by contrast, is quite profound in many of his observations about humanity and he takes the self-appointed role of social commentator from a demonically objective point of view. The fact that he frequently remarks how he will imaginatively annihilate his previous masters when he gets the chance is refreshing in face of the the manipulative, arrogant, contriving magicians. Where THEY are duplicitous, Bartimaeus is totally frank and honest.So, the book is about Nathaniel wanting to seek revenge on the ironically named magician 'Lovelace' for an affront to himself. Initially, Nathaniel's reasons might be construed as trite but as he and Bartimaeus enact Nathaniel's revenge, they get caught up in a web of intrigue and sedition which they could not have foreseen. (It's like a thriller with magic and demons thrown in.)I wonder whether Stroud is making any political comments what with the government being run by the magicians, rife with plotting and back-stabbing and the Prime Minister allegedly one of the worst? It's impossible to say for sure but Stroud's universe is distressingly familiar in many ways. The ending is particularly fascinating as we see Nathaniel willingly enter the foray of ambition and deception; and Bartimaeus, almost ruefully, aknowledge that Nathaniel will probably go far --such is life.I enjoyed the climactic ending and I think you will too, for it nicely ties up the plot's main threads (though some plot lines are left purposefully dangling) and leaves us with the compelling thought that, however much humans may have progressed in civilisation, we're not all that great when exposed by the nonchalent observations of a humorous djinn who's been around the block a few times. I think it's worth a read :)

Theres nothing to dislikeits a good length, leaving you wanting more.A good blend of the past and present, from Ancient Egypt to modern times.It flows well, a story, not just chapters.The imagination is stirred.I have read it multiple times and still enjoy it.It would make a great movie.This is just one book of a trilogy, and the other two are just as good.

I had never heard of The Bartimaeus Sequence before and took a chance on it one rainy afternoon, I am so glad I did. It is funny, smart and original storytelling. The idea of magicians ruling the world and harnessing the powers of djinnis to do it is a brilliant idea and makes for a gripping story. I loved that the story intertwines the points of view of Bartimaeus and Nathaniel, two very different characters. I wish the young magician was a bit more likeable as I found myself impatient to get back to the djinni's story, as he was so hilarious. I will be buying the next one in the series in about 5 minutes!

My 9 year old is really enjoying this, bit surprised as I thought it woud be too complex for his age range. He likes the fact that it is narrated by the demon and finds that interesting, plus it's funny and different from many of the other fantasy books he reads.