Amulet of Samarkland, The (Bartimaeus Trilogy) | Jonathan Stroud

Amulet of Samarkland, The (Bartimaeus Trilogy) | Jonathan Stroud | Drop what your reading & start this today

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Amulet of Samarkla...

	Amulet of Samarkland, The (Bartimaeus Trilogy) Jonathan Stroud Miramax, 2004 - 480 pages average customer review:based on 327 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Completely Satisfying

After the first few pages, I knew I was in for something special. I'd never read a book that was alternately narrated in the first person by a demon (!) and in the third person for the main character, who turns out to be a rather unlikable anti-hero. You might think this is the recipe for disaster, but it actually works.

Even with no good (in the sense of morally good) characters in the story, the book is captivating and utterly admirable. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the demon Bartimaeus, although wicked, is actually extremely likable (certainly much more than the main character, a child magician).

Whatever the cause, I loved it to the last page. It is one of those rare first books in a trilogy that has both a completely satisfying finale and a set-up for the remaining two books.

The story takes place in an alternate reality - primarily an alternate England, to be more specific, whose government has turned autocratic. The juvenile magician Nathaniel has to fend for himself in this corrupt system, enlisting the forced help of the demon Bartimaeus.

Due to the political overtones of the story, it lends itself easily for drawing parallels to current political developments - even more so in the other two books of the trilogy.

But you don't have to look for political overtones to appreciate this novel. Any fan of juvenile fantasy will find this a treat.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

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Drop what your reading & start this today

I was thrilled by this book! It was so different and refreshingly imaginative. My husband and I both enjoyed this book and the rest of the series very much! If you like fantasy adventure and are looking for book that is wonderfully written with unforgettable characters then buy this book. The "voices" of Nathaniel and Bartimaus are singularly memorable. The wit and the struggle/respect between these two make the books very enjoyable. We listened to this series on audiobook and the narrator made it incredible. I can't recommend this enough and I frequently do, for both teens and adults.

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A Rare Treat

After the first few pages, I knew I was in for something special. I'd never read a book that was alternately narrated in the first person by a demon (!) and in the third person for the main character, who turns out to be a rather unlikable anti-hero. You might think this is the recipe for disaster, but it actually works.

Even with no good (in the sense of morally good) characters in the story, the book is captivating and utterly admirable. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the demon Bartimaeus, although wicked, is actually extremely likable (certainly much more than the main character, a child magician).

Whatever the cause, I loved it to the last page. It is one of those rare first books in a trilogy that has both a completely satisfying finale and a set-up for the remaining two books.

The story takes place in an alternative reality - primarily an alternative England, to be more specific, whose government has turned autocratic. The juvenile magician Nathaniel has to fend for himself in this corrupt system, enlisting the forced help of the demon Bartimaeus.

Due to the political overtones of the story, it lends itself easily for drawing parallels to current political developments - even more so in the other two books of the trilogy.

But you don't have to look for political overtones to appreciate this novel. Any fan of juvenile fantasy will find this a treat.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

for more information click here

Great new fantasy voice

These books are awesome! I've been reading a lot of fantasy books lately, and I haven't read anything lately that comes close to as enjoyable as the Bartimaeus trilogy. The narrator is a hilarious djinni that adds in footnotes to commentate on everything he says; often the comments are longer than the normal text on a page. You'll love these!

Fun quick read

I am a 40 yr old man with what seems like a propensity for teenage based books. In spite of that I am somewhat critical of the writing, narrative, plot movement, etc. I really enjoyed the Amulet of Samarkand. I look forward to buying the other two in the series.

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