by Jonathan Stroud
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Product Description
When the 5000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, he expects to have to do nothing more taxing than a little levitation or a few simple illusions. But Nathaniel is a precocious talent and has something rather more dangerous in mind: revenge. Against his will, Bartimaeus is packed off to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion.
Amazon.com Review
Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him. Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. In British author Jonathan Stroud's excellent novel, the first of The Bartimaeus Trilogy, the story switches back and forth from Bartimaeus's first-person point of view to third-person narrative about Nathaniel. Here's the best part: Bartimaeus is absolutely hilarious, with a wit that snaps, crackles, and pops. His dryly sarcastic, irreverent asides spill out into copious footnotes that no one in his or her right mind would skip over. A sophisticated, suspenseful, brilliantly crafted, dead-funny book that will leave readers anxious for more. (Ages 11 to adult) --Karin Snelson
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 An original and compelling story with a touch of the occult (according to those who tried to ban it), 2008-11-12
The Amulet of Samarkand (2003) is the first book in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy. This trilogy has the unique honor of having been banned in its entirety for the books' presentations of the occult. They also feature magnificent cover art by Melvyn Grant (who also has a ridiculously clever website). For many readers, that would be enticement enough. I didn't know about the book banning, but the cover art and blurb pushed it onto my ever-increasing "to read" list. A recommendation from a trusted YA librarian pushed it over the top.
Nathaniel, one of the novel's main characters, lives in London. Like most large cities, many of London's movers and shakers are to be found in government positions of influence. What most people don't know is that these powerful men and women get up to more than politicking when behind closed doors. They all have power, certainly, but very little (none depending on who you ask) belongs to them. Not permanently at least. Working in obscurity, under strict rules of engagement (with stricter punishments should something go awry), demons are the real power behind London's elite.
Nathaniel is six when he is torn away from his birth parents and sent to live with his new master, another magician.
As in many fantasy novels, the power of naming plays an important role here. Demons are summoned with the knowledge of their real names. If you know the demon's real name, you can control them. Similarly, if a demon learns the true name of a magician (in this case their given name) the demon has the same level of control. No magician knows their true name in order to avoid just that kind of problem.
By the age of eleven, Nathaniel has adjusted to his life as an apprentice and eagerly anticipates two events: the day when he will pick his name as a magician, and the day he will become a great magician, like his idol William Gladstone, remembered by all. Nathaniel does choose his name in due time, but his dream of greatness, is put into serious question when Simon Lovelace, a prestigious magician, publicly humiliates Nathaniel.
Enraged, Nathaniel bides his time learning spells and waiting until the day he will be ready to exact revenge. Enter Bartimaeus, the novel's other main character, and a djinni with a fondness for footnotes in his first-person narration. Initially summoned as an instrument of revenge, Nathaniel soon learns that Bartimaeus is not easily contained.
When Nathaniel's brilliant revenge becomes murder, espionage and conspiracy djinni and boy strike an uneasy detente to see if both of them can survive the machinations Bartimaeus has set in motion under Nathaniel's orders.
The Amulet of Samarkand alternates viewpoints, sometimes being told in witty first-person by Bartimaeus (filled with references to his 5000 year career as a brilliant djinni), other times following Nathaniel in a third-person voice. Combined, the narrations make for an original fantasy that is witty and sharp.
More interesting, especially as the trilogy continues, is the dynamic between Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. While the djinni is more entertaining of the two, Nathaniel is often more compelling. Watching him mature from an innocent boy to a calculating magician in his own right, Stroud creates tension as readers are forced to wonder will Nathaniel be a villain or a hero by the end of the story?
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Amulet of Samarkand, 2008-09-24
Phenomenal read! Very, very easy to get through. Superbly written. Kind of like an evil version of the Harry Potter world... except, well, not. I loved it. Proof that not all must be roses and fluff to be wonderful and magic! This book was part of a series that I just couldn't put down. Highly recommended when you want something entertaining and consuming with lots of Djinn.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent adventure., 2008-09-16
At one of my summer camps I had noticed a young lady of 12 reading this book, during lunch. I make a habit of asking the children about camp; what they like most, and least - that sort of thing, for the sake of improving what, honestly, is very difficult, camp is that good. I asked about the book she was reading, and she provided the nicest positive thoughts: about the characters, the story, etc. Being a fan of this genre of book I decided, as a result of her recommendation, to read the book. Wow! Never underestimate children. Wow! A very excellent adventure indeed. No need for me to reveal any of it as the other reviewers have already accomplished that. True, there are demons, magicians, and ordinary people, a variety of good and bad. That's similar to what is real in this world of ours. Good usually wins - I like that. Mr. Stroud did good too.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 Good storytelling, but not appropriate for children., 2008-09-06
If parents are worried about Harry Potter's occultish undertones, they should not let their children near this book. It's basically about summoning demons.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Bartimaeus: no age restriction, 2008-08-25
Like some other series, Bartimaeus is not simply for the younger generation. A wonderful and addictive read, I found many sleep deprived nights to be a symptom. Not of the horror within the book, but because I couldn't put it down! I had to read just one more chapter; and then another, and so on.
I'll put it this way: I bought all three books less than a month ago. I'm finishing up the last book, as I write this. As much as I need more sleep than I've been allowing myself, I wish there were more to come!
Highly recommend to anyone from 10 years old, to a few decades, too!
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