The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy , #1) (Bartimaeus, #1)

by Jonathan Stroud

Simon Jones (Narrator)

When the 5,000-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. Set in a modern-day London controlled by magicians, this hilarious, electrifying thriller will enthral readers of all ages.

• ISBN10: 0807219541
• ISBN13: 9780807219546
• Publish Date: 1 December 2003 (first published 30 September 2003)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Listening Library
• Format: Audiobook
• Duration: 13 hours and 31 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Mad Soul Child]

Еще читая Локвуда я поняла, что Страуд автоматом летит в мой список авторов, которые не разочаруют. И хоть в начале мне было скучновато, так как толком действий никаких не было, рука снять за это звезду у меня не поднимется, ибо ничего лишнего там не было, да и объективно написано прекрасно. Просто люблю когда побольше всякого экшена)

[inlibrisveritas]

4.5 Stars! Definitely grabbing the sequel on my next library trip!
Full review to come.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I’ve read and listened to The Amulet of Samarkand many times since I was first introduced as a high schooler, and so help me, I still love Bartimaeus.

This series has a world-feel all it’s own. It feels like a bit later than Victorian England, but there’s no element of steampunk. There was a similar aesthetic to Ink and Bone but where that version of the world had fallen apart, this one is tightly held together, like a fine tapestry foretelling doom. The stiffness of the humans (magician or not) is the contrast needed to make Bartimaeus himself so funny. Where even young Nathaniel is very precise and decided, the djinn itself is goofy and sarcastic is it is entirely what I’m looking for here.

Jonathan Stroud’s voice is a YA version of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Addams. He’s dry, certainly, but he’s also sharp and witty. I think this style of humor is one that people either love or hate. Fortunately for me, I love it. There are always runway comments that take me by surprise or make me chuckle. If one were to read this book in its printed form, most the best parts are in the footnotes, which are entirely Bartimaeus’ commentary on the adventure. For us audiobook listeners, the commentary has been inserted into the narrative, and it flows smoothly. Still funny.

I always find it difficult to review books I love and have read many times. Like the Harry Potter series or Artemis Fowl, there’s no longer an element of surprise to the storyline because I’ve read it so many times. Objectively, I will say that the characters are a bit flat, particularly those without a POV. Nathaniel’s master, Arthur Underwood, is as two-dimensional as they come. Simon Lovelace should have layers upon layers, but his motives are trimmed to their barest simplicity. Even Nathaniel is dry, although there is a peek to his potential future in some of the things he says or thinks. In this first book, even Bartimaeus is not as well-rounded as learning his history will make him in better stories (particularly the companion novel, The Ring of Solomon). If someone isn’t into Stroud’s humor and can’t connect with the characters, this book may be a bit of a dud.

Still I loved it. I love the complexities of the magicians’ daily lives and their summoning requirements, and I live for the subtle, historical references that Bartimaeus drops all the times. I particularly love his relationship with the other djinn, Farqual and Jabor. The humor is cheeky and at times out protagonist (definitely Bartimaeus, in my opinion) is a bit immature… but The Amulet of Samakand is a lot of fun to read.

Younger fans of Terry Pratchett’s will get a particular kick out of this one, and it’s squeaky clean. There’s a lot more coming in the series and the plots get more intense after the first book, so if you’re willing to stick with the ride, it’s a great story. For me, this is no challenge at all. This is a nostalgic read for me, and any book that makes me laugh is a win.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

The Amulet of Samarkand is a dark book, depicting a world where magicians cannot do magic themselves but must summon djinni to be their slaves and where most of the magicians are corrupt, ambitious people with little thought for anyone but themselves. Nathaniel, though only eleven, fits into the mold fairly well; he is an arrogant, unlikeable character and the reader may wonder why he or she is bothering to read a story about someone so disagreeable. Can one sincerely hope that he succeeds? Bartimaeus is little better; years of servitude have made him bitter and sarcastic and interested mainly in personal survival and getting revenge on the magicians who boss him around. Frankly, only the assurance of a friend that the two become more sympathetic kept me reading with any hope. She was right, however, and I am looking forward to becoming more invested in the characters in the next book.

The plot is exciting and moves forward at a decent rate. New developments crop up all the time to keep readers on their toes. Bartimaeus uses footnotes in the chapters that he narrates to add extra information that readers might find of interest without interrupting the flow of the story. (These footnotes are probably one of the better-known aspects of the book.) Who narrates the other chapters is a mystery. They are told from a third person omniscient point of view, but the switch between this and the first person narration is somewhat discomfiting. The book cannot be understood as Bartimaeus’s story, written for posterity or whatnot, but neither can it be accepted simply as a story. Stroud would have done better to have Nathaniel narrate the parts that include him but not Bartimaeus.

Overall, The Amulet of Samarkand was a good read. It presents a nice contrast to works that glorify magic (and even pokes fun at the idea that magicians’ apprentices would all be shipped off to a boarding school together!) Its strength lies in that it is different and critical and unafraid to present a world that is gritty. Fantasy fans will enjoy it.

This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

[Amanda]

Bartimaeus is what drives this book and makes it worthwhile reading. The story jumps between two points of view: Nathaniel, the young Magician, which is third person, and Bartimaeus who delights us in first person narration, complete with footnotes that act as side quips. I thought that I would be frustrated by the footnotes because they normally drag you away from whatever it is you’re reading, but they turned out to be funny and not that distracting.

Nathaniel is somewhat of an annoying brat, and as Bartimaeus has said, too clever for his own good. In this world, magicians don’t actually have their own power, they must summon djinni (or, as Nathaniel’s master calls them: demons) to do their bidding. It is a master-slave type relationship. Nathaniel may be strong for his age and shows a lot of potential, but there are certain aspects of being a magician that he clearly lacks the knowledge of and maturity to deal with these things. Bartimaeus is a wizened (and honorable, as he says) djinni, so we mostly learn the important things from him.

Although Jonathan Stroud’s writing style and word choice is quite nice, it somehow distanced from the story rather than sucking me in. I kept noticing the nice flow and almost flowery or poetic language, but in some ways it reminded me of reading my textbooks – too many big words and your mind starts straying. My mind didn’t actually stray, but I wasn’t able to connect to the story as much as I would have liked, and it was easier to set the book down and come back to it at a later time.

See my review in its entirety here.

[celinenyx]

Great book. The little footnotes at the bottom of the page are just genius. They made me giggle out loud a couple of times.
The world is well thought-out and the demon lore is interesting. Wonder were that boy is going though.. I prefer Bartimaeus' parts.