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Summary: A great book.
Review: It was a great book in all regards. I wont give away the plot, but know that it certainly isn't boring. It is told in a different way and is made darker. You can sympathise with his more unperfect tendancies. The plot flows very well, with just the right amount of humour.
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Summary: Harry Potter meets Artemis Fowl meets Mission Impossible
Review: 12-year-old Nathaniel lives in a fantastical London in which the ruling class are all magicians; as is the tradition, his parents sold him as an apprentice magician when he was only 6. He lives in the attic of his master's house, unloved by everyone except Mrs. Underwood, his master's wife. Seeking revenge for past humiliations, he instructs his djinn (genie) Bartimeus to steal a magic amulet from Simon Lovelace, the most powerful magician in London. Thus begins a Mission-Impossible type adventure to prevent Lovelace from recovering the amulet and using it in a grand, take-over-the-world type of evil scheme.If you have been resisting Bartimeus because it sounds like a Harry Potter wannabe, don't-read it now. Although the parallels are obvious--a world of magicians, an orphan apprentice battling a supreme evil--the author is not out to mimic Potter but to offer a different and more pessimistic vision of what a magical world would be like. In Harry Potter's world, magicial ability is a sort of genetic artifact; there are good, evil, and silly magicians - just as in the 'human' world; and themes of the importance of family and friends predominate. Bartimeus' vision is much, much darker. Nathaniel lives in a world where magicians are a dominating ruling class, who thirst for wealth and power, and who will stop at nothing to get it. But all their power stems not from innate ability but from the ability to control the spirits (genies, imps, and the like) that populate the natural world. Here, the wizards are always on the edge of disaster created by losing control over these spirits. One word wrong in an incantation means disaster! There are no beneficent Dumbledore-like wizards here; all - and this includes Nathaniel - are driven by personal gain, revenge, and anger. For all its darkness, author Jonathan Stroud has crafted an extremely well-paced and exciting book. Get past the first 40 pages or so and you won't be able to put it down until you find out just what evil Lovelace is up to and whether Nathaniel will be able to stop him. The ending is deliciously ambiguous - not all the villains are captured; a mysterious Resistance seems to be forming among the non-magical humans; Nathaniel may succumb to his own lust for power; and the sarcastic and clever djinn Bartimeus seems likely to reappear in future volumes. As Bartimeus is the first volume of the "Amulet of Samarkand" trilogy, surely there is more excitement to come. Not, however, for people who thought that Harry Potter was dark or scary - if Harry disturbed you, this one will keep you checking under the bed at night and sleeping with the lights on.
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Summary: Definitly NOT Harry Potter...
Review: I expected this to be another Harry Potter copy cat, but I was pleasantly surprised! About the only thing they had in common was London and magicians! This book was just what I needed, I thought it was well written, I think the turn of events was surprising, though the end was somewhat predictable. Never the less, I look forward to reading the next installment in this triology. Check out this book it was happily not what I was expecting!
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Summary: We're Not in Hogworts Any More, Hedwig
Review: The first part of The Bartimaeus Trilogy, "The Amulet of Samarkand" is set in a mostly recognisable London - admittedly, with a few noticeable changes. The Tower of London is still a feared prison and the Empire (which still exists) is at war with the Czech Republic. Magicians are the ruling class, holding all positions of power, while the non-magical human masses are referred to as commoners. Indeed, the Prime Minister is described at one point as a rather vain magician whose speciality is Charm - though he rarely bothers even with that nowadays. Clearly - ahem - that has no basis in reality at all. These magicians derive their power from their ability to summon and control a variety of demons - for example, afrits, djinn and imps. The book begins with the first summoning of a djinn called Bartimaeus by a magician's apprentice called Nathaniel. Nathaniel orders the Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from a very powerful magician and minister called Simon Lovelace. One thing leads to another and, sooner than you can say "N'gorso the Mighty", there's murder, mystery and mayhem - with the added bonus of some young and mysterious human revolutionaries. Needless to say, Lovelace is at the heart of the wrongdoing and the Amulet is clearly at the crux of his dastardly plans. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are the story's central characters and the focus of the story alternates back and forth between them. As things progress, we learn more about both our heroes - for example, how Nathaniel came to be a magician's apprentice, why he's picking on Simon Lovelace and a little about Bartimaeus' former masters. Stroud has taken an interesting approach - he writes Nathaniel's story ("Nathaniel's eyes narrowed"), but the djinni tells his own ("I sat on the ground cross-legged"). It's an approach that works superbly. Bartimaeus, for me, is the star of the show - the parts of the book that focus on him are among the funniest I've read in a long time. Caustic, sardonic, irreverent and hopelessly vain, he spends much of the book hoping to betray his master and plotting his downfall. The footnotes included in his sections also allow him to explain certain things or wander slightly off-topic. With a film of this book already in the pipeline, I can see fights breaking out in Hollywood for this part. This book has been described as the next Harry Potter - well, they are both about boys and magic, but that's about as far as it goes. While there's no-one in the Harry Potter series as funny as Bartimaeus, there's nobody in this book with the menace of Voldemort. Where Harry attends Hogwart's and has Hermione and Ron, it would appear that Nathaniel has rarely even left his master's house and no friends his own age. Furthermore, while there's barely a flaw in Harry's character, Nathaniel has many. However, "The Amulet of Samarkand" deserves to be every bit as popular as any book in the Harry Potter series - it's an excellent story that's very well told.
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Summary: READING LACED WITH HUMOR AND SUSPENSE
Review: Former children's book editor Jonathan Stroud has penned several very popular books for young readers in the United Kingdom. "The Amulet of Samarkand," the first in a trilogy, is his first novel to be published in the U.S. - welcome Mr. Stroud! He has imagined an inventive, funny, surprise filled fantasy that will undoubtedly earn him a host of listeners and readers. Broadway veteran Simon Jones delivers an award-winning reading as he captures the voices of a young boy and a 5000-year-old djinni. The scene is London, a city teeming with magicians and charlatans. Nathaniel little dreamed what the future held when his parents sold him to the government to become a magician's apprentice.. Even though Arthur Underwood, his master and a mid-level prestidigitator in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is a calculating tyrant, Nathaniel proves to be an apt and obedient pupil. Enter Simon Lovelace, an ambitious, take-no-prisoners magician, who publicly humiliates Nathaniel. Even though still a boy (now 11-years-old) Nathaniel vows vengeance. To this end, he learns an increasing number of skills and manages to do the almost impossible - he calls up the 5000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to help him. This old fellow is quick, hysterical, and impossible to keep in check. Nathaniel dispatches Bartimaeus to pinch Lovelace's treasure, the all-powerful Amulet of Samarkand, little knowing that in doing so he is unleashing a veritable hurricane that may well blow them all away. It's rare to find suspense and humor so deftly blended in a fantasy. Give a listen to this one! - Gail Cooke
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Summary: Excellent Listening for All Ages
Review: Our entire family has absolutely loved listening to the unabridged tape of this novel. The story is engaging, filled with subtle and unexpected humor. My 17 year old daughter and I enjoyed it as much as my 11 year old son. The narrator's voice is rich and full of expression. The tape brought the story to life and provided several terrific hours of enjoyable listening. We highly recommend it.
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Summary: Revenge Thriller
Review: It was great. I couldn't stop reading it because of the plot and detail that he puts in. Also, the way that he switches points of view was terrific. I really liked the little blurbs on the bottom that made me laugh. It was great how the back cover told you a little and alot about the plot and character without acctuallt telling you. The characters involed made me think that they were acctually there from the detail and the way the the main characters related to them during the story.You should definitly read this book if you haven't already.
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Summary: This book grabs you, and keeps you at the edge of your seat
Review: this book is one of the best I've read in a long time. this book is a wonderful perspective on modern day london with a twist of magic, demons, and revenge. I highly recommend this to any avid readers ready to gobble up another great fiction book!
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Summary: Simply Put, "Magnificient"
Review: I was skeptical, but intrigued. I love Diana Wynne Jones, and J K Rowling, and now I love Jonathan Stroud. This book, was hilarious, entertaining, suspenseful, basically everything you want in a book. Please write more than three, OH PLEAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE!j
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Summary: The Amulet of Samarkand
Review: The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book of the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is a probably my favorite book. It is about modern London, except that magicians run the show. The magicians don't really have any powerful magic, but what makes them formidable is that they can summon up demons to fight for them. This book centers on a 12-year-old boy, a very talented magician, who summons up a demon with a spell way beyond his years. That demon, bartimaeus, is forced to do the boy, Nathaniel's, bidding, and they go on a dazzling adventure.
I really loved the way the author wrote the book, the words just flowed in the pages. But what I really think was probably the best part of the book was the plot. It was fantastic! The idea was original and captivating, and the words just swept you into the story right next to Nathaniel and bartimaeus. I must say, though, that I really liked how the author switched perspectives in between Bartimeuas and Nathaniel. It really gave the book character.
So, in conclusion, I would recommend this book for ages 11 and above, though it may be difficult reading for some 11-year-olds. by Samsun Knight
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