Rating: 
Summary: Great
Review: The Amulet of Samarkand was a really great book! It expressed magic and fairy tales all at once in a modern setting! One of the best books I've read, and thats something because I am a picky person when it comes to great books.
Rating:
Summary: Original, complex, and just plain funny
Review: I bought this book, somewhat reluctantly, for my 8-year-old daughter who is waiting not so patiently for the next Harry Potter volume. At the time I ordered it I regarded it, with some condescension, as yet another Harry Potter clone. After it arrived I picked it up to skim the first few pages. Then a few more. Then, in a shameful abuse of parental power, I confiscated it from my daughter so I could read it first. This is an excellent, absolutely entertaining book, fully worth the money for Bartimaeus's hilarious footnotes alone. I don't usually like books that switch points of view between characters, but in this case, the switching works and conveys the complexity of plot and character more effectively than if the author had stuck to one character consistently. As others have noted, this book is darker in tone than Harry Potter, and my sense is that it is a better book for adults and teenagers than it is for children. There are no good guys in this book, for example (at least in terms of major characters), only Really Bad Guys and our heroes, who are not without their own flaws. But what wonderful flaws! I don't think I've encountered such an enjoyable character as Bartimaeus in a book in a very, very long time. It makes me wish the book were real and I could sit down and toss back a few beers with Bartimaeus, listening to his sharp but right-on-target assessment of human beings. Bottom line: If you are disinclined to buy this book because you are convinced it is just another unoriginal Harry Potter rip-off, please reconsider. It would not surprise me in the slightest if in the future the Bartimaeus Trilogy is remembered and revered far longer than the Harry Potter books. p.s. And somebody needs to tell Stroud to knock off this "trilogy" business. Surely there will be more than three Bartimaeus books, won't there? Please??
Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: All I can say is Harry and Artemis better watch out! This was a very good read, one of the best I have had in a long time. The story itself is indepth, invigorating, and leaves you practically drooling for more. As if that wasn't enough the book is also hilarious. This altogether makes for a fantastic read, which I strongly recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: Ahh...mediocre
Review: Comparing this to Harry Potter or saying its a dark Hary Potter isn't fair. It is okay as stories go but not so great. I would read something else if I had a choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Bring on the next book!!!
Review: It's the story of this djinni, Bartimaeus, who gets summoned by a magician's apprentice, Nathaniel. On the search for revenge they get caught in a plot to destroy the magician government. When people describe this book, they always seem to start with Nathaniel. For me, it's ALL about the ironic, clever, slightly malicious djinni. Bartimaeus is written with such skill that i feel he could (i hate this cliche) jump right off the page. (i wish he would, i think he's great!) I don't think Nathaniel is quite as vivid but he still makes an alarmingly strong character. I love the way he's not "good" in the sweet polite little boy sense of the word, and that in the end of the book you are left wondering if he'll be manipulated into turning "evil". I think that Simon Lovelace lacks something. He makes a good baddy, just not a great one. And i like my villans proper nasty (i think Faquarl pulls this off wonderfully). Some people have compared this to Harry Potter and although i didnt notice the simularities while reading it, i do now. The young magician (or wizard) both in their type of school. Magicians treating commoners (or muggles) as second class citizens. The big wizard trying to take over the world and only this boy can stop him. It all sounds a bit familiar. However, i don't think Bartimaeus comes in anywhere in Harry Potter, and he's what makes the book. So Jonathan Stroud gets my full apprecation. I couldn't honestly say whether i prefer Harry Potter or The Amulet but so far there are 5 Harry Potter books and only one Amulet of Samarkand. All i can say is read it! In fact buy it! If you're anything like me, you'll love it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, witty, and oh so EXCITING!
Review: Nathanial is a troubled young apprentice of Arthur Underwood. He attempts to seek revenge on a powerful magician who, in the past, embarassed him beyond human embarassment. So, Nathanial summons a djinni(or demon) to steal a valuable divise from the magican. With doing so, he discovers a secret so dangerous, he himself has to suffer immensly for meddling with it! Johnathan Stroud creates a new world of magic that no other writer has been able to create. Combined with wit and intelect, this writer has quite a future ahead of himself!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Book
Review: Bartimaeus is a really well-written, very imaginative and often very funny book. If you like the books of J. K. Rowling, or Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series, or Garh Nix's "Abhorsen" books, then this is a book you shouldn't miss.
Rating:
Summary: Awesomely exciting
Review: We read this aloud and we highly recommend it to all Harry Potter fans. Bartimaeus and Nathaniel develop a wonderful relationship and the climax will knock you off your chair (but, you won't put the book down!). We cannot wait for Book #2.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This book is now one of favorites, and I look forward to the next two books. The book mixes humorous and dark, and the fact that Nathaniel isn't a perfect character - his motive throughout the book is revenge, and as the djnni Batimaeus points out, guilt as well, makes the story stand out from other young adult novels.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, crisp book
Review: The book had a nice approach--First person, some historical footnotes, take from the "demon's" point of view. The star wasn't the magician for a change. No significant blips in logic or pace. Very nice tempo. In a few places, the young apprentice wizard gets to do too much, which is a problem, since the author's use of this character is a bit weak. Overall, one of the better new books and new authors that I've read.
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