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The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy…
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The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy #1) (original 2003; edition 2004)

by Jonathan Stroud

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8,997255889 (4.02)354
Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace.
Member:aliena0811
Title:The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy #1)
Authors:Jonathan Stroud
Info:Corgi (2004), Edition: Export ed, Paperback, 491 pages
Collections:Your library
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The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (2003)

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» See also 354 mentions

English (239)  German (8)  Spanish (2)  French (2)  Vietnamese (1)  Danish (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (254)
Showing 1-5 of 239 (next | show all)
Adventure
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
This series (a trilogy beginning with The Amulet of Samarkand) was just meant to be an HP rebound for me, but I ended up really caring about it. Like the Great Rowling, Stroud's really good at making serious ethical questions exciting by giving them a magical spin; but where Harry is a sympathetic character that has greatness thrust upon him, Nathaniel is a total douche most of the time. It'd be like HP following Draco Malfoy's moral development. Also, in many ways this series is a bit more sophisticated than HP. It's got a lot of that dry British sarcasm going on and the alternative London Stroud imagines is way more unsettling than Rowling's. Imagine a world that's 98% Slytherin and you'll get the idea.

I'm not saying this is better than HP. I'll admit there were times when I thought about putting it down and just rereading Order of the Phoenix, but I'm really glad I finished it. It was worth it. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
A bit dark for tweens, better for teens. Story is interesting, but not interesting enough to want to finish reading it. ( )
  MrsBond | Jun 27, 2023 |
-interesting world and magic system
-interesting how all the characters more or less were of dubious morality, including both main characters in different ways
-unreliable narration
-different sorts of point of view were used
-corrupt politicians who are magicians but power comes from demons they summon
-interesting conflicts between magicians and 'commoners' and magicians and demons, has some serious themes here
-it did leave some gaps and things i thought could have been done better but overall quite good
-a lot of politics for a kids book and morally dubious characters arent too common in this sort of book, but it definitely is a kids book not young adult and im sure kids can understand that sort of stuff, i didnt think it was generally more challenging than most kids books
- was slightly dense to read in its style but not that much i suspect im just not used to reading anymore ( )
  johnsmith577 | May 24, 2023 |
Enjoyable. ( )
  Canuq | Dec 23, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 239 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (36 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Jonathan Stroudprimary authorall editionscalculated
Grant, MelvynCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jones, SimonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace.

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Book description
Nathaniel is a young magician's apprentice, taking his first lessons in the arts of magic. But when a devious hotshot wizard named Simon Lovelace ruthlessly humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to kick up his education a few notches and show Lovelace who's boss. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all: summoning the all-powerful djinni, Bartimaeus. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt.
Haiku summary
Wizards rule England
with help of pouting demons.
Man, they're sarcastic.

(Carnophile)
A young magician
and his mischievous djinni
foil conspiracy.
(passion4reading)

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