The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

[Iridescence]

Right. I'll try my hand at writing book reviews for the heck of it. :P

Summary: The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. When his master, Arthur Underwood, invites several prominent magicians to his home, eleven year old apprentice Nathaniel is humiliated by Simon Lovelace, an ambitious and powerful magician. Furious, Nathaniel begins to study magic beyond his years and eventually summons Bartimaeus, a fourteenth-level djinni, one of the many spirits that are the source of all magicians' power. He tells this djinni to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace, part of a plan to humilate the magician and get his revenge. However, things begin to spiral out of control, and soon Nathaniel and the reluctant Bartimaeus are "caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion" (from the back of the book).

The story is written in two POV's: First person from Bartimaeus's point of view, and third-person limited from Nathaniel's point of view, which I found very interesting. Of the two points of view, Bartimaeus's chapters are definitely more engrossing, but Nathaniel's chapters are written just as well, and tend to have more suspense. The writing itself is versatile; not as simplified as, say, Harry Potter, but not as elegant as Phillip Pullman.

Bartimaeus is delightfully sarcastic, witty, and big-headed, but certainly doesn't give off the "all-powerful-impassive-your-wish-is-my-command" genie that is the stereotype of Disney and pop culture. Oh, no. This 5,000 year old djinni does not like to be enslaved, and enjoys giving his master hell as often as possible. He gets into some pretty tight spots -- extremely tight spots, in fact -- yet always manages to inject a bit of wry humor into even the most dismal situation. Stroud is not afraid to demean his djinni (in fact, this happens frequently), but Bartimaeus is pretty bad-ass even with the faults. (He has an interesting way of communicating background information to the readers, by the way.) I found the interactions between the different types of spirits very interesting and humorous, and the brutual, power-hungry London magicians are very realistic and often shocking in the ways they try to get what they want. Think Ministry of Magic, but about fifty times more corrupted. Yummy stuff.

Nathaniel is not the typical magician's apprentice -- he knows knowledge of summoning spirits far beyond his years. He's also extremely impatient, whiny, bratty, ambitious, and generally makes me want to slap him around on a regular basis. One can sympathize with Barty at this point. The interactions between Bart and Nat, however, are excellent -- there's this one tense moment between the two that sent chills tingling up my spine (if you get the book, I’ll let you find it for yourself). However, as the book goes on, one can see some development in Nat’s character, which I tend to look out for. The plot visibly speeds up as the book closes, with a stunning climax that had my eyes glued to the pages (at one point, my mother had to tell me to stop glaring at the book so hard, or else my forehead would get all wrinkled).

In many fantasy books, especially books where the author inserts wit and humor very often, the author’s voice tends to overshadow the story itself. However, I could detect no hint of Stroud amongst Bartimaeus’s chapters; the djinni is admittedly one of the most dynamic and life-like characters that I’ve read about. Good stuff, this.

To put it simply, read the book. I myself will most definitely be reading the next two books in the trilogy.

[Rowenny]

I've read this book a long time ago, like, 3 or 4 years. I loved it a lot. I still remember the time when I found the book and I just couldn't get my eyes of it, it was un-put-downable for me at first, I think I read the half of the book in the first evening.
Then I bought the second one after quite a while and something was missing already. I didn't really like the 2 book and I never finished it and never read the third one, but the start of this- book 1 was really good. :)

[Majyk]

I read this series a year or so ago (more than that? Maybe two to three years), and I enjoyed it so much that I re-read book one a few weeks ago. (I would have re-read the entire series, but the library finally got in Cinda Williams Chima's newest book.) Even now this is still one of my favorite books (and series), although the ending of book three was... Well. I won't say anything to ruin it.

[Carraka]

I thought the ending of the third book was done very well. One of my problems is with ending, because I never know how to make it feel exactly right. The ending of the third book felt right.

And of course the world-building was miraculous.

[Majyk]

Did my post make it sound like the ending was bad? No, it was more surprising than anything else. But yeah, it somehow felt right, even if I would have rather a different ending.
My problem is with endings, too. I have the least practice with them. xD

[Carraka]

I'm sure we would all prefer an ending in which the protagonists of opposite gender get hitched and ride off into the sunset on friendly afrit (that resemble unicorns) to become the new king and queen of this alternate London.



Gahhh. Should it be alternative? Alternative London sounds weird in my head.

[Majyk]

Uh... not quite that different.

[Carraka]

Okay. An ending to the trilogy that does not happen, but could possibly be expected? So don't read it if you haven't read the series.

Protagonists subtly begin to a friendship that will inevitably lead to love, while picking up the pieces of a broken London, with the help of some friendly afrit who just want to help make things better than they are currently.

That is probably the best I could do.

[Majyk]

Heh, never mind. Stroud's ending is good as it is.

[Iridescence]

*Has had her ears plugged with all this talk of endings* I actually made a mistake in my review. I said that Barty was a fourteenth-level djinni; he's actually only a fourth-level. Which is still pretty potent, I s'pose. I am still very much in love with him, of course. :P

And I am half-way through The Golem's Eye! Doesn't have the galloping pace of Samarkand, but I am patiently plodding along. Barty makes it bearable.

Thanks for your opinions, guyses.

[Me & the World]

These three books are so well written, and drop dead hilarious. All of the characters are alive, even Nathaniel (whom I, too, want to slap around sometimes). This is one of the few books in which the main character is my favorite. I read this series for therapy, when i'm down, out of inspiration or have mega writer's block. (Having writers block and being out of inspiration is two different things for me.) I love the footnotes, and the ending to the trilogy was perfect. There are very few parts which seem unnatural. Altogether, I recommend these books to anyone who needs a good laugh.:D

[Majyk]

These three books are so well written, and drop dead hilarious. All of the characters are alive, even Nathaniel (whom I, too, want to slap around sometimes). This is one of the few books in which the main character is my favorite. I read this series for therapy, when i'm down, out of inspiration or have mega writer's block. (Having writers block and being out of inspiration is two different things for me.) I love the footnotes, and the ending to the trilogy was perfect. There are very few parts which seem unnatural. Altogether, I recommend these books to anyone who needs a good laugh.:D

Did you know there's a fourth book?

http://www.amazon.com/Ring-Solomon-Bartimaeus-Novel/dp/0307738612

[Me & the World]

Don't do that to me! I totally just spent ten minutes dancing around my room! I'm sooo getting it!