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    Unavailable
    The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy #1
    Unavailable
    The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy #1
    Unavailable
    The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy #1
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy #1

    Written by Jonathan Stroud

    Narrated by Simon Jones

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Nathaniel is eleven years old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional arts of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells way beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion.
    Set in a modern-day London spiced with magicians and mystery, The Amulet of Samarkand is an extraordinary, edge-of-your-seat thriller with many unexpected twists. Following Bartimaeus and Nathaniel in turn, the story introduces us to two wonderfully memorable characters-destined to go through many adventures together and bound by a spell that is nearly impossible to break.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 14, 2003
    ISBN9780807219553
    Unavailable
    The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy #1

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    Reviews for The Amulet of Samarkand

    4/5

    2,419 ratings141 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Nathaniel dreams of being a great magician some day. But for now he must bide his time following his master's commands. That is until Nathaniel awakens Bartimaeus, a powerful demeon, to do his bidding. The story is told from both a third person and Bartimaeus' comic monologue with interesting foot notes. This book is for the true fantasy lover, not many other people will be able to make it through!
    • 3/5
      I just wish Nathaniel would realize the brilliance of Bartimeaus.
    • 4/5
      In an alternate present day London, rule by magicians, apprentices are taken from their families and their names forgotten so that they can better control the demons that are the source of their magic. Nathaniel is a lot more clever and ambitious than his master knows, if he even cared to know; and conjures up a Djinni by name of Bartemeus and proceeds to get them both over their heads in murderous political intrigue. Neither are very likable characters, but Bartemeus is dryly sarcastic and funny. This one was a lot of fun. I'll be getting the next two for sure.
    • 3/5
      The book alternates sections between Nathaniel (limited third-person narrator) and Bartimaeus (first-person narrator). Nathaniel's a prat, and Bartimaeus is annoying. That we have to put up with the latter's voice is bad enough, but when it comes to the point of him tediously explaining things we already know from a previous Nathaniel section...Well, anyway. This wasn't terrible, but I have no interest in reading the rest of the trilogy. One book was enough.
    • 4/5
      Bartimaeus is one of the oldest and most powerful djinni in the world. Therefore he is utterly shocked, and a bit dismayed, to find himself summoned by 11-year-old apprentice magician Nathaniel. His new master sets him on a task to steal the Amulet of Samarkand. The Amulet is in the possession of the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace. Nathaniel is adamant - he must have the Amulet. So Bartimaeus sets off on his task which starts a chain of events that neither djinni nor master could see coming.The Amulet of Samarkand is the first in the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. This was an unexpectedly fun read and one hell of an adventure. Set in an alternate London, the story alternates between Bartimaeus and Nathaniel's points of view. Bartimaeus is such a great character. When you've been around for 5000 years, you tend to pick up a few things. He's smart, clever, witty and his sarcastic sense of humor is hilarious. Especially important is to read all of the footnotes as you go, they really enhance the story. I found Nathaniel to be very sympathetic. It took me a while to warm up to him but I did truly like him by the end. While they might not have a normal friendship as such, there is definitely respect between the two. I like the world Stroud has created. Magicians are the ruling class and their power comes from what kinds of demons they can summon. It ended up being a different take on the concept, very creative. This also means that most magicians are power hungry and are huge jerks in their pursuit of power. Nathaniel is not exempt from this, though he has other qualities that make him more likeable than the average magician.While this is the first in a trilogy the story is fully contained and all lose ends are wrapped up. It easily reads as stand alone.
    • 3/5
      A young boy is sold into an apprenticeship as a magician. This is in an alternate reality of London, where magic is real and demons are frequently summoned by magicians to do their will. Like in the Magician's Apprentice, the young boy soon becomes impatient with the slow pace for learning which his master has set and secretly learns just enough spells to get him in very big trouble.This was a page turner, but I'm not drawn to read more. I didn't much care for the main characters, and I didn't much care for the world they lived in. Perhaps if I were a different age, I would have liked it more. It is meant for young adults.
    • 5/5
      Excellent fantasy/magical book. A world where magicians are used as generals to lead armies. They summon creatures and bind them to do their will. The series follows a young magician and the spirit Bartimaeus. The spirit is quite proud of his accomplishments and doesn't hesitate to list his resume items.
    • 4/5
      great book, wish i'd read it sooner :)
    • 5/5
      Nathaniel is an apprentice magician who summons a djinni before he's technically allowed and *way* before he should be able to do so, skill-wise, but he's precocious and cocky and hell-bent on revenge. Bartimaeus is the irritable, summoned djinni, who does as he's ordered but chafes under the command of a 12-year-old boy. The narrative switches between the two, and from both viewpoints the story of the apprentice's stumbling plan for revenge-cum-saving-the-country-from-a-magical-coup unfolds.The alternate London (one openly governed by wizards) and the intertwining stories of Nathaniel's dissatisfaction with his lot and the plot against the government are great, plus Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are both fantastically drawn (the djinni's sarcastic and witty first person narrative makes him especially fun). Definitely recommended, and I hope to get round to the read of the series soon.
    • 5/5
      Quite delightful! Lots of action to keep the younger set interested; lots of subtle references and character development to intrigue the grown up reader. I can't wait to share this one with my nephew!
    • 5/5
      This book was quite a daring read for me at the time since I was about 12 and it dealt with necromancy, or black magic. It was a fascinating and captivating read.
    • 4/5
      The Amulet od Samarkand is fun because of the unique voice that permeates the book. The protagonist is a demon so you get to see the world through his tilted prospective. He is nasty and constantly looking for ways to exploit his master. You'll come to love him because you can sense there is something else underneath the rough exterior. Check it out!
    • 4/5
      The Amulet of Samarkand surprised me with a world in which magicians don't actually perform any magic; they study, learn and attempt to summon beings of varying magical power and abilities. Magicians are the oppressors and everyone else - magical beings along with everyday citizens - the oppressed. They don't even call the beings what they truly are. Instead they refer to them all as demons."So, demons are the great secret. Common people know of their existence and know that we can commune with them--that is why they fear us so! But they do not realize the full truth, which is that all our power derives from demons. Without their aid we are nothing but cheap conjurors and charlatans. Our single great ability is to summon them and bend them to our will."So I quickly found myself rooting for Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni who has been summoned, captured and forced to do the bidding of his latest master, 12-year-old magician's apprentice, Nathaniel."He knew my name, I knew his. He had six years' experience, I had five thousand and ten. That was the kind of odds you could do something with."From the first few pages, as Bartimaeus described his entrance into the room in which Nathaniel has summoned him, all the way till the end, I laughed out loud often. The combination of Bartimaeus' (almost certainly unreliable) narration and his footnotes made for a hilarious albeit snide commentary on life for those forced to serve the great and powerful Magicians.It was also a fun change that I didn't like the young apprentice. There were times I was sympathetic toward Nathaniel - he was abandoned by his parents after all - but he has a long way to go to grow into an honorable, respectable magician, which would most likely be considered a contradiction in this book's world. Nevertheless, I kept hoping Nathaniel would ignore the allure of ambition and power to take the higher road.Highly recommended to readers who want a fantasy with equal parts mystery, humor and magic.4 stars
    • 3/5
      Bartimaeus, a djinni is summoned by a young apprentice magician, Nathaniel, to take revenge on a higher magician, Simon Lovelace. Nathaniel orders Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from him. Not realizing the amulet's power and what Lovelace has it for, they find themselves in the middle of a plot to overthrow the Parliament.The character Bartimaeus is witty, sarcastic, but yet loyal to young Nathaniel and he feels somewhat like a parent who cares about what happens to him. This concern really comes out after Lovelace kills Mr & Mrs Underwood (the master magician and his wife with whom Nathaniel lives). I felt the story got better as it went along
    • 5/5
      This first book in the Bartimaeus trilogy is an exciting magical adventure. The fast-paced story's narration alternates between the two main characters. Nathaniel, is a 12-year old magician living in London who has been neglected and underestimated by his magician caregiver. Bartimaeus is a 5,000 year old djinni (genie) who has been summoned by Nathaniel to aid him with a plot of revenge, after an evil magician humiliates and hurts Nathaniel. Bartimaeus' wisdom lends itself to funny and interesting footnotes that are inserted into his chapters. Readers may cheer for Nathaniel's plot of revenge; however, some may feel his character is a little too quick to rush into action without thinking of the consequences. It will be interesting to see if Nathaniel does some growing up and if his relationship with the djinni develops more fully in the next two books in the series. Fans of Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl and The Alchemyst will enjoy this series.
    • 3/5
      It's all about attitude. I enjoyed the ride, the sarcasm and the not so juvenile insights.
    • 5/5
      Excellent story, fantastic imagery...overall, an amazing book.
    • 4/5
      I found Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus character to be refreshing and charismatic. I enjoyed the book immensely, and will definitely read more books from the series.
      Bartimaeus's irreverence seemed to fit right into today's attitudes although I must admit I didn't read all the end-notes, mostly because the novel moved along so easily that I didn't want to take time for the detour.
      I enjoyed the pace, the characters, and the action scenes. A four star read in my opinion.
    • 5/5
      This book is the best! I loved it. I normally quit on books that have more than 400 pages but this book changed how I felt about big books. It took me a while to read, but I wanted to finish it, I loved it. The greatness of this book makes it impossible to quit. You have to finish it once you read the first chapter. When I finished the book, that night, I actually had a dream that I was in the story, best dream ever. It isn't just a serious book, it has some humor which makes it bearable. I highly recommend this book. Anyone will love it.
    • 4/5
      Nathaniel is a bright, young magician apprenticed to an incompetant master. He decides to teach himself to summon spirits and makes himself master of a sarcastic mid-level djin named Bartimaeus, with unexpected results.
    • 5/5
      The book is written in a unique way, a lot of people said they don’t “love” any of the characters but I think if you have a sense of humor you will love Bartimaeus. He is quick witted, not afraid to throw jabs around and be sarcastic. The story is engaging and overall it is a great book. Would recommend.
    • 5/5
      Fun, fun, fun, wonderfully snarky! Read it!
    • 3/5
      enjoyed foot-notes more than the book.
    • 5/5
      This was one of my son's favourite books when he was growing up, and now that I've finally got round to reading it, I can see why. Nathaniel, the twelve-year-old magician at the centre of the tale, captures a high-level djinn who soon runs rings around him. Bartimaeus, who, has the abilities to change forms, see on several planes, and extricate himself from the hairiest of situations, made the story for me. Bartimaeus is funny, clever, and appropriately cynical, given he is five thousand years old. When Nathaniel gets himself into dire straits Bartimaeus is there to tell him to grow up and act like a proper, self-serving magician. The djinni's asides about the vain strivings of humans, from the perspective of someone who has seen it all before, made me laugh out loud! A highly satisfying read.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this. Has been compared to Harry Potter, but this book has a nastier, more cynical edge to it (I liked that). Bartimaeus is a great character. Intend to read the bext one when I get the chance.
    • 3/5
      A great read by one of my favorite authors.
    • 3/5
      Ive known about this book for a while and finally got around to reading it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but I really liked it. The worldbuilding is interesting and distinctive the story was both funny and intriguing. The author has a style that I really enjoy and Im excited to read the rest of the series.
    • 5/5
      All I think about is how the flaw of the main character made an impact to the turn of events in the story.
    • 2/5
      This was very fun at first—imaginative and humorous—but it is basically a children's book, and by halfway through the lack of depth wore thin. (From the beginning, I thought the novel would raise interesting social issues, with Britain ruled by a tyrannical class of slaveholder magicians, but this never developed.) It's not as bad as a lot of fantasy, so someday I still might continue the series.
    • 5/5
      while scribd still has some work to do in their player, the audio and book was awesome. it's one I've read before, but quite enjoyed rereading it.