The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Sequence)

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Bartimaeus is just hilarious, partly because of the British humor that is prevalent throughout the book. Interestingly, none of Stroud's characters are very likeable --possibly he's read too much Iris Murdoch?

The ending is particularly fascinating as we see Nathaniel willingly enter the foray of ambition and deception; and Bartimaeus, almost ruefully, aknowledge that Nathaniel will probably go far --such is life.He uses a lot of footnotes in his narrative, supposedly because it is the only way to allow us lowly humans to grasp his complicated operatus mondi (he doesn’t think too highly of us, does he! Also, I don’t know how the author managed it, but his two heroes had such a bland relationship — even when fighting or hating each other.

This sets in motion a chain reaction of events that are perilous and fantastical and ultimately build up to a big climax. An angered Bartimaeus threatens to kill him because he believes that either way he will end up in the tin and encourages Nathaniel to free him then and now, but resolves to try to keep him alive after Nathaniel promises to free him after this final task. No, instead what you get with this book is a relaxed tone, a great sense of humor and a worthwhile adventure.This is a hilarious, fast-paced book about a world where many state governments are ruled by magicians. The mercenary displays an extraordinary resistance to magic and a pair of seven league boots, which grant him exceptional speed.

The Amulet of Samarkand is an extremely potent magical artifact of a passively protects its bearer from magic-based assaults, even from the strongest magic and spirits. In Stroud's world, magicians have no power of their own - their power lies in the knowledge of how to summon (and enslave) spirits, like the djinni Bartimaeus, to do their will. This has everything, extremely good writing, a fresh, new setting that still hasn´t been assimilated by mainstream, many ideas from classic mythology, an alternative history uchronia setting, and just loads of innuendos and jokes that are definitively aimed at adults and kids alike.We may feel sympathy for the hero of Bartimaeus; a lonely, friendless young magician, subject to outrageous repression and unkindness by the adults around him, but he is not an overly sympathetic child.