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The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Sequence)

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I enjoyed the climactic ending and I think you will too, for it nicely ties up the plot's main threads (though some plot lines are left purposefully dangling) and leaves us with the compelling thought that, however much humans may have progressed in civilisation, we're not all that great when exposed by the nonchalent observations of a humorous djinn who's been around the block a few times. I’ve seen authors incorporate even the most long-winded of footnotes smoothly and sparingly that they don’t disrupt the narrative. 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.

The mercenary displays an extraordinary resistance to magic and a pair of seven league boots, which grant him exceptional speed. He wasn't a character you immediately liked, but he was a character that was very real, very understandable, and very original for it. It's good, self-referrential stuff like that that doesn't disturb the suspension of disbelief, at least not for me. I hope Mr Stroud is writing another series of books because I’m going to carry on with this series, and hopefully by the time I’ve completed it a new book of his will be out. One of this year's most inventive and ingenious novels…Both the djinn and the boy exist in a world described with great imaginative detail…The action-packed adventures of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus…are sustained over nearly 500 pages by the immensely enjoyable characterisation.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.

A magician's young apprentice, Nathaniel, summons the irascible djinni, Bartimaeus, to do his bidding.In turn, Nathaniel expresses a love and loyalty to her that is otherwise all but absent from his life. The descriptions, the characters, the fantasy elements that get wound into the story, the humour, the action scenes, Jonathan Stroud’s stories hook me in, make me care, laugh along, and I love being taken along for the ride. The perspective of Bartimaeus, the millennia old demon who relates a great part of the narrative, provides a cynical, humorous and entirely unsentimental view of events. Bartimaeus attempts to kill the mysterious bearded mercenary, who has become alerted to Nathaniel's plot by the delicatessen people whose van was stolen as a disguise. I'm presently reading "The Trials of Apollo" series, and while I'd planned to continue my journey through Rick Riordan audiobooks, I don't read the same author concurrently, it's too easy to get things mixed up.

He summons Bartimaeus, a 5000-year-old djinni, to assist in revenge against the proud ambitious Simon Lovelace by stealing his precious amulet. Set in modern-day London controlled by magicians, this hilarious, bestselling thriller will enthral readers of all ages. The graphic novel format is a great way to engage reluctnat readers, present difficult subject matter in an accesible way, as well as to just enjoy a great read.Nathaniel, the boy is too young to give us real insight into the history of this world (or to understand it for that matter). The task for Bartimaeus is not an easy one - he must steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Many of Nathaniel’s scenes are flashbacks, and make you feel badly for him, even as he’s learning to become just as awful as every other magician. You see, if it was told from a magician point of view, then all those explanations would seem tedious because they’re understood- and had it been told from a commoner point of view, there wouldn’t have been any story in this place for commoners have no idea what is going on in the world of magicians.

After Nathaniel fails to clean up his room after his attempted summoning, Underwood discovers Nathaniel's covert operation and confiscates his summoning paraphernalia and notes detailing his plot against Lovelace.

The secrets of how to make the amulet were lost to time, although Bartimaeus mentions that it must have been a hard task to imprison the being(s) inside. At the Tower, Bartimaeus is unsuccessfully interrogated by Pinn and Jessica Whitwell, Minister of Security. The books in this series are The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate, his first books to be published in the United States. The plot works, though between action, it can slow down considerably, but the magical scenes are pretty fantastic, and, while HP has managed to sadden me on occasion, this book was the first that scared me with its monsters.

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