The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Sequence)

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Before he is dismissed, Bartimaeus attempts to warn Nathaniel against the typical road of a magician involving power-seeking behavior, materialism, and a generally shallow existence, also adding that Nathaniel should beware of his new master. He does have a very unique and recognizable sense of humour and kudos to author, not just for creating it but also for maintaining it in the narrative.

And in process of seeking revenge he gets intertwined between far large conspiracy than he could ever imagine. The story of an ambitious young demonologist and an ancient and exasperated demon, it is a challenging and sophisticated read for young readers of perhaps 12 years and upwards and a witty entertaining and fast-moving adventure story for adults. Nathaniel counteracts this with a Perpetual Confinement spell on a sealed tin of rosemary (agonising to spirits) which guarantees Bartimaeus' servitude for one month and the safety of Nathaniel.Nathaniel has an interesting assignment for Bartimaeus: he must steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. Another would be how the pov flitters back and forth between the two main characters - at breakneck speed by the end - too much for my taste, but that's a minor, personal annoyance and doesn't really damage the story too much. He's a whiny know-it-all who's only really interesting for a possessive crush he has on his art teacher. I found Nathanial’s characters and nativity annoying at times, but considering his age that is nothing to be frown about. The boy, Nathaniel, whines all the time about things not going his way, and only thinks to plot revenge on people who've wronged him.

My rule with audiobooks is it has to be something I've read already so I don't have to concentrate too much while multitasking. Not to compare this too much to Harry Potter, but it is one of the first series to ride the initial wave of Pottermania to greater notoriety.Much more than a mere Harry Potter wannabe knock-off, The Amulet of Samarkand treats us not only to a blazing quick page turner but also throws in a generous helping of more adult issues such as questioning the morality of class distinctions; the development of a resistance movement to a dictatorial government clearly interested in nothing more than the perpetuation of its own comfort and rule; and power lust, greed or altruism as motives for action. This is a hilarious, fast-paced book about a world where many state governments are ruled by magicians. I did have to explain to my son a bit about the "universe" the book is set in, as the graphic novel version was fairly light on that aspect. Bartimaeus is a middle-ranking genie, not especially powerful, but smart enough to outdo alot of the other guys.

In any case, I tell you this so you can evaluate my reaction to this graphic version of "The Amulet of Samarkand".That first part of the book was developed perfectly and I really felt for the boy- for most of the novel I quite worried about him even if I knew that it was highly unlikely for the protagonist to get killed. These magicians are the proud, arrogant, entitled upperclass that pretty much oppress the commoners who work the city's factories and low-life jobs. Angered beyond endurance, Nathaniel decides to secretly accelerate his own learning and begins to plot his revenge against Lovelace. The Amulet is only mentioned during the events of The Golem's Eye once when John Mandrake (Nathaniel) attempts to use the fact that he saved the Prime Minister and gave him the amulet to evade being imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Sama priča je u suštini jednostavna ali je prošarana sa puno humora (naročito sarkastičnog) što čini sve zabavnijim tako da knjiga baš brzo proleti. I wasn't even certain the image that stuck with me, that of a female tutor teaching a young magician to draw and insisting on a detailed rendering of every single leaf on a tree because he would need to show attention to detail in his summonings, was from this book. With his cynical ironical comments and 'I don't care about anyone' attitude and yet he's the main protagonist who saves the day. Bartimaeus refers constantly to his relation with his former master Ptolemy, comparing him much more favorably to Nathaniel. He was able to change up voices and input just the right amount of pomposity into Bartimeus' character to make him both believable and humorous.Despite the fact that The Amulet of Samarkand was a rather thick novel most of it remains intact in this 144 page graphic novel. And that meant that I was skeptical, although not to the degree that I thought the main character would be named Barry Cotter or something. Upon his presentation to the other magicians, Nathaniel (age 10 at the time) is interviewed by his later antagonist Simon Lovelace who dismisses Nathaniel's obvious powers for magic. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion.