Friday, January 30, 2009

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

First sentence:

"The temperature of the room dropped fast."

Description:

"Nathaniel is eleven years old and a magician's apprentice. 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." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this fantasy featuring the djinii Bartimaeus. I liked his footnote asides and his trying to fulfill his missions without getting caught. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Golem's Eye.

Date read: 1/30/2009
Book #: 10
Series: The Bartimaeus Trilogy #1
Challenges: Unread Authors Challenge 2008, Naming Conventions Challenge, 999 Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 078681859X
ISBN-13: 9780786818594
Publisher: Mirimax
Year: 2003
# of Pages: 462
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing page

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