Another Review at MyShelf.Com

The Amulet of Samarkand
Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book I

By Jonathan Stroud

      Since Harry Potter appeared, “crossover” novels that are ostensibly for children, but which also appeal strongly to adults have become a whole new sub-genre. This author already has three such books behind him, and now turns his attention to a new trilogy. In a parallel world where magic rules, a young boy called Nathaniel is apprenticed to a magician. Behind his master’s back he summons a djinni called Bartimaeus to do his bidding—stealing the Amulet of Samarkand from a powerful magician called Simon Lovelace. This sets into motion a chain of events that will lead to high-level intrigue, murder, and chaos.

     Stroud deftly sketches for his readers a picture of a bleak world akin to our own, but where magical power is the key to success. Magical wars rage, the government is run by magicians, and ordinary people (“commoners”) lead dreary lives with no hope of betterment. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus tell their sides of the story in alternate chapters, which is a fine idea when the vibrant djinni is doing the first person talking. Bartimaeus is delightful; by turns peevish, irritable, and prideful, but keeps up a constant commentary on his past 5000-year-old life and his opinions on modern times. Nathaniel does not tell his story in his own words, and consequently remains distant and rather unsympathetic. Sinned against, but sinning himself and not doing it with much style or human feeling, he is no Harry Potter. The story unfolds against this well-realised backdrop, complete with a shadowy band of resistance fighters who oppose magic and will presumably be a stronger presence in book two. Stroud does not appear to be comfortable with creating female characters, and this is very much a story about the male sex. We are told that women hold positions of power and a few make shadowy appearances, but ultimately none hold center stage, which is a flaw in a modern novel. It will be interesting to see how it all develops in the subsequent books.

The Book

Corgi (Random House Children’s Books)
November 2004
Paperback
0552550299
Juvenile / Fantasy [Contemporary London]
More at Amazon.com - Amazon UK

Excerpt

NOTE:

The Reviewer

Rachel A. Hyde
Reviewed 2005
NOTE:
© 2005 MyShelf.com