a)The djinn Bartimaeus always addresses the reader in 1st person, whereas his 'master' Nathaniel is dealt with in the 3rd person; and b)Bartimaeus is deeply cynical and intelligent in a way that challenges the typical fantasy pretension. Once he is released, Nathaniel sets a fleet of mites upon Lovelace, which he easily destroys, and is punished with a beating from one of Lovelace's imps. When the demon finds the locket and uncovers something of how it came to be in the possession of Simon Lovelace, both Bartimaeus and Nathaniel find themselves entangled in a world of murder, magic, intrigue and high politics, the stakes higher than either of them dreamed. It is well developed and interesting enough on itself, but what makes it really shine is the narrative structure.

After recounting a modified version of events which belittles Bartimaeus' achievement, advocates the role of Mrs. I am really into children's books, YA fantasy, it´s so easy to consume in between, so interesting to see how the same tropes and ideas are used in easier to understand contexts, how humor is executed, and how the characters perform in contrast to the adult comedic fantasy, etc. These magicians are the proud, arrogant, entitled upperclass that pretty much oppress the commoners who work the city's factories and low-life jobs.Bartimaeus is just hilarious, partly because of the British humor that is prevalent throughout the book.

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. He's a great source of comedy, a clever djinni that talks too much and has a knack for getting out of difficult situations. Against his will, Bartimaeus is packed off to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Judiciously sprinkled throughout the novel, Stroud has kept their number and length at exactly the right level to ensure the high-speed plot is not dampened.

In spite of feelings that this attempt is in vain, his last thoughts before dismissal are those of hope for his young master.

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. Simpkin, Sholto Pinn's foliot assistant, reveals that the amulet had been under government protection before it had been stolen. Bartimaeus refers constantly to his relation with his former master Ptolemy, comparing him much more favorably to Nathaniel. While I imagine writing books can be hard for some people, writing a character like Bartimaeus must make Stroud love his job.Bartimaeus isn't making it easy for him) this book is a full of humor and helps us to know the true meaning of friendship a little better. 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 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. The audio version includes the footnotes as part of the main narrative but they blend in too well, taking away half the fun of the series. Barty's sarcastic, powerful, arrogant, informative, and all in all, seeing the magical world through his asides and footnotes makes the book.

Tegningerne er farverige og flotte, måske en anelse sjuskede enkelte steder, men er det også svært at have mange detaljer med på lidt plads. See what other audio books made our Road Trip playlist and what we thought of them on Badass Book Reviews.The Amulet was originally made by an Asian shaman, three thousand years ago, and was given to a local princess as a gift. Before his master can punish him, Lovelace presents himself at the door and demands Underwood's attention. However, once I overcame my shock (and Bart's ironic little footnotes) 'The Amulet of Samarkand' was worth the read. Now, if Krazy Christians thought Harry Potter was warping little kids' minds, then I'm surprised they haven't caught on to this series, with its pentacle circles and summoning "demons. I must say that the fact this novel is considered a children's book surprised me because it is quite dark and gloomy in its atmosphere.