The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

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It has too much bounce to control and ball is bit on heavier side .

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Consistent bounce and good pace till used.Compared with other similar priced ones, a good recommendation for your daily games on hard court.

So, I’ve done it a bit backwards, I read Lockwood and Co first, loved it and moved onto this which I also really enjoyed. Lockwood and Co is one of my favourite series, and while Bartimaeus hasn’t beaten it, it still gets five stars from me.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.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. No pressure at all.

Before I started reading this book I was totally unprepared for Stroud's style. I was expecting the conventional 'amighty demon filled with wrath bound to the courageous but challenged master' sort of thing but was rather taken aback by what I got. 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. However, once I overcame my shock (and Bart's ironic little footnotes) 'The Amulet of Samarkand' was worth the read.I'm not saying it will grip you in a Potteresque fashion, for the plot sometimes moves a bit slowly, but I did enjoy reading it. Interestingly, none of Stroud's characters are very likeable --possibly he's read too much Iris Murdoch?-- and though my sympathies often went to Nathaniel as the underprivileged apprentice, he's far from being a 'hero'. Bartimaeus, by contrast, is quite profound in many of his observations about humanity and he takes the self-appointed role of social commentator from a demonically objective point of view. The fact that he frequently remarks how he will imaginatively annihilate his previous masters when he gets the chance is refreshing in face of the the manipulative, arrogant, contriving magicians. Where THEY are duplicitous, Bartimaeus is totally frank and honest.So, the book is about Nathaniel wanting to seek revenge on the ironically named magician 'Lovelace' for an affront to himself. Initially, Nathaniel's reasons might be construed as trite but as he and Bartimaeus enact Nathaniel's revenge, they get caught up in a web of intrigue and sedition which they could not have foreseen. (It's like a thriller with magic and demons thrown in.)I wonder whether Stroud is making any political comments what with the government being run by the magicians, rife with plotting and back-stabbing and the Prime Minister allegedly one of the worst? It's impossible to say for sure but Stroud's universe is distressingly familiar in many ways. 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.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 think it's worth a read :)

Theres nothing to dislikeits a good length, leaving you wanting more.A good blend of the past and present, from Ancient Egypt to modern times.It flows well, a story, not just chapters.The imagination is stirred.I have read it multiple times and still enjoy it.It would make a great movie.This is just one book of a trilogy, and the other two are just as good.

I had never heard of The Bartimaeus Sequence before and took a chance on it one rainy afternoon, I am so glad I did. It is funny, smart and original storytelling. The idea of magicians ruling the world and harnessing the powers of djinnis to do it is a brilliant idea and makes for a gripping story. I loved that the story intertwines the points of view of Bartimaeus and Nathaniel, two very different characters. I wish the young magician was a bit more likeable as I found myself impatient to get back to the djinni's story, as he was so hilarious. I will be buying the next one in the series in about 5 minutes!

My 9 year old is really enjoying this, bit surprised as I thought it woud be too complex for his age range. He likes the fact that it is narrated by the demon and finds that interesting, plus it's funny and different from many of the other fantasy books he reads.