Junior Booklover Contest Winner Hannah, 14, from London,
Ontario
After being humiliated by Simon Lovelace, a powerful magician,
Nathaniel Underwood is determined to get revenge. He studies magic
beyond his years and summons an ancient power - an exceedingly
cocky djinni with a razor sharp wit, who goes by the unlikely name
of Bartimaeus. The djinni has little patience for magicians or
their problems, making things difficult for the young apprentice.
Nevertheless, Nathaniel directs his new charge to steal Lovelace's
most prized possession, known as the Amulet of Samarkand, from
beneath his very nose. Grudgingly, Bartimaeus complies, hoping to
simply finish his task and be done with the insolent boy. However
when Nathaniel discovers that the amulet is more than it seems, he
binds himself to Bartimaeus and demands the djinni's help. Together
they embark on a quest to stop Lovelace from regaining the amulet
and taking control of magical Britain.
An exciting and fast-paced story from the beginning, The
Amulet of Samakand is definitely entertaining. The writing is
clever and original, and Jonathan Stroud's inclusion of unusual
descriptions is simply brilliant.
The book is told through two different perspectives;
Nathaniel's, in third person and Bartimaeus' in first. Being the
cheeky and long-winded demon that he is, Bartimaeus often inserts
his own amusing footnotes into the text giving the character extra
depth in a convincing and animated way.
Nathaniel's story line varies from Bartimaeus' as it conveys the
incidents leading up to the summoning of Bartimaeus and Nathaniel's
motives for revenge. Through this outlook I came to regard
Nathaniel as a bitter adolescent who finds himself out of his depth
and ends up more lost and confused than ever before. What begins as
petty retaliation winds up as a heated battle for the control and
safety of Nathaniel's world. His desperate attempt to redeem
himself in the eyes of the only person who ever loved him further
emphasizes the fact that no matter how mature he acts, Nathaniel is
still a child searching for acceptance.
However, Bartimaeus maintains the book's flow and he is a truly
enchanting character. His sarcasm and wit are undeniably funny and
had me laughing out loud. Bartimaeus' unique personality, and the
head-bashing that often occurs between he and Nathaniel reminds me
of my brother and myself. I take up Bartimaeus' position of
stubborn resistance and adopt his knack of irritating people, while
my brother is more like Nathaniel - equally stubborn with
unbeatable determination.
I only disliked the use of third person perspective. Bartimaeus'
point of view was much more captivating than its alternate, which
seemed little more than a source for background information.
Nonetheless, it turned out to be one of the best books I've
read in a while and was too short in my opinion. I strongly
recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy or adventure, loves
a good laugh or a small giggle and who has a spare day or two on
their hands, because this is one story you won't be able to put
down.