The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1)
Jonathan Stroud
3.99 · 42 ratings · Published: 30 Sep 2003
If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.
Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.
- fantasy 4
- Europe 3
- British Isles 3
- United Kingdom 3
- England 3
- city/urban 3
- magic 3
- action / adventure 2
- urban fantasy 2
- children 2
- funny 2
- paranormal 2
- demons 2
- supernatural 2
- alternate history 2
- mystery 2
- folktales & legends 1
- historical fiction 1
- witches & sorcerers 1
- fae/elves 1
- comedy 1
- coming of age 1
- contemporary 1
- epic 1
- retellings 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- young adult 3
- middle grade 3
- audiobook 2
- book 1
romance tags
crime tags
literary-fiction tags
historical-fiction tags
fantasy tags
sci-fi tags
action-adventure tags
thriller tags
horror tags
The 'Bartimaeus' series
166 ratings 4.18 ·
fantasy · fiction · children-books · humor · audiobook · alternate-history · magic · paranormal · urban-fantasy · action-adventure · young-adult · middle-grade · children · book · supernatural · mystery · witches-wizards · retellings · high-school · demons
Bartimaeus reading order and complete book list ❯