# The Amulet of Samarkand

By Jonathan Stroud · The Bartimaeus Sequence, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-amulet-of-samarkand-67a09e35/

An ambitious apprentice magician summons Bartimaeus and orders the djinni to steal an amulet from a powerful rival. The theft pulls them into a dangerous conspiracy in a London governed by magicians. Commanding an ancient spirit proves less straightforward than summoning one.

## What makes it funny?

Bartimaeus has little respect for the young magician giving him orders. His cocky, sardonic account supplies a running objection to an apprentice's grand ambitions and increasingly unmanageable scheme.

### The comedy at work

The story alternates the apprentice's perspective with the djinni's knowing first-person voice. Bartimaeus gives the reader a skeptical view of magical authority from the position of someone forced to serve it.

### Try this if…

Magical intrigue and a sarcastic supernatural companion are the attractions. Readers who like seeing an ambitious hero's plans examined by a less impressed observer may enjoy the alternating perspectives.

### Good to know

Written for younger readers, the story still involves murder, coercive service and characters whose motives are difficult to trust.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy
- On the shelf: Urban fantasy
- Kind of humor: Dry wit
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Audience: Middle grade
- Format: Novel
- Length: 464 pages
- Audiobook: Available

## A few distinguishing details

- An ancient djinni under an apprentice's orders
- A skeptical view of magician-ruled London

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Hachette lists The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, ISBN 9780786852550, as a 464-page trade paperback. The page also lists an Audiobook Download (Unabridged).](https://www.littlebrownlibrary.com/titles/jonathan-stroud/the-amulet-of-samarkand/9780786852550)
- Publisher: [Penguin publisher paperback edition](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/327230/the-amulet-of-samarkand-by-stroud-jonathan/9780552562799)
- Publisher: [Little Brown publisher edition](https://www.littlebrownlibrary.com/titles/jonathan-stroud/the-amulet-of-samarkand/9780786852550)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jonathan-stroud/the-amulet-of-samarkand)