The Amulet of Samarkand

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The first volume in the brilliant, bestselling Bartimaeus sequence.

When the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, he expects to have to do nothing more taxing than a little levitation or a few simple illusions. But Nathaniel is a precocious talent and has something rather more dangerous in mind: revenge. 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. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion.

Set in a modern-day London controlled by magicians, this hilarious, electrifying thriller will enthral readers of all ages.

©2007 Jonathan Stroud (P)2007 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • Drama, humour and hypnotically engaging storytelling

    Independent

  • The truly original touch is the way Stroud alternates Nathaniel’s story with the djinni’s own knowing and irascible first-person narrative

    Guardian

  • The narrative slips skilfully from first person to third and back and Bartimaeus’s voice is laugh-out-loud sassy, while Nathaniel’s story has an engaging poignancy as he tries to prove himself in a world in which he has always been despised

    The Sunday Times

  • Not since Gulliver’s Travels has a children’s writer managed to combine a thrilling tale of magic and adventure with such deliciously pointed comedy

    The Times

  • Terrific stuff

    Mail on Sunday

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