The Amulet of Samarkand (Amulet Trilogy) [Hardcover]

This book, the first in a promised trilogy, is set in a parallel London, considered as the superpower of the magical world. As with the Harry Potter books, London's population is divided into two social classes: the commoners (those without magic) and the magicians (the majority of whom work for the government).

Nathaniel, the boy-hero of the book, belongs to the latter group. Apprenticed to a minor magician, Nathaniel inadvertently makes an enemy out of Simon Lovelace, a charming and ambitious politician. When Nathaniel is humiliated by Simon in a social gathering, he vows to get even. He summons Bartimaeus, a powerful but mischievous djinni, to steal one of Simon's recently acquired magical objects, the Amulet of Samarkand.

What was intended as little more than a childish prank soon develops into an intricate web of intrigue as Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a sinister plot to overthrow the government. With Bartimaeus' reluctant help, our hero sets out to expose Simon to save not only himself but also the Prime Minister and other important politicians.

The story unfolds at a steady pace, with believable characters in a plausible alternate world. Nathaniel, though not as likeable a character as Harry Potter, comes across as more real, complete with mood swings and the tendency to be careless and irresponsible all boys his age are famous for. Abandoned and sold by his parents, Nathaniel has a serious, even cynical, outlook on life. This is why there is such a a great chemistry between his character and Bartimaeus, who provides the comic relief in the book.

The narrative alternates between two viewpoints: a first-person narrative by Bartimaeus and a third-person narrative focussing on Nathaniel's viewpoint. This treatment works well in general although the frequent switch might confuse younger readers. Bartimaeus' first-person narrative is crammed with footnotes. While these are often witty and humourous, they can interfere with the flow of the narration.

The Amulet of Samarkand is a brilliant start to a promising trilogy. It will appeal not only to Harry Potter addicts, but also to those who appreciate a thrilling, good old fashioned yarn.

In terms of imagination, this book far outstrips Harry Potter. I recognised some of the magical background in the novel, having read the odd text myself out of interest, and one senses that the author did plenty of careful research - the result is that, though the book is a fantasy, there is a sense of versimilitude and even in its wierdest moments it remains convincing. In terms of character depth and insight, I thought this surpassed HP5; Nathaniel is a far more convincing angry adolescent than HP.

Above all, the author has an elegant, seductive, intelligent prose style. Maybe this isn't as amazing as Pullman, but it comes close and I cannot wait to read the rest of the triology.
This book deserves the hype!

However. I then began to read it and immediately regretted ever having a negative thought.

This is an absolutely fantastic book. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are such well formed characters, and, despite being complete opposites of each other, mesh together amazingly well. The plot does not waver once throughout and you feel yourself becoming drawn right into it, a quality which is a must for me. Perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of the plot is that the government is made up entirely of magicians...Themes within the book range from family, love and politics to name but a few. The author allows you to use your imagination which his fantastic descriptions of each character + setting used without overdoing it as many have before. I particularly enjoyed the style in which the author wrote, using first person + amusing footnotes for the character of Bartimaeus and using third person for Nathaniel.

This book is unique and is a must for people of all ages (I'm a mere 18!), if you love Harry Potter, you shall perhaps love this even more.