The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1

By: Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by: Simon Jones

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Nathaniel is eleven-years-old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells far beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder and rebellion.

Set in a modern-day London spiced with magicians and mystery, The Amulet of Samarkand is an extraordinary, edge-of-your-seat thriller with many unexpected twists. Following Bartimaeus and Nathaniel in turn, the story introduces us to two wonderfully memorable characters destined to go through many adventures together and bound by a spell that is nearly impossible to break.

©2010 Johnathan Stroud (P)2010 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"One of the liveliest and most inventive fantasies of recent years." ( Booklist)

"Spun into surprisingly colorful cloth." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Well narrated

absolutely loved this book as a teen and it was nice to just listen to it done by a very skilled narrator.

Loved the reader, really like the story

So now we're into "kids" books with our 8-year-old. Have done some Narnia, all of Harry Potter, Inkheart (wow!) and now Bartimeaus. We really liked the story, very entertaining on a long car trip, but we LOVED the reader, Simon Jones. I, personally, would listen to him read anything. Going to go look up more info about him. Now we're copying how he speaks!

I adore both Bartimaeus and Simon Jones

So I read this book (and series) before I listened to it. It is a series that I find refreshingly unique among a lot of children’s fantasy. Jonathan Stroud is king at witty dialogue, clever plot twists, dry humor, memorable characters, and cinematic grand finales. The Amulet of Samarkand is so much fun - wonderful to read. And Bartimaeus is an all time favorite character. Out of all the books I have read, he is one who sticks out to this day.

Now, I was unsure about listening to this book, but then I heard Simon Jones’ voice and was sold. His narration is expressive and nuanced, well-timed, and the voices are only annoying when a character is supposed to be obnoxious.

My 6 year old says...

"I have been enjoying this book for six or seven days."
She's excited about the next two books!

Bartimaeus is the funniest, cleverest Djin

this side of Praque and the Fall of Great Zimbabwe. But, hey, don't take my word for it; listen to the book and experience the full blast of his charisma and wisdom. Don't say I didn't warn you.

4.5 Stars

I had a lot of hesitancy going into this one because it seems so obviously targeted for kids. But don't let that stop you. First of all, the performance for this book by Simon Jones is simply legendary. I was continuously impressed by how engrossing and fantastic an orator he is. He brings a unique, believable voice to every character and never lets the listener check out, if for nothing else than to hear the next heavily emotive but never tiresome delivery. 10 out of 5 stars for the performance. The story is also good. It actually operates as a not so thinly veiled satire of UK politics (/ politics everywhere) while never seeming to take itself too seriously on that front. There are a couple fourth wall breaks and self aware brittish style humor that everyone will enjoy. The magic of the world is interesting and not overly complicated. The character of Bartimaeus is an all-time favorite of mine, which is saying something, considering that he's a demon.

Cool book

This book is amazing I love haw it describes everything in perfect focus this book is also very exiting I love it

Why isn’t this a movie yet?!!

Fantastic story and only enhanced by this narrator. Brilliant performance as are the others in the series.

100% fun

The story was truly entertaining and the reader's voices for the characters were spot on.

A fantastic read

Having read this as a child and having it read as an adult I can truly appreciate what a work of art this story is especially when being masterfully read by Simon Jones. Can't wait to read the other two.