-
The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $16.16
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
- The Outlaws, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She scrapes by on bank heists, her wits - and never looking back. She’s on the run from her latest crime when she comes across Albert Browne. He is the sole survivor of a horrific accident, and against her better judgement, Scarlett agrees to guide him to safety.
-
-
Missing Originality
- By Joki on 12-25-21
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Inkheart
- By: Cornelia Funke
- Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine it were possible to bring the characters from a book to life. Not like when you listen to an audiobook with such enchantment that the characters seem to jump off the pages and into your bedroom...but for real. Imagine they could actually climb out of the pages and into our world. Then imagine if those characters brought their world into ours.
-
-
For ALL ages
- By A on 11-24-04
By: Cornelia Funke
-
Sabriel
- By: Garth Nix
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.
-
-
Enraptured
- By T. HICKS on 06-20-09
By: Garth Nix
-
Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sinister problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see - and eradicate - these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.
-
-
Best Young Heroine since Sabriel
- By Tango on 03-16-14
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Peter and the Starcatchers
- The Starcatchers, Book 1
- By: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.
-
-
A fast paced frolic on the high seas!
- By Deborah on 12-19-08
By: Dave Barry, and others
-
Magyk
- Septimus Heap, Book One
- By: Angie Sage
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Septimus Heap? A lost child? An ordinary hero? A powerful wizard? The Magyk begins here. The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads listeners on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.
-
-
Fun Listen
- By Emiko on 08-10-09
By: Angie Sage
-
The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
- The Outlaws, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She scrapes by on bank heists, her wits - and never looking back. She’s on the run from her latest crime when she comes across Albert Browne. He is the sole survivor of a horrific accident, and against her better judgement, Scarlett agrees to guide him to safety.
-
-
Missing Originality
- By Joki on 12-25-21
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Inkheart
- By: Cornelia Funke
- Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine it were possible to bring the characters from a book to life. Not like when you listen to an audiobook with such enchantment that the characters seem to jump off the pages and into your bedroom...but for real. Imagine they could actually climb out of the pages and into our world. Then imagine if those characters brought their world into ours.
-
-
For ALL ages
- By A on 11-24-04
By: Cornelia Funke
-
Sabriel
- By: Garth Nix
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.
-
-
Enraptured
- By T. HICKS on 06-20-09
By: Garth Nix
-
Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sinister problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see - and eradicate - these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.
-
-
Best Young Heroine since Sabriel
- By Tango on 03-16-14
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Peter and the Starcatchers
- The Starcatchers, Book 1
- By: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.
-
-
A fast paced frolic on the high seas!
- By Deborah on 12-19-08
By: Dave Barry, and others
-
Magyk
- Septimus Heap, Book One
- By: Angie Sage
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Septimus Heap? A lost child? An ordinary hero? A powerful wizard? The Magyk begins here. The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads listeners on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.
-
-
Fun Listen
- By Emiko on 08-10-09
By: Angie Sage
-
The Novice
- By: Taran Matharu
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fletcher is working as a blacksmith's apprentice when he discovers he has the rare ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must travel with his demon, Ignatius, to an academy for adepts, where the gifted are taught the art of summoning. Along with nobles and commoners, Fletcher endures grueling lessons that will prepare him to serve as a Battlemage in the Empire's war against the savage Orcs.
-
-
Entertaining but not art
- By richard on 05-31-17
By: Taran Matharu
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
A great reading of the wrong book
- By P on 11-24-15
By: J.K. Rowling
-
The Merchant of Death
- Pendragon, Book 1
- By: D. J. MacHale
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal 14-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby: he is going to save the world.
And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.
-
-
The Merchant of Death (Unabridged
- By Bronwyn on 07-26-08
By: D. J. MacHale
-
The Thief Lord
- By: Cornelia Funke
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteen-year-old boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Brilliant and charismatic, the Thief Lord leads a ring of street children who dabble in petty crimes. Prosper and Bo delight in being part of this colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has secrets of his own.
-
-
Excellent production, original story
- By Charlene on 07-03-05
By: Cornelia Funke
-
Belgarath the Sorcerer
- By: David Eddings, Leigh Eddings
- Narrated by: Cameron Beierle
- Length: 32 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling authors David and Leigh Eddings welcome fans back to the time before The Belgariad and The Malloreon series. Join them as they chronicle that fateful conflict between two mortally opposed Destinies, in a monumental war of men and kings and gods.
-
-
My Fav
- By Viv on 08-04-17
By: David Eddings, and others
-
The Silmarillion
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete unabridged audiobook of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.
-
-
Finally!
- By Brian on 11-22-18
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- By: Douglas Adams
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last 15 years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
-
-
HHTGH - Lightly Fried
- By J. Medany on 05-08-05
By: Douglas Adams
-
Jackaby
- By: William Ritter
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1890, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary - including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant.
-
-
YA Sherlock and his Dr. Who companion - with fae
- By withherownwings on 02-20-15
By: William Ritter
-
His Dark Materials: Once upon a Time in the North
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: David Harewood
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby—Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua—is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name.
By: Philip Pullman
-
The Colour of Magic
- Discworld, Book 1
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place that might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different. Particularly as it’s carried though space on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). It plays by different rules. But then, some things are the same everywhere. The Disc’s very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the world’s first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land.
-
-
TERRIBLE Narration!
- By Kayla I on 07-08-22
By: Terry Pratchett
-
New Spring
- The Wheel of Time Prequel
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.
-
-
Read it after reading others in the series
- By Stacy Fair on 12-13-07
By: Robert Jordan
-
Cinder
- Book One of the Lunar Chronicles
- By: Marissa Meyer
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle.
-
-
Surpised by how much I enjoyed it
- By The Mankers on 01-17-12
By: Marissa Meyer
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.
Critic reviews
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
A Study in Silks
- By: Emma Jane Holloway
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 21 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines - something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty's secret laboratories. What's a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she's never found out?
-
-
Too much of a bad thing
- By Bomberwizz on 11-30-14
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
A great reading of the wrong book
- By P on 11-24-15
By: J.K. Rowling
-
The Book of Magic
- By: Gardner Dozois - editor, Scott Lynch, Elizabeth Bear, and others
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker, Sile Bermingham, Maxwell Caulfield, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois's acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf... and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda... and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore... and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped - or misshaped - by the potent magic they seek to wield.
-
-
Very Good, With One Objection
- By Kindle Customer on 05-05-20
By: Gardner Dozois - editor, and others
-
The Iron Dragon's Daughter
- By: Michael Swanwick
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Named a New York Times notable book of 1994, The Iron Dragon's Daughter tells the heartrending story of a changeling child who is kidnapped to a realm of malls and machines and enslaved in a vast, infernal factory. Ultimately, she escapes and attempts to educate herself about this alien world, while being tormented by visions of the life she was denied.
-
-
Inconsistent story and makes for a poor experience
- By Martin Smith on 07-10-15
By: Michael Swanwick
-
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
- Burton & Swinburne, Book 1
- By: Mark Hodder
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sir Richard Francis Burton and Algernon Charles Swinburne are sucked into the perilous depths of a moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack - and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End.
-
-
Fun Steampunk but on the outlandish side
- By Robert L. on 02-08-12
By: Mark Hodder
-
The Spirit Thief
- The Legend of Eli Monpress, Book 1
- By: Rachel Aaron
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He's not just any thief. He’s the greatest thief of the age - and he’s also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he’s going to put his plan into effect. The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he’ll need to steal some big things. But he’ll start with somethingsmall. Something like a king....
-
-
Entertaining light fantasy
- By Kindle Customer on 02-16-12
By: Rachel Aaron
-
A Study in Silks
- By: Emma Jane Holloway
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 21 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines - something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty's secret laboratories. What's a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she's never found out?
-
-
Too much of a bad thing
- By Bomberwizz on 11-30-14
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
A great reading of the wrong book
- By P on 11-24-15
By: J.K. Rowling
-
The Book of Magic
- By: Gardner Dozois - editor, Scott Lynch, Elizabeth Bear, and others
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker, Sile Bermingham, Maxwell Caulfield, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois's acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf... and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda... and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore... and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped - or misshaped - by the potent magic they seek to wield.
-
-
Very Good, With One Objection
- By Kindle Customer on 05-05-20
By: Gardner Dozois - editor, and others
-
The Iron Dragon's Daughter
- By: Michael Swanwick
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Named a New York Times notable book of 1994, The Iron Dragon's Daughter tells the heartrending story of a changeling child who is kidnapped to a realm of malls and machines and enslaved in a vast, infernal factory. Ultimately, she escapes and attempts to educate herself about this alien world, while being tormented by visions of the life she was denied.
-
-
Inconsistent story and makes for a poor experience
- By Martin Smith on 07-10-15
By: Michael Swanwick
-
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
- Burton & Swinburne, Book 1
- By: Mark Hodder
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sir Richard Francis Burton and Algernon Charles Swinburne are sucked into the perilous depths of a moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack - and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End.
-
-
Fun Steampunk but on the outlandish side
- By Robert L. on 02-08-12
By: Mark Hodder
-
The Spirit Thief
- The Legend of Eli Monpress, Book 1
- By: Rachel Aaron
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He's not just any thief. He’s the greatest thief of the age - and he’s also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he’s going to put his plan into effect. The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he’ll need to steal some big things. But he’ll start with somethingsmall. Something like a king....
-
-
Entertaining light fantasy
- By Kindle Customer on 02-16-12
By: Rachel Aaron
-
House of Furies
- By: Madeleine Roux
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After escaping a harsh school where punishment was the lesson of the day, 17-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boardinghouse. But soon after her arrival at Coldthistle House, Louisa begins to realize that the house's mysterious owner, Mr. Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. Far from a place of rest, the house is a place of judgment, and Mr. Morningside and his unusual staff are meant to execute their own justice on those who are past being saved.
-
-
One of the characters is Satan..lots of the occult
- By Angela Briggs on 07-25-19
By: Madeleine Roux
-
Sixty-One Nails
- The Courts of the Feyre, Book 1
- By: Mike Shevdon
- Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is a secret war growing beneath the streets of London. The immense Sixty-One Nails follows Niall Petersen, from a suspected heart attack on the London Underground, into the hidden world of the Feyre, an uncanny place of legend that lurks just beyond the surface of everyday life. The ancient peoples are at war - but is Niall really the one who can wield the dark magic of the Untainted, and save them all?
-
-
Urban Fantasy with a Gothic Flavor
- By Tango on 03-16-14
By: Mike Shevdon
-
The Affinity Bridge
- A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation
- By: George Mann
- Narrated by: Simon Taylor
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London, a city teetering on the edge of revolution. Its people are ushering in a new era of technology, dazzled each day by unfamiliar inventions. Airships soar in the skies over the city, while ground trains rumble through the streets and clockwork automatons are programmed to carry out menial tasks in the offices of lawyers, policemen, and journalists.
-
-
nowhere near as bad as reviewed
- By Doug on 06-11-10
By: George Mann
-
The Oversight
- By: Charlie Fletcher
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once there were hundreds of members of the Oversight, the brave souls who guard the borders between the mundane and the magic. Now there are only five. When a vagabond brings a screaming girl to the Oversight's London headquarters, she could answer their hopes for new recruit, or she could be the instrument of their downfall.
-
-
Fantastic start to a fantasy series
- By jessica on 06-01-14
By: Charlie Fletcher
-
Fated
- Alex Verus Series, Book 1
- By: Benedict Jacka
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Verus is part of a world hidden in plain sight, running a magic shop in London. And while Alex's own powers aren't as showy as some mages, he does have the advantage of foreseeing the possible future-allowing him to pull off operations that have a million-to-one-chance of success. But when Alex is approached by multiple factions to crack open a relic from a long-ago mage war, he knows that whatever's inside must be beyond powerful.
-
-
Harry Dresden meets the Temple of Doom
- By Jessica on 05-15-14
By: Benedict Jacka
-
Fear
- By: L. Ron Hubbard
- Narrated by: Roddy McDowall
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor James Lowry didn’t believe in spirits, or witches, or demons. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn’t remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember.
-
-
The Best of Hubbard
- By JJ on 01-31-15
By: L. Ron Hubbard
-
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
- By: R. L. LaFevers
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theoand only Theowho is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. Sneaking behind her fathers back, Theo uses old, nearly forgotten Egyptian magic to remove the curses and protect her father and the rest of the museum employees from the ancient, sinister forces that lurk in the museums dark hallways.
-
-
Girls Adventure
- By Grant on 05-03-10
By: R. L. LaFevers
-
Phoenix Rising
- A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
- By: Pip Ballantine, Tee Morris
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade... and a librarian. These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...
-
-
Great Steampunk - worth a listen
- By DarkFish on 05-11-12
By: Pip Ballantine, and others
-
The Peculiar
- By: Stefan Bachmann
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged. In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings - Peculiars - and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them. One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley - Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.
-
-
An Unexpected Adventure
- By Shannon on 05-30-13
By: Stefan Bachmann
-
The Emperor's Edge Collection
- Books 1, 2, and 3
- By: Lindsay Buroker
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 37 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An enforcer wanted dead for crimes she didn’t commit.... An assassin wanted dead for crimes he did commit.... Normally, they would be enemies, but they both seek the same thing: exoneration. Unfortunately, a nefarious underground organization is attempting to kill the one man who could grant it to them - the emperor. If they want to win their freedom, they’ll have to battle powerful wizards, outscheme master schemers, and defeat bloodthirsty monsters, all while dodging friendly fire and evading the law. Exoneration isn’t easy.
-
-
Three for One
- By B. Hongo on 10-06-21
By: Lindsay Buroker
-
Sabriel
- By: Garth Nix
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.
-
-
Enraptured
- By T. HICKS on 06-20-09
By: Garth Nix
-
City of Stairs
- By: Robert Jackson Bennett
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions - until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself - first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it - stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy. Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani.
-
-
Something Different
- By Scott S. on 10-17-14
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sinister problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see - and eradicate - these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.
-
-
Best Young Heroine since Sabriel
- By Tango on 03-16-14
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
- The Outlaws, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She scrapes by on bank heists, her wits - and never looking back. She’s on the run from her latest crime when she comes across Albert Browne. He is the sole survivor of a horrific accident, and against her better judgement, Scarlett agrees to guide him to safety.
-
-
Missing Originality
- By Joki on 12-25-21
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Peter and the Starcatchers
- The Starcatchers, Book 1
- By: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.
-
-
A fast paced frolic on the high seas!
- By Deborah on 12-19-08
By: Dave Barry, and others
-
Heroes of the Valley
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: David Thorn
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Halli Sveinsson has grown up in the House of Svein, listening to the legends of the heroes as all his forefathers did. His is a peaceful society where the violence of the past has been outlawed and disputes are settled by the Council. But young Halli has never quite seemed to fit in with the others. For starters, he was not at all handsome or tall, like his attractive blond siblings. He's stumpy and swarthy, with a quick mind and aptitude for getting in trouble.
-
-
She had a voice that loosened earwax.
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-03-13
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Magyk
- Septimus Heap, Book One
- By: Angie Sage
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Septimus Heap? A lost child? An ordinary hero? A powerful wizard? The Magyk begins here. The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads listeners on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.
-
-
Fun Listen
- By Emiko on 08-10-09
By: Angie Sage
-
The Notorious Scarlett and Browne
- Scarlett and Browne, Book 2
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Albert and Scarlett are a formidable pair. With his ability to read minds and her way with a weapon, no bank can keep them out and no jail can keep them in. But their notoriety may have spread a bit too far. Now old enemies from Scarlett’s past and a sinister new threat from Albert’s world are boxing them in—and holding their friends hostage. To win their freedom, the outlaws Scarlett and Browne are charged with pulling off an impossible mission. And the clock is ticking . . .
-
-
whirlwind of heists, showdowns, and found family
- By Whimsical Dragonette on 05-15-23
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sinister problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see - and eradicate - these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.
-
-
Best Young Heroine since Sabriel
- By Tango on 03-16-14
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
- The Outlaws, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She scrapes by on bank heists, her wits - and never looking back. She’s on the run from her latest crime when she comes across Albert Browne. He is the sole survivor of a horrific accident, and against her better judgement, Scarlett agrees to guide him to safety.
-
-
Missing Originality
- By Joki on 12-25-21
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Peter and the Starcatchers
- The Starcatchers, Book 1
- By: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.
-
-
A fast paced frolic on the high seas!
- By Deborah on 12-19-08
By: Dave Barry, and others
-
Heroes of the Valley
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: David Thorn
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Halli Sveinsson has grown up in the House of Svein, listening to the legends of the heroes as all his forefathers did. His is a peaceful society where the violence of the past has been outlawed and disputes are settled by the Council. But young Halli has never quite seemed to fit in with the others. For starters, he was not at all handsome or tall, like his attractive blond siblings. He's stumpy and swarthy, with a quick mind and aptitude for getting in trouble.
-
-
She had a voice that loosened earwax.
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-03-13
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Magyk
- Septimus Heap, Book One
- By: Angie Sage
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Septimus Heap? A lost child? An ordinary hero? A powerful wizard? The Magyk begins here. The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads listeners on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.
-
-
Fun Listen
- By Emiko on 08-10-09
By: Angie Sage
-
The Notorious Scarlett and Browne
- Scarlett and Browne, Book 2
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Albert and Scarlett are a formidable pair. With his ability to read minds and her way with a weapon, no bank can keep them out and no jail can keep them in. But their notoriety may have spread a bit too far. Now old enemies from Scarlett’s past and a sinister new threat from Albert’s world are boxing them in—and holding their friends hostage. To win their freedom, the outlaws Scarlett and Browne are charged with pulling off an impossible mission. And the clock is ticking . . .
-
-
whirlwind of heists, showdowns, and found family
- By Whimsical Dragonette on 05-15-23
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Ms. Rapscott's Girls
- By: Elise Primavera, Katherine Kellgren
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nestled inside a lighthouse, Great Rapscott School for the Daughters of Busy Parents takes its motto from Amelia Earhart: Adventure is worthwhile in itself. Headmistress Ms. Rapscott couldn't agree more, but her students, who are shipped to the school in boxes, could use a little convincing. Still, despite their initial reluctance, the students are soon soaring through the sky and getting lost on purpose.
-
-
Great book
- By BriCheese on 11-29-17
By: Elise Primavera, and others
-
Magic Marks the Spot
- The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, Book 1
- By: Caroline Carlson
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To escape from a life of petticoats and politeness, Hilary answers a curious advertisement for a pirate crew and suddenly finds herself swept up in a seafaring adventure that may or may not involve a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a rogue governess who insists on propriety, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous - and unexpected - villain on the High Seas. Will Hilary find the treasure in time? Will she become a true pirate after all? And what will become of the gargoyle?
-
-
Best Narrator Ever!
- By gkbowood on 12-05-14
By: Caroline Carlson
-
The Last Siege
- By: Jonathan Stroud
- Narrated by: David Thorn
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chance encounter on the snowy slopes of a castle moat throws together three lonely teenagers: Emily, Simon, and the highly enigmatic Marcus, who is the catalyst for all that follows. At first the castle's ruins are merely the backdrop to a day in the snow. But when the three break into the forbidden interior of the keep, they find the castle taking on a different and deeper meaning. Despite the freezing conditions, they spend the night there, to experience the power of occupation.
-
-
Is this the same author!?!?!
- By Shelly M. Felton on 09-15-06
By: Jonathan Stroud
-
Homecoming
- By: Cynthia Voigt
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Saturday morning, 13-year-old Dicey Tillerman sits in the car at the shopping mall with her younger sister and two brothers. Momma had said, "You be good." Then she walked away. They wait for a day and a night, but Momma never comes back. Finally, Dicey decides the children should go to Bridgeport, Connecticut where Aunt Cilla lives. Maybe Momma is waiting for them there. But they don't have enough money to take the bus. Determined to keep the family together, Dicey sets off on foot with her siblings.
-
-
The BEST audible book!
- By KP on 04-20-17
By: Cynthia Voigt
-
The Thief Lord
- By: Cornelia Funke
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteen-year-old boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Brilliant and charismatic, the Thief Lord leads a ring of street children who dabble in petty crimes. Prosper and Bo delight in being part of this colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has secrets of his own.
-
-
Excellent production, original story
- By Charlene on 07-03-05
By: Cornelia Funke
-
Savvy
- By: Ingrid Law
- Narrated by: Lily Blau
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirteen is when a Beaumont’s savvy hits - and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, Mibs Beaumont is eager to see what she gets. But just before the big day, Poppa is in a terrible accident. And now, all Mibs wants is a savvy that will save him. In fact, Mibs is so sure she’ll get a powerful savvy that she sneaks a ride to the hospital on a rickety bus with her sibling and the preacher’s kids in tow. After this extraordinary adventure - full of talking tattoos and a kidnapping - not a soul on board will ever be the same.
-
-
Amazing
- By Julie Bolton on 07-20-18
By: Ingrid Law
-
Skulduggery Pleasant
- Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 1
- By: Derek Landy
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She's 12. He's dead. But together they're going to save the world. Hopefully. The iconic first book in the best-selling Skulduggery Pleasant series. Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source - the wisecracking skeleton of a dead sorcerer....
-
-
Truly obnoxious sound effects
- By Lindsay on 12-10-18
By: Derek Landy
-
Enchanter's Child, Book One: Twilight Hauntings
- By: Angie Sage
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex has a set of Enchanted cards. When she flutters her fingers above them, something magical happens: The cards come alive and create moving pictures of what is now and what is yet to come. But Enchantment is illegal in the city of Luma, and those who practice it are imprisoned forever in the Vaults - dark dungeons deep below the city. When Alex is betrayed by her foster sister Zerra, she knows she is in great danger. With the help of her little foster brother, Louie, she makes a daring escape.
-
-
Too hard to listen to
- By J.M. Jaco on 09-30-21
By: Angie Sage
-
Sabriel
- By: Garth Nix
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.
-
-
Enraptured
- By T. HICKS on 06-20-09
By: Garth Nix
-
Control
- The Lockwood Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Melissa Cassera
- Narrated by: Krista Pioppi, Tim Alexander
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Natalie Covington and Henry Thorne, only one thing is certain: things are about to get out of control. Eighteen-year-old Natalie has big ambitions, but very little control over her situation. She’s trapped at an elite boarding school on a private island where cell phones are forbidden, militant guards line the iron gates, and her practically prearranged boyfriend has eyes for another girl.
-
-
Intriguing and Compelling!
- By melp on 08-15-23
By: Melissa Cassera
-
His Dark Materials: Once upon a Time in the North
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: David Harewood
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby—Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua—is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name.
By: Philip Pullman
-
A Single Shard
- By: Linda Sue Park
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters’ village. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage by setting off on a difficult and dangerous journey that will change his life forever.
-
-
Don't miss this book
- By D. Court on 05-02-04
By: Linda Sue Park
What listeners say about The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Eric Shields
- 02-08-08
A real treat
I find it amusing how many people compare this book to Harry Potter. Yes, they both involve magic, but that's the end of the similarity. The very basis of magic in this book is that magicians are evil, scheming, and enjoy enslaving other beings. In Harry Potter Magic itself was pure, free to be used in any way desired. But that's all I'll say on that, as this is a review of Bartimaeus, not Harry Potter.
After only the opening chapter, I was in love with the writing style Stroud uses in this book. The characterization of the djinni, Bartimaeus, is absoutely amazing and delightfully enjoyable to listen to. Nathaniel's character was not as interesting, but held true to what one would expect in a child that age.
After being horribly spoiled by the phenomenal narration of people like Stefan Rudnicki (Numerous books, including most Orson Scott Card books), Scott Brick (Harry Potter, US edition I believe), and Michael Kramer (Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time), I was hoping for someone I wouldn't mind listening to. What I got was another fantastic narrator in Simon Jones. He really brings the characters to life.
All in all, there is little negative to say about this audiobook. The story is rather predictable, but it still immerses you in an interesting magical world, not your standard fare. I would recommend this book for both adults and children, though not young children under the age of 10 or so, due to it's dark and relatively violent nature.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
52 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Emiko
- 04-17-11
Favorite Book in a Long Time!
I love listening to books when I can't read them. But I am rather picky about narrators. With the wrong narrator, I can't even make it through a book I highly enjoyed reading. In the car, or working around the house with my iPod docked, I listen to children's books because I have two small children and I don't want them hearing profanity or adult content. All that being said, this is the ONLY book that I have ever become completely enthralled with in the first 5 minutes of listening! The author was extremely witty and Simon Jones does an excellent job. I can't say enough about Simon Jones with this set of books!!! He easily replaced Jim Dale as my favorite narrator (which I thought could never happen). Some kids books are hard to listen to- this one is not. I can't imagine anyone, old or young, not enjoying this book and this series!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
35 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Randy
- 05-09-08
Terrific Trilogy
'The Bartimaeus Trilogy' gets 5 stars for all three books, not only for plot and story, but for Simon Jones' award-winning narration.
Set in a London full of greedy and back-stabbing magicians, who get their power by summoning and enslaving entities (not Demons; Bartimaeus finds that insulting) from the 'Other Place', we first meet Nathaniel as a 12-year-old magician's apprentice. Talented, eager and impatient, he's not always a 'good' boy or even very likeable. We can understand him though, and see why he acts like he sometimes does; it is the way other magicians behave, and we can see what motivates him and why. Deep down, we also realize he does indeed have a caring and good soul.
Bartimaeus, the 5000-year-old djinni Nathaniel enslaves to do his bidding, is a riot, and also has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep Nathaniel in line. He is one of the funniest beings I've ever come across. Bartimaeus is also a character with many sides, and his relationship with another young master thousands of years ago is actually very emotional as we learn more about it over the course of the three books.
Kitty completes the trinity of main characters, and gives our third point-of-view, that of a commoner fighting the oppression of the magic users. At first eager, then disillusioned, and in the finale more enlightened than any one, she provides a good balance to the goings on of Nathaniel and the upper-class of magicians.
Over the course of these three books, our three heroes change and mature, taking us along on a thrilling ride full of witty humor, scathing sarcasm, melodrama, tragedy and pathos.
Simon Jones does the story proud with brilliant narration and voices. Ranked as a Golden Voice by AudioFile Magazine, nominated for nine 'Audie' awards -two of them won- in 2006, he was also named 'Narrator of the Year'(2005) by Publishers Weekly. Star of stage and screen, we can all be thankful he still finds time to tell us stories like this one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
35 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patti
- 11-26-03
The Amulet of Samarkand: Book 1
This is a charmingly witty and entertaining book. That being said there a few darker sections but that's what gives depth to the story. The djinn, Bartimaeus's wry observations on the people and happenings throughout the book are perhaps what makes this story interesting for adults as well as young adults.
I think Simon Jones does a wonderful reading and that his British accent adds to the performance.
Even though it says Book 1, don't worry it doesn't leave you hanging at the end the way so many trilogy's do. This story is completely resolved but it does set the scene for the next book, which I hope is soon.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Brie
- 02-24-09
Engaging for all ages
My laundry didn't get done, I didn't answer the phone and I didn't talk to a single member of my family until the final words were spoken. I downloaded it for my kids - they haven't heard it yet but I've listened to the entire trilogy. Hooks you in and doesn't let you go. Kids... mom's back!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
24 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Tahlia
- 01-21-11
Good, but an audiobook can only do so much.
While the choice of narrator is spot on (Simon Jones has the perfect balance of snarky and sly), the most fun thing about this book in hard copy is the footnotes. They work as asides to the audience in this novel and the contrast between the "script" and the "off-script" moments get lost when translated into audio and you miss out on a lot of the irony. Still, it's very well done and enjoyable, but audio wouldn't be my preferred format for this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
23 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Len
- 11-24-04
Original and Hysterically Funny
This is by far the best audio book I have ever listened to, and it's a classic case of where the narrator really makes the audio book shine above the original. Simon Jones was phenomenal...his accent, comedic timing, and fantastic voice acting added so much to this already original and captivating story. Both this book and its follow-up (Golem's Eye) are absolute musts, and I can't wait until the next one comes out.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Bryan J. Peterson
- 10-05-09
It's Arthur Dent as you've never heard him before!
For those who didn't get the title, Simon Jones is probably best known by some as the voice of Arthur Dent in the BBC's TV and radio adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But he does an excellent job of narrating audiobooks from what I've heard, particularly here.
The Amulet of Samarkand opens with the spirit Bartimaeus being summoned by the apprentice magician Nathaniel and ordered to steal a powerful artifact from a ruthless magician. Unfortunately for Nathaniel, he quickly finds himself in way over his head, involved in matters of treachery and intrigue. And to make matters even more complicated the wisecracking, sarcastic Bartimaeus has his own agenda.
I particularly like how the book switches from Nathaniel's point of view over to that of Bartimaeus, and particularly how when speaking from Bartimaeus' point of view it switches to first person narration. I particularly like Simon Jones' narration during these points, as he easily and perfectly captures Bartimaeus' witty, often scathing sense of humor. I haven't finished the book yet but I can't put it down for long. And when I've enough credits saved up I intend to purchase the rest of the trilogy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Timothy
- 10-31-07
entertaining
While the story was predictable, the telling of it was fun to listen to and I found it quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed the character creations. I found Bartemaeus to be a delightfully sarcastic demon. I could almost envision Robin Williams' Djinni from the movie 'Aladdins Lamp' as I was listening. I was a bit disappointed with Nathanials development however. I didn't care for his pompousness and disregard for other people, but at least you know that deep down he does have a good heart.
I was also a bit confused by the chronolgy of the book. In one section they are talking about the War with the American colonies, and then later make references to people like Stalin, Lincoln and Churchill. In alot of ways the author was all over the place.
But; like I said, all of that aside, I still found it to be very entertaining and all in all I gave it four out of five stars.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 11-09-18
DON'T BUY THIS AUDIOBOOK BUY THE HARDCOPY!!
The audio book doesnt do this trilogy justice!!! Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book and the narrator did a great job but I don't recommend this audio book. Throughout the trilogy the chapters from Bartimaeus include asides that are completely missing from the audiobook. These asides include more background on the world and some history on Bartimaeus that are some of the best and funniest parts of the books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful