Saturday, July 21, 2012

The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1)

Stroud, J. (2003). The amulet of Samarkand :the Bartimaeus trilogy: part one. NY: Hyperion.
YA Lit / fantasy

First, I really prefer the cover that has Bartimaeus in his gargoyle form, but I can see how this cover might appeal to a different audience and probably get more readers.  The various covers fascinated me, so I've included others below.

I listened to this book and part of why I give it 4stars is because I loved the narrator's voice (Simon Jones?)-- especially when he was Bartimaeus. Delightful! One can't help but visualize Nathaniel as a young Potter, but really, there aren't many/any parallels beyond a small boy being recruited to be a magician. Truly for me, this story was all about Bartimaeus. I found him clever, cocky, and spot-on with his observations about humans and human nature.

I thought the storyline was good, and though I am generally not a fan of series books, I don't mind this one because The Amulet of Samarkand is stand alone -- or could be. Not sure if sequels pull in Nathaniel or not and don't care! Bartimaeus steals the show. I think I shall try and summon him myself.

As much as I liked listening to this book (thank you AudioSync for the free download!), it did seem to take a very long time to listen to it. If I decide to pick-up the next book in the series, I will read it.

my favorite

different spin - like it!

Visually appealing.

A Graphic Novel Version!

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