3.96 AVERAGE


Bartimaeus is brilliant!

This is a book I forgot I read before! I have no idea how I forgot. Bartimaeus is a grand, sarcastic, put upon djinni who has to deal with the his "master" 12-year old Nathaniel making terrible decisions at every turn.

Simon Jones did really good acting with the voices :D looking forward to the next one.

Magic in an alternative version of London, with magicians in Parliament and a distain for commoners that is nearly offensive to the poor reader. Loved it!

Fast-paced and plotty, when I was into it this book was difficult to put down. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any real connection to either Nathaniel or Bartimaeus, which seriously detracted from the story for me. Even when things were moving quickly, there was still that feeling of apathy. So, while I enjoyed the story, I won't be in any hurry to pick up the next book, if I do so at all.
adventurous funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My partner and I have been reading books the other person found important as a child, and this one was my second favorite so far. Bartimaeus’s POV really sells it, as an adult reader.

This was a very fun read. I am pretty excited to see what happens in books 2 and 3. Bartimaeus' footnotes were often hilarious and very unique for a book. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good young adult book to read.

Nathaniel är magiker, och i den värld som målas upp i Jonathan Strouds Bartimaeus-serie är magiker egentligen inte trollkunniga. De besitter istället möjligheten att tillkalla olika demoner, att binda dessa vid avtal och förslava dem, för att få dessa underjordens varelser att utföra magiska under i magikernas namn. Bartimaeus är en sådan demon, eller snarare en djinni, tusentals år gammal, som efter en tillkallande ritual hamnar i Nathaniels våld. Nathaniel är å sin sida 14 år, och sitter på ett knivskarpt intellekt och en enorm självaktning, men utan självinsikt och med en kort stubin samt enorm lättkränkthet (han är med andra ord inte speciellt charmig). Barthimeus blir skickad på uppdrag att kidnappa den ovärderliga amuletten av Samarkand, från en av Storbritanniens mest vördade magiker - Simon Lovelace, som också är besinningslöst ond och inte skyr några medel att nå dit han vill.

Tyvärr tyckte jag inte riktigt att historien kom igång ordentligt. Jag gillade Bartimaeus och dennes witiness, men avskydde egentligen Nathaniel och kunde inte riktigt känna sympati för dennes handlingar och känslor. Allt som händer är ju egentligen till följd av Nathaniels idiotiska beslut (baserade på bland annat hämnd, kränkthet och en känsla av att vara förmer än andra), som han vägrar erkänna sin egen skuld i för sig själv, och jag får bita mig i läppen för att inte skrika rakt ut i ren frustration över dennes personlighet. Som tur är tar ändå en personlig resa fart mot slutet, och jag märker en viss förändring i Nathaniels person mot bokens upprinning - vilket gör att jag blir sugen på att läsa fler böcker i serien, för att se om han förändras.

Wow, I forgot how damn good this book/series is. Loved it (again). Looking forward to rediscovering it all.

more uber-silly demon shenanigans.

The Amulet of Amarkand was an enjoyable read. It took me a little while to get into, and it was not a couldn't-put-it-down book for me, but it was entertaining and I will definitely read the rest of the trilogy at some point. I think the main reason I didn't just love this book was the co-protagonist Nathaniel. I just didn't really connect with him. Bartimaeus, on the other hand, was perfect - I loved his ironic attitude and approach towards everything and his witty and sarcastic footnotes. Having the novel switch back and forth between to two protagonists' perspectives was a nice touch. Those who enjoy fantasy, magic, and demons, particularly YA boys, will enjoy this novel.

Great to revisit a favorite from ~youth~.

Ahoy there mateys! Oh how I absolutely utterly love Bartimaeus. He makes me so very happy. For those who haven’t read the series, it takes place in Britain where magicians rule Parliament and tells the tale of teenage magician Nathaniel who summons Bartimaeus, the djinni, and gets way more than he bargained for. Nathaniel is obnoxious and arrogant but ye love him in the end. Bartimaeus is sarcastic and funny and provoking and wonderful. Listening to the audiobooks was such a treat. In listening to them, I am not sure if book one or three is me favourite. But the human and djinni relationship is the highlight of these books. The plots are wonderful but the characters are even better. I won’t be waiting for so long to read them all again.

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