The Amulet of Samarkand published in 2003, is the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. One of the several writers who have stepped into Harry Potter bandwagon, with stories of magic and magical creatures, but Jonathan Stroud stands out of the crowd and brings us to a totally different world on its own with his Bartimaeus Trilogy.
The story is set in an alternate London, where its entire government is made up of magicians. Non-magicians known as "commoners", live in fear and awe of magicians. The magicians possess little mag
ic on their own, but they know how to control entities or demons which perform magic for them. The stronger they are, the more powerful demon they are able to summon. The demons are classified according to their power - Marids, Afrits, Djinn, Foliots and Imps. It is explained that there are huge classifications below Imps, but they are largely unused, and several classifications that are more powerful than Marids but are hardly ever used due to the extreme danger in doing so. The Demons are usually evil entities, and are forced to obey their masters as slaves. So it is pretty common that they harm their master if they get a slight chance.
Magicians are never allowed to have children, they adopt young children of commoners who shows promise in magical capabilities, take them into apprenticeship and teach them the ways of magic. As the children were removed from their parents, knowing no love, they grew into cold-hearted selfish magicians, who lusts for great power and position.
The story is narrated through two different points of view, one from Nathaniel and one from perspective of an ancient, sarcastic, and extremely humorous Djinni, Bartimaeus.
At the age of six, Nathaniel's parents sold him to the government, and he was assigned as apprentice to Arthur Underwood and his kindhearted wife Martha Underwood. Nathaniel, a brilliant student, under a middling and heartless magician grows impatient with his master’s way of teaching.
At the age of ten, in a gathering hosted by his master, Simon Lovelace (the antagonist) humiliates him. Vowing revenge, Nathaniel studies harder and educates himself more than this master knows, by studying the books from his master's study. At the age of twelve, Nathaniel secretly summons an ancient (5000 year old) and powerful Djinni Bartimaeus and charges him to steal an artifact (The amulet of Samarkand) from Simon Lovelace, which he has seen through his magical rudimentary scrying glass (used to spy on someone).
What Nathaniel doesn’t know, is that Lovelace has himself acquired this artifact through treachery and has some grand plans to use it for his own political growth, and would go to any lengths to retrieve it.
Bartimaeus completes the task under great difficulty, fighting Farquarl and Jabor, two powerful djinns under Lovelace's command. Fighting a gang of "magically resistant" boys called the "Resistance" in an alley, when they attempted to steal the amulet from Bartimaeus. Nathaniel summons back Bartimaeus and orders to hide the amulet in Underwood's study for safekeeping. Bartimaeus learns boy's birth name "Nathaniel" when Mrs. Underwood calls him. The birth names of magicians are kept secret, if known can be used against the person. Knowing Natha
niel's birth name, Bartimaeus repels all his spells. Nathaniel counteracts this with a “Perpetual Confinement” spell on a sealed tin of rosemary, which guarantees Bartimaeus’ servitude for one month, and the safety of Nathaniel. If Nathaniel is killed by any means, Bartimaeus will be confined in the tin of rosemary (torture to Djinns) for eternity and drowned in Thames.
Nathaniel later charges Bartimaeus to spy on Lovelace and find out more about the "amulet of Samarkand". Bartimaeus finds that the amulet was under government protection, before it was stolen. Bartimaeus was soon captured and confined in "Tower of London" where he was interrogated unsuccessfully. Nathaniel without knowing this tried to summon him several times, but in vain. Underwood accidentally discovers summoning pentagon in Nathaniel’s room, flews into rage (a 12 yr boy shouldn’t know how to summon) and confiscates the summoning equipments.
Meanwhile Jabor and Farquarl arrive at Tower of London, and helps Bartimaeus to escape, assuming Bartimaeus will reveal the location of amulet and his master. But Bartimaeus knows that any harm to his master is also his doom (Perpetual Confinement in a tin of rosemary), he escapes by igniting Farquarl. Bartimaeus returns back to Nathaniel, but unknowingly followed by Lovelace's imps.
Lovelace soon arrives at the Underwood's house and finds the amulet in the study. Nathaniel sensing danger to Mr. and Mrs. Underwood, reveals himself as the thief. Mr. Underwood then betrays Nathaniel by asking Lovelace to kill Nathaniel and spare his own life. But Lovelace summons Jabor to destroy all the three and the house. But Bartimaeus escapes with Nathaniel, but Mr and Mrs Underwood perish.
Nathaniel vows for revenge for his beloved Martha Underwood's death and promises Bartimaeus, his freedom after this final task. Together they travel to Heddlehem Hall, where Lovelace has invited all the members of the parliament and plotting to capture power. The pair arrives disguised as a delicatessen and son and they see Farquarl present in the kitchen at the hall.
Bartimaeus gets engaged in a fight with the Bearded Mercenary (who possess extraordinary resistance to magic), and although he fails to defeat the mercenary, he is able to escape and meet up with Nathaniel. Meanwhile Nathaniel is discovered by Lovelace and his master Schyler, and is offered to join them or die. Nathaniel manages to kill Schyler using petty magical cubes.
Bartimaeus and Nathaniel arrives in the Hall just in time. The great hall where all the members were seated was magically sealed shut and floor contained a huge pentacle (used for summoning). Lovelace then blows an ancient summoning horn and calls forth an immensely strong entity - Ramuthra. Ramuthra proceeds to warp reality on seven planes killing the nearby magicians and djinns. The amulet of Samarkand is the only artifact that can protect anyone from a spirit as strong as Ramuthra, and Lovelace is wearing it on his neck. Bartimaeus destroys Jabor by tricking him to fly towards Ramuthra, and then steals the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace, and gives to Nathaniel. Without the amulet, Ramuthra (spirit above a Madrid) Lovelace is helpless, gets destroyed by Ramuthra. Nathaniel seizing his chance, speaks the words of dismissal and cracks the summoning horn, and dismisses Ramuthra. Nathaniel then presents the amulet to the Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux.
The government hushes up the whole incident, but Nathaniel becomes a silent hero of the government. Rupert Devereaux appoints the Minister of Security, (Jessica Whitwell) a powerful magician to take Nathaniel into apprenticeship. Bartimaeus is dismissed, before leaving, Bartimaeus warns the boy against becoming a typical wicked power-hungry magician.
The focus in this story is Bartimaeus, who is an amusing and sarcastic narrator, the hilarious way he narrates the way of magic and also his exploits in the past, is an absolute joy to read. The footnotes given by Bartimaeus, of what he thought of each situation, or criticizing others, a new method of writing, without actually affecting the storyline.
Bartimaeus is framed as a good Djinni, but there’s never an emotional attachment between Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. I felt attached to Bartimaeus, but not to Nathaniel, who remains cold throughout the novel.
The novel is little darker than the Harry potter series, entangled in politics of the ministers carving for greater power. The book is a great follow-up if you happen to finish the Harry Potter series. There’s a movie being made on this novel.
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