Book Review
In Bartimaeus: The Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel is our protagonist, and we have a brief glimpse of his past. Nathaniel had been sold at age five to the government by his parents, which ultimately led to him being sent to live with his now-master as an apprentice. Powerful magicians control England as an empire. Nathaniel dreams of becoming a master magician. His everyday life is hard. Besides not having his parents around, Nathaniel is treated harshly by his master. But Nathaniel’s master also has a wife who is similar to a mother figure to Nathaniel giving him comfort when it is needed. Then as the story goes one day Nathaniel is humiliated by a magician named Simon Lovelace, what follows is Nathaniel plotting revenge by steal his beloved and powerful amulet of Samarkand. In order to do so he must summon a 5,000 year old djinni Bartimaeus. But the situation at hand is much more dangerous for Nathaniel then he first realizes.

This book was very well thought out. This is mainly because of lots of fantasy novels contradict themselves, but here that’s not the case. This book has its own take on magic and very few times has it contradicted itself making it extremely easy to be caught in the world its self without any reality checks making the book extremely enjoyable. The constant theme of “Nothing is what it seems” is always at play. Next, the story continually has a rise and fall with minor side stories that tie into the main story. But the constant change sometimes gets confusing due to the confusion of the order of the stories. Though the book is at times confusing the order is very interesting.
The character development is somewhat under done because they have it done through the side stories but it’s very brief. The only characters you really become attached to are Nathaniel and his Master. It’s strange how through the course of the plot you seem to only really have some kind of a bond to these characters. Well of course the protagonist is the one character you should relate too, but one of the only ones? The character development would have made this story much more enjoyable rather than just being a like a movie you just watch, instead it’s a world you can be lost in. The characters should be like real people not just names through the motions.
Finally, the overall plot of the story continually ropes you in with problems constantly arising for Nathaniel, but the story lacks that personal connection to the characters. It seems as if the world that is so vivid and enjoyable makes some of the characters seem underdeveloped. Then when you see how the plot itself is formulated to lead you on these little side stories, it may be confusing at times but that’s how you get wrapped up in the world. This is a great book for those that like to imagine a whole world for themselves.