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The Amulet of Samarkand
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The Amulet of Samarkand
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Feb 16, 2015 12:48PM
Here you can comment on the book the Amulet of Samarkand. *WARNING SPOILERS*
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Chapter 1:
So at first I didn't like the narrator Bartimaeus and how he spoke in the first chapter. I found this kind of narration awkward and I didn't like how conceited he sounded.
But then he talked about how he had loved a boy once and then I realized that this demon had multiple layers.
I liked the boy that was summoning him. He was very determined and courageous and I can't wait to find out exactly why he wanted to summon Bartimaeus to steal the amulet.
So at first I didn't like the narrator Bartimaeus and how he spoke in the first chapter. I found this kind of narration awkward and I didn't like how conceited he sounded.
But then he talked about how he had loved a boy once and then I realized that this demon had multiple layers.
I liked the boy that was summoning him. He was very determined and courageous and I can't wait to find out exactly why he wanted to summon Bartimaeus to steal the amulet.
Chapter 2:
I really like the idea of different planes of vision and that is how magical creatures can hide themselves from non-magical creatures.
Who exactly is this magician Simon Lovelace? I don't think that just stealing the amulet from him will be the last we hear from him.
I am trying to figure out how exactly to imagine the sentries at Simon Lovelace's house. For some reason I imagine them as bull dogs, but I don't think they are described as such. How did everyone else imagine them?
I really like the idea of different planes of vision and that is how magical creatures can hide themselves from non-magical creatures.
Who exactly is this magician Simon Lovelace? I don't think that just stealing the amulet from him will be the last we hear from him.
I am trying to figure out how exactly to imagine the sentries at Simon Lovelace's house. For some reason I imagine them as bull dogs, but I don't think they are described as such. How did everyone else imagine them?
Chapter 3:
Hmm so Samarkand is a being of air.. what does that mean exactly being a being of air?
I really like that he can change shape into different creatures. I would LOVE to be able to shape shift!
I am really starting to enjoy all of Bartimaeus' side notes. I think that was a really original idea of the authors. The only issue I have with it is sometimes I forget that there are even side notes to read and then I skip a whole bunch.
I feel like Bartimaeus got into the house way to easily.
Hmm so Samarkand is a being of air.. what does that mean exactly being a being of air?
I really like that he can change shape into different creatures. I would LOVE to be able to shape shift!
I am really starting to enjoy all of Bartimaeus' side notes. I think that was a really original idea of the authors. The only issue I have with it is sometimes I forget that there are even side notes to read and then I skip a whole bunch.
I feel like Bartimaeus got into the house way to easily.
Okay I am just going to do an overall comment about this book as I recently finished it:
This book was very intriguing and fast paced. I never wanted to put the book down.
What I really liked about this book was how the story was told. This was very original. When it was told from Bartimaeus' point of view he had all these funny and informative side notes. On my nook there were would be a number at the end of a word and if you clicked on that, Bartimaeus would have more to tell you about that word or sentence. This was super fun and kept me even more intrigued with the story.
I also loved how the magic worked in this magical world. Magicians can only do magic through creatures like Djinni (which Bartimaeus is one). There are levels of magical creatures from very lowly creatures such as imps to immensely powerful creatures like Nouda. Only powerful magicians are capable of summoning creatures such as Nouda.
The caveat to this is that the creatures are like slaves to the magicians and thus the creatures for the most part hate magicians and usually hope to cause them pain.
In this book most of the magicians in London are seen as corrupt and hold the power in London. What a cool magic and definitely something I hadn't read before.
However, I did not find this book to be better than Harry Potter, or did I feel it came even close to it. My issue was with the characters. I could not connect with any of the characters in this book. There were two main characters in this book, Bartimaeus and Nathaniel and I couldn't tell who I was supposed to be rooting for.
One the one hand, Bartimaeus was forced into helping Nathaniel and was put into some pretty terrible situations. On the other hand, Bartimaeus was pretty terrible himself. He wanted all the magicians dead and didn't want to help. It isn't that I don't blame him. I understand why he didn't want to help. He didn't want to because he is always being forced into slavery by corrupt magicians. I just couldn't connect with him. He was so far removed from anything I could relate to that I couldn't like him completely. Sympathize with, yes, but like, no. I wasn't given any details in his life beyond the magician world and that was just filled with hate.
Then there is Nathaniel. Where do I start? I wanted to like Nathaniel, I really did. I even tried to like Nathaniel, but most of the time I wanted to punch him. He is supposed to be this innocent boy who was taken in by a horrible magician and of course because he knows no better he believes that magicians are better than other humans and that they should be the ones in power. However, I do not think this is a good enough excuse for the things he does. Throughout the whole book it is clear that Nathaniel is acting on his want for power and on his need for revenge. Even his need for revenge stems from his want of power. What I disliked the most was how many of his master's characteristics he takes on even though he is shown time and time again that his master's traits are his folly.
We are also supposed to feel for Nathaniel's teacher and get upset with Nathaniel when she is dismissed. I do not feel that the teacher was developed enough for this. Never would I cry for her like I did Mcgonagall on several occasions.
The only person I felt anything for was Mrs. Underwood. She was very kind and loving to Nathaniel and seemed oblivious to the corruption around her. BUT if she is actually a magician that left her training for Mr. Underwood, then she knew what she was getting herself into and I don't feel bad for her. I still don't know her story, it could have been an arranged marriage that she was forced into. She was definitely not innocent as I thought if she was indeed a magician.
All of that being said, I have heard the story gets even better and I will probably read the sequel.
This book was very intriguing and fast paced. I never wanted to put the book down.
What I really liked about this book was how the story was told. This was very original. When it was told from Bartimaeus' point of view he had all these funny and informative side notes. On my nook there were would be a number at the end of a word and if you clicked on that, Bartimaeus would have more to tell you about that word or sentence. This was super fun and kept me even more intrigued with the story.
I also loved how the magic worked in this magical world. Magicians can only do magic through creatures like Djinni (which Bartimaeus is one). There are levels of magical creatures from very lowly creatures such as imps to immensely powerful creatures like Nouda. Only powerful magicians are capable of summoning creatures such as Nouda.
The caveat to this is that the creatures are like slaves to the magicians and thus the creatures for the most part hate magicians and usually hope to cause them pain.
In this book most of the magicians in London are seen as corrupt and hold the power in London. What a cool magic and definitely something I hadn't read before.
However, I did not find this book to be better than Harry Potter, or did I feel it came even close to it. My issue was with the characters. I could not connect with any of the characters in this book. There were two main characters in this book, Bartimaeus and Nathaniel and I couldn't tell who I was supposed to be rooting for.
One the one hand, Bartimaeus was forced into helping Nathaniel and was put into some pretty terrible situations. On the other hand, Bartimaeus was pretty terrible himself. He wanted all the magicians dead and didn't want to help. It isn't that I don't blame him. I understand why he didn't want to help. He didn't want to because he is always being forced into slavery by corrupt magicians. I just couldn't connect with him. He was so far removed from anything I could relate to that I couldn't like him completely. Sympathize with, yes, but like, no. I wasn't given any details in his life beyond the magician world and that was just filled with hate.
Then there is Nathaniel. Where do I start? I wanted to like Nathaniel, I really did. I even tried to like Nathaniel, but most of the time I wanted to punch him. He is supposed to be this innocent boy who was taken in by a horrible magician and of course because he knows no better he believes that magicians are better than other humans and that they should be the ones in power. However, I do not think this is a good enough excuse for the things he does. Throughout the whole book it is clear that Nathaniel is acting on his want for power and on his need for revenge. Even his need for revenge stems from his want of power. What I disliked the most was how many of his master's characteristics he takes on even though he is shown time and time again that his master's traits are his folly.
We are also supposed to feel for Nathaniel's teacher and get upset with Nathaniel when she is dismissed. I do not feel that the teacher was developed enough for this. Never would I cry for her like I did Mcgonagall on several occasions.
The only person I felt anything for was Mrs. Underwood. She was very kind and loving to Nathaniel and seemed oblivious to the corruption around her. BUT if she is actually a magician that left her training for Mr. Underwood, then she knew what she was getting herself into and I don't feel bad for her. I still don't know her story, it could have been an arranged marriage that she was forced into. She was definitely not innocent as I thought if she was indeed a magician.
All of that being said, I have heard the story gets even better and I will probably read the sequel.
Here is my review for this book on my blog. Pretty much what I said above:
http://searchingforharry.com/book-rev...
http://searchingforharry.com/book-rev...
