The Amulet of Samarkand
(The Bartimaeus trilogy, Book 1)
Jonathan Stroud
Miramax Books
Fiction, YA Fantasy
*****
DESCRIPTION: At five years old, London-born Nathaniel lost his parents and his birth name, recruited by the Government to be trained as a magician. It may seem a
raw deal, but by giving him up his parents actually did him a great favor: England, like many modern nations, is run solely by magicians, so their son now has a chance to
truly advance in society. (The money they received as compensation, naturally, didn't hurt, either.) And he'll earn a name back on his twelfth birthday, an official name
that - unlike his birth name - can't be used against him by rival magicians or angered demons. A dutiful student to a lackluster mage, Nathaniel might have gone on to a happy,
if modest, career... until a moment of utter humiliation drives him to go far, far beyond what his master has ever taught him in pursuit of revenge.
After five millenia, the djinni Bartimaeus has pretty much seen it all. Like most of his fellow spirits - only a crude human would dub his kind "demons" - he has spent more
than his fair share of time in bondage to magicians. Once summoned and bound by his name, he's pretty much stuck performing whatever mindless, short-sighted, and
counterproductive task he's ordered to do. No great shakes as a life goes, but he usually finds a way to get his revenge in the end, so it evens out. When he finds himself
summoned by a stripling twelve-year-old, Bartimaeus figured it'd be an easy gig: probably just a prank on a friend, or something equally banal. Nothing he hasn't done
countless times before on behalf of countless previous masters. But the boy orders him to steal a very powerful artifact - the Amulet of Samarkand - from a very powerful
magician. Stupid at best, suicidal at worst, but bound djinni must do as they are ordered... and if the brat's that suicidal, well, it's hardly his business.
What started as an angry apprentice's act of vengeance soon consumes both boy and djinni, as they face rebellious commoners, rival spirits, and a maze of dark conspirators
that could bring England's government to its knees... and, not incidentally, leave both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus very, very dead.
REVIEW: When most books promise "wit," I mentally brace myself. I've been promised wit and humor far more often than I've actually found it (in books or movies.) This time, however, I had to agree with the reviews. Stroud gives the djinni Bartimaeus a uniquely clever voice, with many amusing observations and footnotes that embellish, rather than obscure, the narrative. Nathaniel's upbringing molds him into the perfect magician, right down to the sense of entitlement and willingness to use any means to achieve his own ends; through the course of the story, he shows streaks of terrifying ruthlessness, with just enough of a conscience to keep him on the "good" side. (I expect he'll undergo more profound transformations in the next two books.) Of the two characters, I have to say that I preferred Bartimaeus's chapters, but both have much to contribute. Stroud's alternate modern-day London starts out looking pleasant and prosperous, but a darker side to the magician-ruled England emerges through asides and passing remarks, most of which go right over power-blinded Nathaniel's young head. The story itself moves along very nicely, full of action and intrigue and amusing dialog. I found this book highly enjoyable, a witty tale that actually contains wit. It came close to losing a half-star due to Nathaniel's obstinate refusal to see the problems right in front of his nose, plus a little weakness in the ending, but I enjoyed the rest of it enough to forgive it. Hopefully I can scrounge up the next two books in the trilogy soon. (They also have shiny covers. Shiny covers rarely hurt a book's chance of ending up in my reading pile.)
You might also enjoy:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent tale of Arthur Dent, last Earthman left alive after his planet's demolition)
Casting Shadows (J. Kelley Anderson, Fiction - An angry young man turns to magic for vengeance, only to find himself defending the people he wanted to destroy)
Bright Shadow (Avi, YA Fiction - A girl finds unwanted power when she's gifted with five wishes that work)
The Lost Years of Merlin (T. A. Barron, YA Fiction - The boy who would be Merlin must learn to use and trust his terrifyingly potent gifts)
Kiln People (David Brin, Fiction - Future humans create and enslave thinking replicas of themselves)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - The witty adventures of an assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Furies of Calderon (Jim Butcher, Fiction - In another world, everyone has at least one elemental spirit at their service, except young Tavi)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A modern boy genius pits his criminal wits against the potent, technologically advanced undergound Fairy nation)
Chamber of Horrors: Amulet of Doom (Bruce Coville, YA Fiction - A girl receives an amulet with a powerful demon imprisoned within)
The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer (Jim C. Hines, YA Fiction - Jig, a hapless and cowardly goblin run, inadvertently becomes a hero)
The Familiar Dragon series (Daniel Hood, Fiction - The familiar of a murdered wizard forces a bond with a detective to avenge its master's death)
The Lives of Christopher Chant (Diana Wynne Jones, YA Fiction - A boy's ability to travel to other worlds via dreams sets him up for a magical life he doesn't want)
A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin, YA Fiction - A boy wizard's pride unleashes a terrible darkness, which he must hunt down before it destroys him)
My Sparkling Misfortune (Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva, YA Fiction - Seeking vengeance against a prince, a villainous lord finds himself stuck with a do-gooder spirit helper)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
The Circle of Magic quartet (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Four young mages come together to learn of their elusive powers)
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman, YA? Fiction - In Lyra's alternate earth, every person has a daemon, a soulbound spirit companion)
The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (Rick Riordan, YA Fiction - A modern boy learns that his real father was a Greek god... and that real monsters from Greek mythos are out to kill him)
The Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - Sole survivor of a magical attack on his family, the boy wizard Harry grows determined to avenge his parents)
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Brandon Sanderson, YA Fiction - A boy discovers that the true nature of the world has been kept hidden by an insidious cult of evil librarians)
The Amulet of Samarkand (Jonathan Stroud and Andrew Donkin, YA Fiction - The graphic novel adaptation of Stroud's first Bartimaeus book)
Dragon's Bait (Vivan Van Velde, YA Fiction - Outcast and left as bait for a dragon, a girl teams up with the beast for vengeance against her former neighbors)
A Plague of Sorcerers (Mary Frances Zambreno, YA Fiction - An apprentice wizard with a skunk familiar must stop a terrible magical plague)
Forever After (Roger Zelazny, creator, Fiction - After defeating the evil wizard, heroes must return magical artifacts to their original hiding places or risk unleashing chaos)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
The Golem's Eye
(The Bartimaeus trilogy, Book 2)
Jonathan Stroud
Miramax Books
Fiction, YA Fantasy
*****
DESCRIPTION: The boy magician Nathaniel, now officially John Mandrake, has risen far since his involvement in the theft and retrieval of the powerful Amulet of
Samarkand. A favorite of the Prime Minister, his talent and ambition have put him on a fast track to a high-level career as a rising star in the great British Empire...
and, naturally, earned him no end of enemies and rivals just waiting for the fourteen-year-old prodigy to slip up.
When a sudden, devastating attack strikes in the very heart of London, suspicion naturally falls on the Resistance, a terrorist group responsible for petty thefts and strikes
on magician targets throughout the city. But Mandrake disagrees; the scale of destruction is much too large, the power involved too great for mere commoners to handle. To
conduct his investigation - one which may make or break his promising young career - he is forced to turn to an assistant he once vowed never to summon again. A sarcastic,
recalcitrant demon that managed to learn his birth name, and thus has a measure of power over the boy... none other than the five-thousand-year-old djinni, Bartimaeus.
REVIEW: This is one of those series that almost makes me want to throw in the towel on my own writing efforts. (Almost...) Stroud continues to build a well-devised alternate world, where a Britain built on slavery (of demons and, in more subtle forms, of non-magical humans) thirsts for global conquest. As part of the establishment, Nathaniel/John works tireless to preserve what he sees as the natural order of things, incapable of understanding the Resistance or the often-rebellious natures of his own bound spirit servants. Bartimaeus, with his trademark wit, watches events unfold with a somewhat fatalistic detatchment, save when he's ordered to involve himself on Mandrake's behalf; he's seen civilizations rise and fall for millenia, and considers such fleeting matters of the material world no real business of his own... an attitude he starts to question through the course of the book. Stroud adds another voice to the cast with Kitty, a commoner girl mentioned briefly in Book 1, who offers a glimpse into the heart of the Resistance and the often-counterproductive efforts of its members. Their stories meet in a tale of oppression, intrigue, and plenty of action, all enlivened by sharp writing and clever humor. I can't wait to start the third volume, which beckons from my reading pile even as I type.
You might also enjoy:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent tale of Arthur Dent, last Earthman left alive after his planet's demolition)
Casting Shadows (J. Kelley Anderson, Fiction - An angry young man turns to magic for vengeance, only to find himself defending the people he wanted to destroy)
Bright Shadow (Avi, YA Fiction - A girl finds unwanted power when she's gifted with five wishes that work)
The Lost Years of Merlin (T. A. Barron, YA Fiction - The boy who would be Merlin must learn to use and trust his terrifyingly potent gifts)
Kiln People (David Brin, Fiction - Future humans create and enslave thinking replicas of themselves)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - The witty adventures of an assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Furies of Calderon (Jim Butcher, Fiction - In another world, everyone has at least one elemental spirit at their service, except young Tavi)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A modern boy genius pits his criminal wits against the potent, technologically advanced undergound Fairy nation)
Chamber of Horrors: Amulet of Doom (Bruce Coville, YA Fiction - A girl receives an amulet with a powerful demon imprisoned within)
The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer (Jim C. Hines, YA Fiction - Jig, a hapless and cowardly goblin run, inadvertently becomes a hero)
The Familiar Dragon series (Daniel Hood, Fiction - The familiar of a murdered wizard forces a bond with a detective to avenge its master's death)
The Lives of Christopher Chant (Diana Wynne Jones, YA Fiction - A boy's ability to travel to other worlds via dreams sets him up for a magical life he doesn't want)
A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin, YA Fiction - A boy wizard's pride unleashes a terrible darkness, which he must hunt down before it destroys him)
My Sparkling Misfortune (Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva, YA Fiction - Seeking vengeance against a prince, a villainous lord finds himself stuck with a do-gooder spirit helper)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
The Circle of Magic quartet (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Four young mages come together to learn of their elusive powers)
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman, YA? Fiction - In Lyra's alternate earth, every person has a daemon, a soulbound spirit companion)
The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (Rick Riordan, YA Fiction - A modern boy learns that his real father was a Greek god... and that real monsters from Greek mythos are out to kill him)
The Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - Sole survivor of a magical attack on his family, the boy wizard Harry grows determined to avenge his parents)
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Brandon Sanderson, YA Fiction - A boy discovers that the true nature of the world has been kept hidden by an insidious cult of evil librarians)
Dragon's Bait (Vivan Van Velde, YA Fiction - Outcast and left as bait for a dragon, a girl teams up with the beast for vengeance against her former neighbors)
A Plague of Sorcerers (Mary Frances Zambreno, YA Fiction - An apprentice wizard with a skunk familiar must stop a terrible magical plague)
Forever After (Roger Zelazny, creator, Fiction - After defeating the evil wizard, heroes must return magical artifacts to their original hiding places or risk unleashing chaos)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Ptolemy's Gate
(The Bartimaeus trilogy, Book 3)
Jonathan Stroud
Disney Hyperion
Fiction, YA Fantasy
*****
DESCRIPTION: John Mandrake's formidable mastery of magic, his well-chosen political allies, and a healthy, ruthless self-interest have carried him far from his
old life as Nathaniel, the unappreciated apprentice to a weak master. A powerful young force in Britain's magician-ruled government, helping orchestrate the political
propaganda to sell the increasingly-weary commoners on the country's flagging international wars, beset at every turn by jealous rivals, Mandrake has money, influence,
fame, prospects... everything that poor little boy he used to be could ever have wanted out of life. If not for the pesky tinglings of an atrophied conscience, he might
even convince himself he's happy.
The djinni Bartimaeus has seen better days. Once a force to be reckoned with in the ancient world, now - thanks to extended servitude in the material world, which weakens
a spirit's essence - he can barely hold himself together... literally. But, (generally) uncomplaining and (more-or-less) loyal as ever, he suffers his chains in (near)
silence, helping Mandrake patrol London's increasingly dangerous streets in search of foreign agitators and home-grown rebels, some of whom are developing immunity to
magical attacks. He's seen it all before, of course, the rise and fall of empires: the names and the languages change, but the slavery of spirits like himself remains the
same. Only one boy, in all his five thousand years, ever thought that the cycle of bondage could be broken, that spirit and mage might someday work together... but Ptolemy
paid a terrible price for his faith, and most of his groundbreaking research was lost to the ages. A terrible pity, but even a five-thousand-year-old djinni knows better
than to think human nature can ever change.
Kitty Jones has officially been dead for three years. After a moment of mercy (or foolishness) prompted her to spare John Mandrake's life, she's been hard at work learning
everything she can about magicians and spirits, even going so far as to become an assistant to a particularly eccentric mage far outside the squabblings of the powerful
Parliament. Her unusual encounter with the djinni Bartimaeus forced her to re-evaluate her assumptions about "demons." Coupled with her lingering dismay over the ineffective
Resistance and other equally toothless commoner efforts to throw off their chains, Kitty realizes that someone has to act if the endless, futile cycle of slavery and
oppression is ever going to be broken... but what can one commoner girl hope to do when even Ptolemy, a powerful magician and a prince in his day, was ignored?
REVIEW: Some trilogies are simply three stories stitched together by recurring characters. Others - usually the best - are a single story that takes three volumes to tell properly, a continuous arc from start to finish. The Bartimaeus trilogy is one of those. In this third installment, Stroud wraps up all the hints and threads tossed out in the preceding books. The shadows of darkness in the halls of Parliament that young Nathaniel scarcely noticed grow to dominate the life of John Mandrake, the hinted tale of Bartimaeus's peculiar bond with his former master Ptolemy comes full-circle, the injustice of an empire built on slavery in any form builds to an explosion with cataclysmic consequences. The story overall is darker and somewhat more complex than the previous two books, because the lives of Mandrake, Kitty, and Bartimaeus have grown much darker and more complex; all three have important lessons to learn, facts to face, and sacrifices to make if they want to see their respective worlds saved. I've read that some readers didn't like the turns it took, but I loved it for that same reason. Throughout, the sparkling wit and wry commentary of the titular djinni remains unabated, even when faced with near-certain death and destruction. This is a magnificent conclusion to a great trilogy, one of the few books that's tempted me to raise the bar above five stars.
You might also enjoy:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent tale of Arthur Dent, last Earthman left alive after his planet's demolition)
Casting Shadows (J. Kelley Anderson, Fiction - An angry young man turns to magic for vengeance, only to find himself defending the people he wanted to destroy)
Bright Shadow (Avi, YA Fiction - A girl finds unwanted power when she's gifted with five wishes that work)
The Lost Years of Merlin (T. A. Barron, YA Fiction - The boy who would be Merlin must learn to use and trust his terrifyingly potent gifts)
Kiln People (David Brin, Fiction - Future humans create and enslave thinking replicas of themselves)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - The witty adventures of an assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Furies of Calderon (Jim Butcher, Fiction - In another world, everyone has at least one elemental spirit at their service, except young Tavi)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A modern boy genius pits his criminal wits against the potent, technologically advanced undergound Fairy nation)
Chamber of Horrors: Amulet of Doom (Bruce Coville, YA Fiction - A girl receives an amulet with a powerful demon imprisoned within)
The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer (Jim C. Hines, YA Fiction - Jig, a hapless and cowardly goblin run, inadvertently becomes a hero)
The Familiar Dragon series (Daniel Hood, Fiction - The familiar of a murdered wizard forces a bond with a detective to avenge its master's death)
The Lives of Christopher Chant (Diana Wynne Jones, YA Fiction - A boy's ability to travel to other worlds via dreams sets him up for a magical life he doesn't want)
A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin, YA Fiction - A boy wizard's pride unleashes a terrible darkness, which he must hunt down before it destroys him)
My Sparkling Misfortune (Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva, YA Fiction - Seeking vengeance against a prince, a villainous lord finds himself stuck with a do-gooder spirit helper)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
The Circle of Magic quartet (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Four young mages come together to learn of their elusive powers)
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman, YA? Fiction - In Lyra's alternate earth, every person has a daemon, a soulbound spirit companion)
The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (Rick Riordan, YA Fiction - A modern boy learns that his real father was a Greek god... and that real monsters from Greek mythos are out to kill him)
The Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - Sole survivor of a magical attack on his family, the boy wizard Harry grows determined to avenge his parents)
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Brandon Sanderson, YA Fiction - A boy discovers that the true nature of the world has been kept hidden by an insidious cult of evil librarians)
Dragon's Bait (Vivan Van Velde, YA Fiction - Outcast and left as bait for a dragon, a girl teams up with the beast for vengeance against her former neighbors)
A Plague of Sorcerers (Mary Frances Zambreno, YA Fiction - An apprentice wizard with a skunk familiar must stop a terrible magical plague)
Forever After (Roger Zelazny, creator, Fiction - After defeating the evil wizard, heroes must return magical artifacts to their original hiding places or risk unleashing chaos)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
The Ring of Solomon
(A Bartimaeus novel)
Jonathan Stroud
Disney Hyperion
Fiction, YA Fantasy
****+
DESCRIPTION: As Egypt's glory wanes, a new power rises near the shores of the Great Sea. From his mighty capital in Jerusalem, the influence of the famed King
Solomon spreads across the ancient world, fueled by his legendary wisdom, his political savvy... and a powerful ring, with which he can summon ten thousand demons in the
blink of an eye, should the wisdom and savvy fail. With it, he has brought peace and prosperity to his nation and many others, and attracted the greatest magicians in the
known world to his service. No fewer than seventeen mages labor under Solomon's command - each and every one of them with a covetous eye on the ring. All attempts to steal
it, by rivals or magicians or angered spirits, have ended terribly... thus far.
Asmira serves the glorious Queen of Sheba, a prosperous Arabian nation, with her body, mind, and soul. Like her mother before her, she has risen far in the hereditary guard
of Queen Balkis, her silver blades ever ready to defend her liege against attacks mundane and magical. When messengers from Solomon demand tribute, lest the Ring's demonic
armies lay waste to the realm, the queen sends Asmira to kill the Israeli king and steal his ring - for a lone assassin might slip close enough to succeed where others have
failed, especially one with a beautiful, young face like Asmira's.
Bartimaeus of Uruk has suffered many indignities in the two thousand years since he was first named and summoned to Earth from beyond, but his slavery in Solomon's Jerusalem
is by far his worst incarnation ever. Tortured and humiliated daily by the sadistic mage Khaba, the djinni has long since lost hope of being dismissed from service before
his overtaxed essence dwindles out of existence. He cannot even vent his frustration with his usual pithy remarks and petty disobedience, with the threat of the ring hovering
over the head of every man, woman, and spirit in Jerusalem's walls.
On a long and dusty desert road, in the aftermath of a devastating bandit raid, Asmira and Bartimaeus meet. Each has a vested interest in the destruction of the Ring of
Solomon... but can either truly afford to trust the other?
REVIEW: Technically a prequel, taking place some three thousand years before Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, one needn't be familiar with Bartimaeus's previously published adventures to enjoy this book, though a few passing remarks here and there foreshadow events in the trilogy. As before, the sparkling wit enhances a truly interesting story, rather than distracting from it. Also as before, the characters all have important lessons to learn, and apply them in ways I didn't always anticipate. It lost half a star for the occasional intrusion of modern terminology into the ancient world setting, but otherwise it fully lived up to the standards set by Stroud's previous stories. I'd happily read more tales of Bartimaeus if this level of quality endures.
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The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent tale of Arthur Dent, last Earthman left alive after his planet's demolition)
Bright Shadow (Avi, YA Fiction - A girl finds unwanted power when she's gifted with five wishes that work)
The Lost Years of Merlin (T. A. Barron, YA Fiction - The boy who would be Merlin must learn to use and trust his terrifyingly potent gifts)
Kiln People (David Brin, Fiction - Future humans create and enslave thinking replicas of themselves)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - The witty adventures of an assassin and his dragonlike familiar)
The Furies of Calderon (Jim Butcher, Fiction - In another world, everyone has at least one elemental spirit at their service, except young Tavi)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A modern boy genius pits his criminal wits against the potent, technologically advanced undergound Fairy nation)
Chamber of Horrors: Amulet of Doom (Bruce Coville, YA Fiction - A girl receives an amulet with a powerful demon imprisoned within)
The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer (Jim C. Hines, YA Fiction - Jig, a hapless and cowardly goblin run, inadvertently becomes a hero)
The Familiar Dragon series (Daniel Hood, Fiction - The familiar of a murdered wizard forces a bond with a detective to avenge its master's death)
The Lives of Christopher Chant (Diana Wynne Jones, YA Fiction - A boy's ability to travel to other worlds via dreams sets him up for a magical life he doesn't want)
A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin, YA Fiction - A boy wizard's pride unleashes a terrible darkness, which he must hunt down before it destroys him)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
The Circle of Magic quartet (Tamora Pierce, YA Fiction - Four young mages come together to learn of their elusive powers)
The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman, YA? Fiction - In Lyra's alternate earth, every person has a daemon, a soulbound spirit companion)
The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (Rick Riordan, YA Fiction - A modern boy learns that his real father was a Greek god... and that real monsters from Greek mythos are out to kill him)
The Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowling, YA Fiction - Sole survivor of a magical attack on his family, the boy wizard Harry grows determined to avenge his parents)
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Brandon Sanderson, YA Fiction - A boy discovers that the true nature of the world has been kept hidden by an insidious cult of evil librarians)
Dragon's Bait (Vivan Van Velde, YA Fiction - Outcast and left as bait for a dragon, a girl teams up with the beast for vengeance against her former neighbors)
A Plague of Sorcerers (Mary Frances Zambreno, YA Fiction - An apprentice wizard with a skunk familiar must stop a terrible magical plague)
Forever After (Roger Zelazny, creator, Fiction - After defeating the evil wizard, heroes must return magical artifacts to their original hiding places or risk unleashing chaos)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Heroes of the Valley
Jonathan Stroud
Disney Hyperion
Fiction, YA Fantasy
****+
DESCRIPTION: In ancient times, the great hero Svien came to the valley as a babe; strangling a serpent with his bare hands, it was clear he was destined to become
a hero. He fought many a monster, squabbled with many a man, and - at the end - joined forces with 11 other mighty heroes to destroy the foul, tunneling Trows. Upon his death,
he was laid to rest in a cairn, sword in hand, to defend the valley forevermore.
Halli, born to the House Svien, never fit in with his family. Bandy-legged, short, and homely, full of restless energies, he chafes at the sedate life of the peaceable household.
He dreams of being an elder-day hero - but, in these times, blood-feuds have yielded to dull laws, with rivalries settled by marriage more often than murder. Only his uncle,
another family outcast, seems to understand... but even that small solace is stolen from him when a drunken insult spirals out of hand at a Gathering. Witnessing his uncle's
murder at the hands of House Hakon, the boy's anger knows no bounds. Unsatisfied with the prospects offered by the laws of the valley, Halli determines to settle the score as
Svien himself would have done... no matter what the consequences.
REVIEW: Many tales, especially Young Adult tales, tell of heroism in its many forms. Few explore its meanings and complexities as Stroud does here. Halli starts off, frankly, as a bit of a brat, selfish and short-sighted. His emotions rule him, as do his dreams based on elder-day tales of daring and bravery and brutal justice - dreams that cannot work in the real world. Slowly, through many mishaps and harsh lessons that return to haunt him, he learns the truth about the heroes and the stories he so long held dear. Along the way, he learns just what it means to become a real hero, not just a tale-teller's grandiose vision of one. The story drug now and again, taking its time setting up Halli and his world. Once it starts moving, it takes some unexpected turns on its way to a fitting finale. An enjoyable tale!
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The Tale of Desperaux (Kate DiCamillo, YA Fiction - A mouse with delusions of chivalry sets out to save a princess from a scheming rat)
The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer (Jim C. Hines, Fiction - A scrawny, cowardly goblin inadvertently becomes a hero)
Heroics for Beginners (John Moore, Fiction - With the help of a handy guide book, a prince sets out to win a princess's hand by stopping a Dark Lord)
Bitterwood (James Maxey, Fiction - In a world where dragons enslave humans, a rogue slayer's thirst for vengeance endangers both races)
Song for the Basilisk (Patricia McKillip, Fiction - The sole survivor of a slaughtered noble house returns for vengeance)
Merlin's Mistake (Robert Newman, YA Fiction - A boy who longs for adventure helps track down the missing wizard Merlin)
The Rover (Mel Odom, Fiction - A halfling librarian is swept up in a grand and dangerous adventure)
Dragonheart (Charles Edward Pogue, Fiction - An embittered dragonslayer must join forces with a dragon to topple an evil king)
The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien, YA? Fiction - A humble hobbit becomes a hero on an ill-advised quest to a dragon's lair)
Voices of Dragons (Carrie Vaughn, YA Fiction - Defying traditional hatred, a teen girl and a young dragon might prevent a brewing interspecies war)
Dragon's Bait (Vivian Vande Velde, YA Fiction - Accused of witchcraft, a condemned girl teams up with a dragon for revenge)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
The Amulet of Samarkand
(A Bartimaeus graphic novel)
Jonathan Stroud and Andrew Dorkin
Disney Hyperion
Fiction, YA Fantasy/Graphic Novel
****
DESCRIPTION: In a modern-day London ruled by magicians, young Nathaniel finds himself apprenticed to Mr. Underwood, a mage of modest ability, miniscule courage, and
less ambition. The boy might have gone on to follow in his footsteps... but when another magician utterly humiliates him (while Underwood does nothing to defend him), a great
rage awakens, driving Nathanial to go far beyond anything his master dared to teach him in search of revenge.
After five thousand years in and out of service to various magicians through the ages, the djinni Bartimaeus has pretty much seen it all. When he catches sight of the stripling
apprentice who summoned him, he figured it'd be an easy job: a prank on a rival, a levitation, some other flashy but ultimately pointless display of his incredible powers. But
this boy has a much more dangerous game in mind. He orders Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand, a powerful artifact with a bloody past, from a dangerous mage. Soon, boy
and djinni find themselves caught up on a dark plot of rebellion, black magic, and betrayals that could shake the very foundations of the House of Parliament and England
itself.
Based on the novel The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.
REVIEW: A pretty good interpretation, it captures the essential humor and hidden shadows of Stroud's novel. Having the author involved in the graphic novel adaptation really does make a difference, here, as many of the fun touches that made the book so fun survived translation. Some parts might have been a bit hard to follow without knowing the original story; it was, necessarily, condensed somewhat from the original. The artwork strikes a nice balance, not too simple to tell the story yet not too busy to clutter the pages. While some of the characters may not have matched my mental images of them, all are recognizable from the descriptions in the original book. If you enjoyed Stroud's books, you'll enjoy this graphic novel.
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