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The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
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Publisher's summary
Nathaniel is eleven-years-old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells far beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder and rebellion.
Set in a modern-day London spiced with magicians and mystery, The Amulet of Samarkand is an extraordinary, edge-of-your-seat thriller with many unexpected twists. Following Bartimaeus and Nathaniel in turn, the story introduces us to two wonderfully memorable characters destined to go through many adventures together and bound by a spell that is nearly impossible to break.
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Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London, a city teetering on the edge of revolution. Its people are ushering in a new era of technology, dazzled each day by unfamiliar inventions. Airships soar in the skies over the city, while ground trains rumble through the streets and clockwork automatons are programmed to carry out menial tasks in the offices of lawyers, policemen, and journalists.
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nowhere near as bad as reviewed
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Fated
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- By: Benedict Jacka
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
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Alex Verus is part of a world hidden in plain sight, running a magic shop in London. And while Alex's own powers aren't as showy as some mages, he does have the advantage of foreseeing the possible future-allowing him to pull off operations that have a million-to-one-chance of success. But when Alex is approached by multiple factions to crack open a relic from a long-ago mage war, he knows that whatever's inside must be beyond powerful.
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Harry Dresden meets the Temple of Doom
- By Jessica on 05-15-14
By: Benedict Jacka
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Fear
- By: L. Ron Hubbard
- Narrated by: Roddy McDowall
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- Abridged
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Professor James Lowry didn’t believe in spirits, or witches, or demons. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn’t remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember.
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The Best of Hubbard
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By: L. Ron Hubbard
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Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
- By: R. L. LaFevers
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
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Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theoand only Theowho is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. Sneaking behind her fathers back, Theo uses old, nearly forgotten Egyptian magic to remove the curses and protect her father and the rest of the museum employees from the ancient, sinister forces that lurk in the museums dark hallways.
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Girls Adventure
- By Grant on 05-03-10
By: R. L. LaFevers
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Phoenix Rising
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- Narrated by: James Langton
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Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade... and a librarian. These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...
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Great Steampunk - worth a listen
- By DarkFish on 05-11-12
By: Pip Ballantine, and others
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The Peculiar
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Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged. In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings - Peculiars - and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them. One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley - Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.
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An Unexpected Adventure
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Warlock Holmes
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Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes. Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only things he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety...
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Short on Clues--Heavy on Delightful Twists
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The Emperor's Edge Collection
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An enforcer wanted dead for crimes she didn’t commit.... An assassin wanted dead for crimes he did commit.... Normally, they would be enemies, but they both seek the same thing: exoneration. Unfortunately, a nefarious underground organization is attempting to kill the one man who could grant it to them - the emperor. If they want to win their freedom, they’ll have to battle powerful wizards, outscheme master schemers, and defeat bloodthirsty monsters, all while dodging friendly fire and evading the law. Exoneration isn’t easy.
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Three for One
- By B. Hongo on 10-06-21
By: Lindsay Buroker
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Sabriel
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Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.
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Enraptured
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The Adventurers Guild
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In one of the last cities standing after the world fell to monsters, best friends Zed Kagari and Brock Dunderfel have high hopes for the future. Zed desperately wishes to join the ranks of the Mages Guild, where his status as Freestone's only half-elf might finally be an asset. Brock, the roguishly handsome son of merchants, is confident he'll be welcomed into the ranks of the Merchants Guild. But just as it seems the boys' dreams have come true, their lives take a startling turn...and they find themselves members of the perilous Adventurers Guild.
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Well written and well read.
- By Reviewer on 05-22-19
By: Zack Loran Clark, and others
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What listeners say about The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Timothy
- 10-31-07
entertaining
While the story was predictable, the telling of it was fun to listen to and I found it quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed the character creations. I found Bartemaeus to be a delightfully sarcastic demon. I could almost envision Robin Williams' Djinni from the movie 'Aladdins Lamp' as I was listening. I was a bit disappointed with Nathanials development however. I didn't care for his pompousness and disregard for other people, but at least you know that deep down he does have a good heart.
I was also a bit confused by the chronolgy of the book. In one section they are talking about the War with the American colonies, and then later make references to people like Stalin, Lincoln and Churchill. In alot of ways the author was all over the place.
But; like I said, all of that aside, I still found it to be very entertaining and all in all I gave it four out of five stars.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Randy
- 01-08-05
Excellent story, brilliant narration
After listening to dozens of audiobooks, Simon Jones has quickly become my favorite reader. With an easy-to-understand British accent, excellent vocal range and pacing, perfect enunciation and terrific character voices, he does yet another outstanding job with this book.
The book itself is something kids and adults will enjoy. The main characters, Nathaniel (a young magician's apprentice), and Bartimaeus (a demon conjured by Nathaniel and forced unwillingly to do his his bidding) are well-developed and brought engagingly to life by the reader. Bartimaeus's wry comments about Nathaniel and life in general will have the listener chuckling quite often.
Nathaniel is somewhat of an anti-hero at first; he's deceitful, proud, arrogant, and above all impatient to prove and test his abilities, which of course causes all kinds of tragedy, mayhem and suspense.
The author's style of writing several chapters first from the demon's viewpoint and then the boy's keeps things quite interesting and engaging. We get to see what's motivating both of them from different vantage points, and it works well to keep the story flowing smoothly and provides a cliff-hanger or two when we switch from one to the other.
Simon Jones also reads book 2, which is every bit as good as this one. Both are well-worth repeated listenings. Here's hoping he reads book 3 as well.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Elizabeth K.
- 03-17-04
Amulet of Samarkand
This is SUCH an excellent book! The reader makes it fun to listen to and I am looking forward to the next book!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Josh Alwitt
- 08-08-05
Masterful entertainment - Simon Jones is terrific
I picked this book up by accident at a friend's house because their 12-year-old was reading it. I loved LOTR but have never been interested in Harry Potter. Couldn't put the book down and when I got home immediately ordered it on Audible. Simon Jones makes it twice as fun with his terrific characters. Buy it!!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Kathryn
- 06-26-04
A winner
I've just finished listening to this title for the second time; I loved The Amulet... the first time for its engrossing tale and wonderfully quirky characters, and the second for its sly wit and clever narration. Stroud has written a book that appeals to both my inner ten year old and the literary snob in me, and Simon Jones gives the book the narration it deserves. This is worth your listening time and your money.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Alex Levine
- 03-25-13
Not just another kid magician!
The narration by Simon Jones and the incredibly fun prose made this book for me, and the two that followed. I am normally turned off by a surfeit of unsympathetic characters, or by a theme (in this case, that of child magician) that has been done to death. But Jones turns both liabilities into assets, simply by writing much better than almost everyone in the genre. About the characters: nearly all of the humans (and all of the important ones) are unmitigated jerks. This isn't a spoiler; it's pretty clear a few minutes in. The "demons," and especially Bartimaeus, are where the psychological interest lies.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Kate
- 02-03-08
A Fun Listen
I enjoyed Bartimaeus' witty & sarcastic voice in this book. The narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters to life - particularly the djinni Bartimaeus. I found myself smiling at the dialogue and mainly amused by the plot. I plan on happily listening to all three parts of this trilogy.
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1 person found this helpful
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Story
- Zenpaca
- 10-06-12
Who new Djinn could be so sarcastic?
This book is a really fun read. The narrator is outstanding and for his performance alone, you should listen to the book. He brings the character to life with a dry and sarcastic sense of humor with a sprinkling of megalomania. The store is really good. If you are a child or an adult you will appreciate the great detail that the author brings to life. This is about a boy who is a naturally gifted magician. This also tells a tale of a class war going on in a parallel alternate timeline where magic exists but only the wealthy and elite are allowed to learn and master it. The magicians use summoning to gain the this magical ability. The book goes into more detail but lets just say you will love the intricate hierarchy of supernatural beings. If you like Harry Potter, Twilight, Artemis Fowl you will really get a kick of this book. You will love the characters in the book and for a bonus you will laugh at some one liners. The book is really fun and once you do go for it you will immediate want to get the 3 books in the series. This is also a great stand alone book. There is no cliffhanger the book does leave some questions unanswered but nothing that will make you bang you head against the wall. BARTEMEUS ROCKS!!!!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- AE
- 07-16-05
The Amulet of Samkarkand
Great book and reading. My seven year old son and five year old daughter were very intrigued with this story. They liked the all the images from the magic. The five year old did have some troulbe following the storyline at times, but still enjoyed the way the reader told the story. I highly recommend this book.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Sarah
- 01-30-13
Very enjoyable
Great narrator. He really brought the characters to life, especially Bartimaeus. The story was exciting enough for my older daughter (12), and not to scary for my younger son (8) -- a tricky balance to find sometimes. Super audiobook for a long trip in the car.
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