The Bartimaeus books have published in 35 languages and sold over 5 million copies worldwide.Literary quality, commercial verve and an incredible sales track record: Jonathan Stroud is undoubtedly one of the best writers of children's fiction today.The film option has been bought by Miramax.Greeted with one hundred percent worldwide acclaim on original publication by readers and reviewers: 'The hippest djinni you'll ever read...it takes you to another world' - Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman Miramax FilmsJonathan Stroud was born in Bedford in 1970. After studying English Literature at York University, he moved to London, where he worked as an editor at a publishing firm. He is the author of the best-selling Bartimaeus sequence, which is published in 35 languages and has sold 6 million copies worldwide; the much-beloved Lockwood & Co. series (soon to be a major Netflix series) as well as
The Notorious Scarlett & Browne;
Heroes of the Valley; The Last Seige;
The Leap and
Buried Fire. He lives in Hertfordshire with his family. He has yet to see a ghost, but is keeping his eyes open.
The first volume in the brilliant, bestselling Bartimaeus sequence.
When the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, he expects to have to do nothing more taxing than a little levitation or a few simple illusions. But Nathaniel is a precocious talent and has something rather more dangerous in mind: revenge. Against his will, Bartimaeus is packed off to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion.
Set in a modern-day London controlled by magicians, this hilarious, electrifying thriller will enthral readers of all ages.
Drama, humour and hypnotically engaging storytellingThe truly original touch is the way Stroud alternates Nathaniel's story with the djinni's own knowing and irascible first-person narrativeThe narrative slips skilfully from first person to third and back and Bartimaeus's voice is laugh-out-loud sassy, while Nathaniel's story has an engaging poignancy as he tries to prove himself in a world in which he has always been despisedNot since
Gulliver's Travels has a children's writer managed to combine a thrilling tale of magic and adventure with such deliciously pointed comedyTerrific stuff
