The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: The Amazing Magic Of London!
Review: While I realize there is a large market for these types of adventure stories employing fantasy elements, I have to say that I would not recommend this book for impressionable minds when there are alternatives that carry more of a useful message. Specifically, I was disturbed by the fact that NONE of the major characters in the tale possesssed any of the qualities that I believe are virtues to emphasize for younger readers: loyalty, empathy, justice, fairness, assisting others, self-respect.

The protagonist certainly endures more than his share of hardship, but it leaves him embittered, withdrawn, disappointed, and prone to the types of possessiveness and pride that fuel a vengeful outlook. By the end of the book he never really emerges from this perspective. He is challenged, frustrated, and abetted by a cast of characters were are even more vile and self-serving, who value nothing of life but are instead motivated by greed. The bone thrown by the book to human warmth is the fragile gratitude the youngster feels toward the bit player who feeds him. Otherwise, all is self-interest and resentment. I believe it to be a bit of nastiness to set up the tale so that the reader is asked to root for someone whose identity is so tied up in acquisitiveness and power-gambits, and who never steps out of the shadow having learned anything of greater depth.