Jonathan Stroud Books In Order

Publication Order of Bartimaeus Books

Chronological Order of Bartimaeus Books

Publication Order of Bartimaeus Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Lockwood & Co. Books

Publication Order of The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Jonathan Stroud is a British author born in 1970. Stroud mainly writes fantasy fiction, with his books typically targeting children and young adults.

+Biography

Jonathan Stroud was born in Bradford in England. The author’s love for writing manifested early, with Stroud starting to write stories from a very young age. Stroud also loved to read books and draw pictures.

Jonathan Stroud’s life took a turn for the worse between the ages of 7 and 9. He fell very ill, so much so that he would spend several days at a time in bed, either at home or in the hospital.

With boredom becoming his constant companion, Stroud took to reading and writing stories with even more fervor. At the University of York, it was only natural that Stroud studied English literature. At this time, he was working as an editor for the Walker Books store in London. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Stroud began publishing his own work, quickly achieving success.

While he isn’t exactly well known in every corner of the globe, Jonathan Stroud has made a name for himself writing fantasy for children and young adults. He is most commonly known for the Bartimaeus Trilogy, a series of novels that explore the clichés, tropes, and the ethics of magicians and demons.

Stroud has a wife and two children. His wife Gina is an illustrator of Children’s Books. Along with his fantasy novels, Stroud has also written non-fiction works like Life and Times in Ancient Rome.

+The Amulet of Samarkand

Nathaniel might be a boy-magician but his life has been anything but amazing. Nathaniel was sold to the government by his parents when he was only five. As a result, he went to live with his master as an apprentice.

Nathaniel knows that he is making the ultimate sacrifice for a noble destiny in a British Empire ruled by powerful magicians. However, leaving his parents and life behind was hardly the worst thing to happen to Nathaniel.

Arthur Underwood isn’t the most nurturing of masters. Cold and cruel, the middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have made Nathaniel’s life a far more horrid existence if not for his wife.

Martha Underwood has always shown Nathaniel genuine affection, and he has always repaid that affection with fierce devotion. The boy-magician adapts to the Underwood household, learning to tolerate his new life for years, that is until the summer of his 11th birthday.

Simon Lovelace, a ruthless magician, publicly humiliates Nathaniel; even worse, his master is too much of a coward to defend him. Nathaniel won’t take it anymore. Vowing revenge, Nathaniel begins honing his abilities and learning from every magical text he can get his hands on.

He shows nothing but subservience to his master all the while; with his strength finally mustered, Nathaniel wastes no time in summoning a five-thousand-year-old demon called Bartimaeus.

Nathaniel wants the djinni to take revenge on Lovelace; for Nathaniel, revenge is stealing the powerful amulet of Samarkand; only too late does Nathaniel realize just how dangerous a situation he has plunged into, or the stakes at hand.

The problem with this book, the first in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, is the fact that it is a story set in England, about a boy magician trying to hone his skills in a threatening environment.

And the book was written after the first Harry Potter novel was published, which means that people always compare it to J.K Rowling’s work. One might be surprised by the number of people that have dismissed the novel outright for this simple reason.

However, The Amulet of Samarkand doesn’t compare to Harry Potter in any way, save for the fact that there is a boy-magician living in England. Additionally, most readers have nothing but good things to say about this book.

In Jonathan Stroud’s world, magic is controlled primarily by spirits, and the powers of magicians emanate from their ability to control these spirits. The pacing is a little off; while things pick up immensely when the action kicks off, the lag between all the explosive magic is a little slow. However, the fantastical nature of the magical scenes makes up for the pacing issues.

Bartimaeus is especially impressive; Jonathan Stroud created a character that is powerful, arrogant and sarcastic. It is through the spirit that readers learn about all the interesting aspects of the magical world.

Despite the relatively complex aspect of the magic, Stroud doesn’t bog readers down with lengthy explanations; Bartimaeus’ wise-cracking dialogue makes the magical education so much more interesting. There is every reason to read this book which gives readers a unique perspective of the whole boy-magician genre of fantasy.

+The Golem’s Eye

By fourteen, Nathaniel was rising fast through the government, consistently proving that there was nothing he couldn’t handle, no task he was unable to accomplish. That was before he was charged with quelling a burgeoning resistance movement whose raids were making life in London difficult.

As he tracks the ringleader kitty and her friends, Nathaniel’s task elicits all sorts of dangers, not to mention the pressure he is contending with to deliver. The emergence of a series of sinister attacks in the capital only makes matters worse.

It could be the resistance. It could also be something else even more dangerous than the resistance. To uncover the perpetrators, Nathaniel must journey to the enemy city of Prague; and if things prove particularly problematic, Nathaniel could be pushed into summoning the quick-witted yet troublesome djinni Bartimaeus.

This is a great sequel to the first novel in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Nathaniel is now a powerful magician, but he soon finds that he is in need of Bartimaeus’ help once more when his new found fame attracts riskier assignments.

When a revolutionary group starts blowing up things in London, it falls on Nathaniel to bring them down; this is before an even more sinister threat emerges to threaten Nathaniel’s existence.

You cannot read this book without first reading its predecessor; because the protagonist, Nathaniel, is somewhat unlikeable this time around, only by reading the first book will you begin to understand the nature of his personality in this book.

One Response to “Jonathan Stroud”

1. B Dickey: 2 years ago

   Thanks so much for the service you provide.

   Reply