Characters of the Bartimaeus trilogy
Cover of The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book in the series
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| Author | Jonathan Stroud |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Published | 30 September 2003 – 14 October 2010 |
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The Bartimaeus Sequence is a series of children's novels of alternate history, fantasy and magic. It was written by British writer Jonathan Stroud and consists of a trilogy published from 2003 to 2005 and a prequel novel published in 2010. The eponymous character, Bartimaeus, is a five-thousand-year-old djinni, a boisterous and often reluctant spirit. The story follows the career of a teenage magician Nathaniel and Bartimaeus, whom he has summoned and nominally controls, through the alternative history of the peak of London's domination as a magical oligarchy.
The novels are set in London in an alternate history, though many countries, cities, events and people are from actual history (such as Prague, Solomon, the Holy Roman Empire, William Ewart Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli, the American Revolution, etc.). The books presume the idea that magic, magicians and demons have been active throughout history, radically altering it. In particular these changes are reflected in the contrast between modern aspects (such as electricity and cars) and older ones (colonial-era weapons including muskets). The current time is never directly stated. The books incorporate references to various world mythologies and folklore, such as the Arabian Nights and Homer.
In the alternate history existing in the story, a type of oligarchy exists, where the people are mainly of two classes, magicians (the ruling class) and commoners. The British monarchy is mentioned in passing, but is said to have been overthrown long before the events of the book.
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