The Amulet of Samarkand

Nathaniel, or, as he is eventually renamed, John Mandrake, is the second main character in the story, its second protagonist, and its second narrative voice. Though only 12 years old, Nathaniel proves himself highly adept at summoning spirits and academically inclined as an apprentice magician, voraciously devouring any textbook about magic. He is abandoned by his parents to the government at the age of five and adopted as Arthur Underwood’s apprentice soon after. He is described as being plain but cunning:

[He had] no obviously defined feature—no moles, no oddities, no scars. His hair was dark and straight, his face tended toward the pinched. His skin was very pale. To a casual observer, he was an unremarkable boy. But […] there were other things to note: shrewd and calculating eyes; […] a very careful face (92).

Awkward and shy as a young child, Nathaniel has no friends to speak of and often has difficulties expressing his true feelings, even when Arthur and Martha die. The only people with whom he feels any connection are Martha Underwood, whom he regards as a maternal figure, and Ms. Lutyens, his drawing teacher, who challenges him and seemingly understands him better than most. His relationship with Arthur is tenuous at best and, most often, negligent. Nathaniel has little regard for his master, as he finds him foolish and incompetent. In the aftermath of his humiliation at Simon’s hand, Nathaniel feels nothing but deep-seated betrayal and hatred for his master, who, in the end, tries to offer Nathaniel to save his own life. Instead, Nathaniel regards William Gladstone, the most powerful magician in the last 100 years, as his idol.

After his first encounter with Simon, he sees the man as his nemesis, and enacting revenge against him becomes his focused goal for most of the novel. To steal the Amulet of Samarkand from him, he manages to summon and bind Bartimaeus to his will, thereby commencing their antagonistic relationship and often clashing on the morally questionable practices of magicians and their ill-obtained stations of power. By the end of the story, however, he and Bartimaeus have developed a shared trust born out of desperation and necessity, and Nathaniel fulfills his promise to release Bartimaeus from his bond. His actions to thwart Simon’s plans to kill most members of the British government earn him a hollow title as a hero who is never publicly recognized. He is, however, assigned to a different master, Chief of Police Jessica Whitwell.

Simon is a secondary character within the novel and its main antagonist. Like Arthur Underwood, he is a magician who works for the British government and is deemed a rising star as the deputy minister of trade. He is described as being “tall, thin, handsome in a rather bookish sort of way, with his hair slicked back by some pungent oil. He ha[s] small, round glasses and a large mouth with good teeth. He ha[s] a prominent jaw” (16). He was formerly apprenticed to Schyler and has seemingly retained a good relationship with him, given that they have plotted against the British government together. He has a romantic relationship with Amanda Cathcart, owner of Heddleham Hall, and though he does have some genuine feelings for her, he nevertheless does not hesitate to use her and her estate for his plans—even if it means her death.

Simon is very skilled at summoning spirits and retains djinn such as Faquarl and Jabor, along with other minor spirits, to do his bidding and protect his home. When he gathers most of the British government to Heddleham Hall, he even has the ability to summon a creature from the Other Place named Ramuthra that can bend and twist physical space. Though he takes the opportunity to berate, humiliate, and thrash Nathaniel to unconsciousness, Simon recognizes a similar ambition and ability within him, prompting him to try to recruit the boy. Ultimately, however, he is defeated by both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus and consumed by Ramuthra.

Arthur and Martha are secondary characters in the story who are given charge of Nathaniel by the government. Though Martha takes on a loving, maternal role toward Nathaniel, Arthur fails at being both a father figure and an effective mentor in his apprenticeship. He is described as “a middle-ranking magician who work[s] for the Ministry of Internal Affairs [and a] solitary man, of a somewhat cantankerous nature” (52), with a vivid hatred of the Resistance. He only grudgingly accepts Nathaniel as an apprentice since he is ordered to do so, but he quickly (and incorrectly) deems him lacking as a prospective magician. He is often callous and cruel with Nathaniel, going so far as to lock him in a room with spirits when he’s six years old to instill fear and hatred of spirits. Often critical of those around him, Arthur is neither well regarded by his peers nor well respected.

Martha is described as being “a diminutive, roundish woman with very white hair cropped short” (54). She exhibits many of the ideals espoused by the government of a “dutiful wife” by primarily taking care of domestic tasks in their home, such as serving food to both Arthur and Nathaniel and being Nathaniel’s primary caregiver. She forms a strong bond with Nathaniel and becomes the only person he trusts in their household. When Arthur discovers that Nathaniel has performed summons without supervision, however, she does not try to plead Nathaniel’s case or defend him to Arthur—rather, she defers to Arthur’s judgment and advises Nathaniel to beg his mercy and forgiveness. In the end, she and Arthur die when Simon orders Jabor to kill them.

Faquarl and Jabor are two secondary characters within the book and the most prominent of Simon’s bound spirits. Through their forced relationship with Simon, Faquarl and Jabor are antagonistic toward Nathaniel and Bartimaeus in so far as they must enact Simon’s will. Much like Bartimaeus, they both have transformation abilities and can take on the form of humans, animals (specifically ravens), or other creatures. Both know Bartimaeus, as they have also lived very long lives of unwilling servitude. Faquarl is likely stronger than Bartimaeus in strength, as the latter routinely tries to escape from a direct confrontation with him. At the end of the narrative, Jabor is consumed by Ramuthra midway through his battle with Bartimaeus, and Faquarl is sent back to the Other Place when Simon dies.

Simpkin is a secondary character who acts as a foil to Bartimaeus. A foliot spirit—or what Bartimaeus calls a “cut-price djinni” (466)—Simpkin was summoned and bound by Sholto Pinn but is proud to be called his assistant and willingly serves the man. For Bartimaeus, Simpkin’s collaboration with their enslavers is tantamount to treason, and he finds him abhorrent.

The known members of the Resistance (Kitty, Stanley, and Fred) are tertiary characters within this book but will later have more prominent roles in the Bartimaeus trilogy. Stanley and Fred work as newspaper boys, while Kitty seemingly leads their group. Though their encounters with Bartimaeus and Nathaniel are brief, they nevertheless surprise both with their ability to see through spells when looking for magic artifacts while still being commoners.