Bartimaeus Sequence reading order

A plan for the whole series

4 volumes, 2,014 pages, about 35 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 4, “The Ring of Solomon” (by 54%). Plan your break after volume 3, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 4, “The Ring of Solomon”, below its predecessor (8.0 after 8.3). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around December 30, 2026, 13 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 18 h11 daysby November 9, 2026

   • 1. The Amulet of Samarkand2003 · 462 pages · 8 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 13, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 220 habout 4 weeksby December 10, 2026

   • 2. The Golem's Eye2004 · 576 pages · 11 h
   • 3. Ptolemy's Gate2005 · 528 pages · 10 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 19, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 38 h11 daysby December 30, 2026

   • 4. The Ring of Solomon2010 · 448 pages · 8 h
6. The end of the series

   December 30, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: peak in the middle. The middle volumes (8.2) are the best; the ending (8.0) does not match them.

Best volume: Ptolemy's Gate (8.3, 329 ratings). Weakest: The Amulet of Samarkand (8.0). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 3 and 4: 54%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.