Children of the Lamp

Children of the Lamp is a series of novels for children written by the British author P.B. Kerr. The first book, The Akhenaten Adventure, was published in 2004. The second book, The Blue Djinn of Babylon, was published in 2005 in the United Kingdom and in 2006 the United States. The third book, The Cobra King of Kathmandu, was released in 2006. The fourth book will be published in September 2007, and is named The Day of the Djinn Warrior. The film rights are held by Dreamworks.

The Books

The Akhenaten Adventure

John and Phillipa are twelve year old twins, with a remarkably beautiful and talented mother, and a very rich but not very handsome father, who live a life of luxury in Manhattan. One day, their wisdom teeth appear simultaneously. Then they both have the same dream in which their uncle, Nimrod tells them to come to London. They begin the adventure of a lifetime, thanks to some djinn (commonly called genies), a wise old uncle named Nimrod, his one-armed butler who is called Groanin, and an agoraphobic ancient djinn who prefers keeping himself bottled up due to a phobia of opened spaces called Mr. Rakshasas.

From New York to London to Egypt and back, the twins' adventures are filled with excitement as they undergo training in the use of their newly discovered magical powers, but are also fraught with danger, as they battle the evil tribes of djinn, to preserve the balance between good and evil in the world.

The Blue Djinn of Babylon

John and Philippa Gaunt, twelve-year-old twins who recently discovered themselves to be descended from a long line of djinn (which are commonly called genies) and who are now in possession of great powers, have only just returned from their adventures battling evil djinn in Cairo and London. Now the mystery surrounding a powerful book of djinn magic named Solomon's Grimore lures the twins straight into their next extraordinary adventure.

When the Solomon Grimoire is reported missing, John and Philippa are called upon to retrieve this book of power. They travel across the globe, from New York to Istanbul, but, little do they know, a trap has been set and the djinn twins are about to walk right into it. Soon, John must embark on an epic journey to save his sister from the fate of eternal hard-heartedness...before it's too late.

The Cobra King of Kathmandu

Fiery magic in a land of ice. Midnight intruders and murder by snakebite sweep John and Philippa Gaunt into their third fantastic adventure. After their friend Dybbuk Sachertorte sends an email pleading for help the twins go save him. Meeting with Dybbuk (who prefers to be called Buck by friends) he gives a mysterious painting leading them to Nepal to save their friends. In snowy Nepal, the Children of the Lamp face the ultimate test of their amazing djinn powers. Can they uncover the venomous secrets of an evil Snake Cult to find the long-lost talisman of the Cobra King? Meanwhile their mother prepares to follow her destiny.

Use of Magic in the Series

The djinn in this series derive their power from "luck". Much of the narrative thrust comes from those who promote good luck, who are attempting to combat those who promote bad luck. In particular the book focuses on the Marid, a tribe of djinn, to which the Gaunt family belongs, and the Ifrit who provide many of the enemies in the two books.

Use of djinn power is constrained by the fact that by using it the djinn slightly shorten their lifespan each time.

Each djinn chooses a focus word which allows them to focus their magic powers.

Primary Characters

John Gaunt: Twin of Philippa Gaunt. He was described as tall and dark, and in the case of The Akhenaten Adventure, he was pimply. John and Philippa, like most djinn, are claustrophobic and quite athletic. In the Blue Djinn of Babylon John faces numerous obstacles, including having to kill a very real looking 'projection' of his own father, in his efforts to save Phillippa. His focus word is ABECEDARIAN.

Philippa Gaunt: Twin of John Gaunt. She is shorter with red hair and glasses, and is the intellectual one.Kidnapped by Ayesha, the Blue Djinn of Babylon, her grandmother, in the second book. Is an expert Djinnverso player. Her focus word is FABULONGOSHOOMARVELISHLYWONDERPIPICAL.

Uncle Nimrod Godwin: The powerful Djinn uncle of John and Philippa and defacto leader of the Marid. He first appeared in a dream of John's and Philippa's simultaneously, when their wisdom (or dragon) teeth were pulled out. His focus word is QWERTYUIOP (top line of the keyboard).

Layla Gaunt: Renounced her djinn powers after she turned her husband's brothers into dogs following their attempt to kill her husband out of jealously. Ayesha wished her to become the new Blue Djinn of Babylon, a position Mrs. Gaunt did not desire so Ayesha kidnaps Philippa in the Blue Djinn of Babylon. In an effort to rescue Philippa she uses her powers to, as of now, unknown consequences. Her focus word is NEPHELOKOKKYGIA.

Edward Gaunt: The father of the twins Philippa and John Gaunt. He is fearful of the twin's powers after their mother turned his two brothers into dogs. Described as absentminded, but brilliant and a good father. He is quite fond of antiques and a successful banker.

Ayesha Godwin:(Deceased) The Blue Djinn of Babylon and John and Philippa's grandmother. She is about two hundred years old, but looks about eighty. As Blue Djinn, Ayesha is the arbitrator of djinn disputes and is considered "beyond" good and evil. Her state of mind is not achieved naturally she uses the tree of logic( the "third tree of eden") to become hard-hearted.

Iblis: Leader of the evil Djinn tribe, the Ifrit. He was punished by Ayesha for killing Hussein Hussaout in the first book. Ayesha sentenced him to be exiled to Venus for ten years, but the container he was trapped in never made it to the shuttle because it was stolen. He has a son named Rudyard who quite dislikes the twins.His focus word is TETRAGRAMMATONITIS.

Mr. Groanin: Nimrod's one-armed butler. Groanin freed Nimrod from confinement and won three wishes. After wasting his first two wishes he became Nimrod's butler so he could properly consider how to use his third wish, and to make sure Nimrod doesn't trick him. He uses his third wish to help locate a trapped Nimrod and feels quite liberated afterwards. Groanin's other arm was recreated by John, Philippa, and Dybbuk(Buck)in book 3.

Mr. Rakshasas: Nimrod's djinn friend. Mr. Rakshasas feels more at home in his lamp than outside of it, following a long period of forced confinement. He is afraid of large and open spaces. He is considered a leading djinn expert on the Baghdad Rules, a series of conventions regulating wishes and wish granting and even wrote a book on the subject called The Shorter Baghdad Rules. His focus word is SESQUIPEDALIAN.

Alan and Neil: Brothers of Mr. Gaunt. Jealous of all of his success, the pair attempted to kill him. They were stopped by Mrs. Gaunt and turned into the family's beloved Rottweilers. In the first book, John tried to change their names into Winston and Elvis (much to the horror of his father). After they sacrificed their own lives to save John, in his quest to rescue Philippa, they returned to human form. Layla Gaunt had made it so that their punishment would only last for as long as the animals lived.

References

• P.B. Kerr's website