Children Of The Lamp (Philip Kerr) Books in Order

This strand of the database focuses on Children of the Lamp as the fantasy series by Philip Kerr rather than on any particular edition. The stories are the same lively mix of contemporary life and djinn legend, following John and Philippa Gaunt as they learn what it means to belong to a magical family.

The opening of The Akhenaten Adventure is almost domestic. The twins squabble, complain about school and look forward to a fairly ordinary summer. That shifts quickly once they meet Uncle Nimrod in London and discover that their odd streaks of good and bad luck are really signs of djinn power. A dental appointment, a dream and a plane ride combine to push them into a much larger world.

Kerr clearly enjoys using that world as a way to take readers to new places. Cairo, Babylon, Kathmandu, the Chinese heartland, the Amazon and Central Asia all appear over the course of the seven books. In The Blue Djinn of Babylon and The Cobra King of Kathmandu he plays with gothic courts and secret cults. In The Day of the Djinn Warriors and The Eye of the Forest he turns real landmarks, from the terracotta army to remote jungle temples, into stages for magical battles.

Across the series the twins are guided and sometimes exasperated by a small circle of allies. Nimrod is part mentor, part trickster. Mr Rakshasas, a nervous but knowledgeable djinn who prefers his lamp to the open air, is always on hand with obscure rules and warnings. Human family members, particularly their father, remind them that their choices affect people who have no say in djinn politics.

For all the flights of fancy, the books keep their stakes understandable. Threats come in forms that make sense to younger readers: a kidnapped relative, a cursed parent, a friend in danger, the risk that using too much magic will turn you into someone colder and less human. The villains, from the cruel Iblis to the icy Blue Djinn, are frightening but rarely hopelessly overpowering.

This makes Children of the Lamp a good bridge between everyday school stories and more complex fantasy. The language is accessible, the chapters are built around cliffhangers, and the humour takes some of the sting out of the darker moments. Starting at book one gives the clearest line through John and Philippa’s growth, but any of the early adventures can also work as a standalone taste of Kerr’s djinn universe.