Um demônio cínico escrevendo anotações no livro para leitores humanos insignificantes

Você está procurando pela Sequência Bartimeu de Jonathan Stroud, cujo primeiro livro é "O Amuleto de Samarcanda". "

Um breve resumo da trilogia da wiki (estragado para aqueles que ainda não leram a série):

As the books progress, three story arcs become evident. The largest and overarching plot line is the rise and fall of London as a global authority. The second and third are more personal: the boy changing from the pitiful, yet noble, Nathaniel, to the power-hungry, arrogant John Mandrake and finally earning back his humility and nobility; and the third, involving Kitty and Bartimaeus. In the third story arc, Kitty proves her faith to Bartimaeus by doing something only one non-demon had ever done (Ptolemy) when she goes to the Other Place. John Mandrake (Nathaniel) also shows unusual courage and loyalty as he dismisses Bartimaeus, when surely they were going to die, eventually saving the life of a demon. They end up restoring each other's faith in their races.

Cada um dos três livros tem o nome de um artefato ou feitiço mágico: o Amuleto de Samarcanda, em homenagem à cidade de Samarcanda no Uzbequistão, torna o usuário invulnerável a ataques mágicos; Olho de Golem é um pedaço de barro encantado na forma de um olho que, quando colocado na testa de um Golem, permite controlar o golem; O Portão de Ptolomeu, batizado em homenagem ao antigo astrólogo e matemático grego Ptolomeu de Alexandria, é um método que permite a um humano entrar no reino dos espíritos.

Algumas citações são relevantes para os pontos que você lembra:

• "o demônio estava sempre tentando não se meter em nenhum problema"

  According to some, heroic deaths are admirable things. I've never been convinced by this argument, mainly because, no matter how cool, stylish, composed, unflappable, manly, or defiant you are, at the end of the day you're also dead. Which is a little too permanent for my liking.

• "os magos tinham que ser extremamente cuidadosos ao dizer aos demônios o que fazer - eles não tinham permissão para nenhuma entonação especial, respiração, ... quando comandavam os demônios para não dar a eles uma chance de interpretar mal a intenção"

  Perhaps he'd want me to conjure up an illusion. That might be fun: there was bound to be a way of misinterpreting his request and upsetting him†.

  †One magician demanded I show him an image of the love of his life. I rustled up a mirror.

• "havia uma dúzia de categorias para os demônios, cada um com um nome diferente"

  The spirits in the series are ranked into 7 major classes; Sub-Imp, Imp, Foliot, Djinni, Afrit, Marid & Super-Marid in order of ascending power. Sub-Imps were rarely named as they weren't worth summoning or studying. Super-Marids were also ill understood, however for a different reason; they were far too intelligent, powerful & often destructive to summon.

  The classes were also subdivided into an unknown amount of levels. High levels of a lower class are similar in strength to low level djinns of the class above them, and may occasionally win in battle.

  (da Wikipédia, não foi possível encontrar uma cotação direta)

EDIT: Ao reler o OP, eu não acho que esta é a série correta ... Eu não me lembro de ter anotações.

Isso soa-me um pouco como um dos meus favoritos, a série Myth de Robert Asprin ... "Outro Mito Bem " foi o livro 1. Hilarious series, very fun read.

Resumo da Wikipedia:

Skeeve, a magician's apprentice and wannabe thief from the dimension Klah, tries to learn the basics of magic from Master Magician Garkin for several months but to no avail. Skeeve can do little more than float a feather or light a candle using magic. Wanting to convince Skeeve that being a thief is not as good as being a magician, Garkin summons a demon. During the summoning an assassin barges into the hut, and Garkin and the assassin kill each other. Skeeve is left alone with the demon. To Skeeve's surprise the demon politely introduces himself as Aahz. Aahz explains that demon is slang for Dimension Traveler. He further explains that there are thousands of dimensions with different races in them, and that he is from the dimension of Perv, making Aahz a Pervect, while Skeeve is a Klahd. Aahz is a master magician like Garkin but loses his magical powers during the summoning ritual (due to a practical joke played on him by Garkin) and becomes stranded in Klah. Aahz volunteers to take Skeeve on as his apprentice and teach him magic.

The pair then embark on a series of misadventures as they try to evade more assassins trailing Skeeve. They decide to confront Isstvan, a dangerous Master Magician who plans to conquer all the other dimensions. Along the way they meet, and swindle, a demon hunter named Quigley. They encounter the assassins, and are saved by Skeeve's new magic. With information from the assassins they encounter Frumple, a merchant who transports them to the dimension of Deva (where the Deveels, master bargainers, live) so they can visit the Bazaar to find something to use against Isstvan.

On Deva, Aahz abandons Skeeve while he searches for a solution to their Isstvan problem. Skeeve gets into all kinds of trouble. First Skeeve bonds himself to the dragon Gleep; the infuriated dragon master forces Skeeve to purchase the dragon. Next Skeeve encounters Tananda, a Trollop from Trollia. She's strikingly beautiful and a former assassin and con artist working with a pack of ruffians to shake down tourists in the Bazaar. Skeeve is chosen as their next target; however, he doesn't get shaken down because Tananda and Aahz are old buddies. Aahz finds the solution to their Isstvan problem and the three of them, with the dragon Gleep, go back to Klah.

Back on Klah, Quigley, the demon hunter, joins their troupe. The five would-be heroes and the dragon Gleep and Quigley's war unicorn Buttercup confront Isstvan and defeat him by tricking him into consuming wine that destroys his magical ability. The defeated Isstvan and his allies leave Klah using a D-Hopper, a device that allows the user(s) to hop between dimensions. Tananda and Quigley leave too. Skeeve and Aahz remain at the Inn, and Aahz begins teaching his new apprentice more of the mastery of Magic.