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The Ring of Solomon (Bartimaeus Prequel)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 6,857 ratings · 711 reviews

It is 950 B.C.E., and King Solomon rules Jerusalem with a steely hand; a hand on which gleams a magic ring of immense and unforgiving power. Solomon has just begun work on his marvelous temple, charging Khaba, a formidable magician in his royal court, to oversee its construction. The workforce is an ill-behaved bunch of demons, a particularly unruly djinni named Bartimaeus...more

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Published November 9th 2010 by Listening Library (Audio) (first published October 1st 2010)

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Dec 19, 2010 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 11th-grade

Revisiting the world of Bartemaius, fans will be rewarded with everything we loved about the original books: a fast-paced, entertaining adventure with a satisfying ending. Most importantly, there's Bartemaius himself, back with his footnotes and customary cheek.

Bartemaius is one of the most unforgettable and entertaining characters come to kid's fantasy in the past few years, and there's no doubt he could carry several more good novels like The Ring of Solomon. Surpassing the original trilogy i...more

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Dec 08, 2010 Daria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: beloved-fantasy

It's Jerusalem, 950 B.C.E., but, much to our sheer delight, Bartimaeus could have been Dismissed out of 21st century London only moments ago. It seems that two millenia are nothing for this sharp-talking djinni, for Bart's as charmingly insolent as ever.

And Bartimaeus really is the highlight of the work. It's no wonder that Asmira struggles to be equally as appreciated by readers as Bartimaues is, just as Nathaniel and Kitty do in the original Bartimaeus Trilogy. The reader, so ensnared by the...more It's Jerusalem, 950 B.C.E., but, much to our sheer delight, Bartimaeus could have been Dismissed out of 21st century London only moments ago. It seems that two millenia are nothing for this sharp-talking djinni, for Bart's as charmingly insolent as ever.

And Bartimaeus really is the highlight of the work. It's no wonder that Asmira struggles to be equally as appreciated by readers as Bartimaues is, just as Nathaniel and Kitty do in the original Bartimaeus Trilogy. The reader, so ensnared by the capricious, troublemaking shape-shifter, can only sigh in frustration when the narrative switches to the infintely more boring, third-person voice concerning the tale's human characters. But I don't complain as much here as I did in Golem's Eye (I had little love for Kitty), because Asmira's point of view is as full of action as is that of Bartimaues, and, fortunately, Asmira's part of the story is incredibly important to the overall plot. Of course, there is something lacking in Asmira's department. Something favoring the guises of Sumerian youths and mumu-wearing hippos. Something incredibly egotistic, admirably self-centered, impressively courageous, and just too clever, snazzy, and sharp-tongued to ever be properly commemorated in words.

(Somewhere, Bart is reading this and preening. Maybe I'll end up in a footnote in one of his later exploits. Maybe he'll send me his autograph...)

The ending does not reach the emotional impact or scope of sacrifice which haunts the ending of Ptolemy's Gate (no, this finish is more reminiscent of the end to Amulet of Samarkand), but this is unsurprising. While some might accuse the "twist" for failing, and for the ending being too goody-goody, it is probably because these readers, like I, have already read the previous three books and are obviously in the know that Bart will come out of all this unscathed (and probably composing a rude limerick in the process). Unlike the ending to Ptolemy’s Gate, which holds the reader breathless and on tenterhooks, the final battle (oh so Jonathan Stroud) in Ring of Solomon is taken in with a slightly more relaxed air. But don’t worry, it’s not that relaxed. It still manages to quicken the unwary reader’s pulse – that is, when the reader isn’t busy giggling off one of Bart’s pointer footnotes. It is the reader who wears a grin of triumph when, in a dark moment, all hope seems lost.

I found Stroud’s discussion on the issues of slavery and power very interesting. What does it mean to be psychologically enslaved? To what use must great power be put? Again, here one finds a great balance between philosophy, action, and wit, as is common with all of Stroud’s books. Philosophy aside, there are plenty of spirits to summon, knives to throw, humans to devour, temples to build, and magicians to outwit. To use a popular cliché, readers of this book will “burn the midnight oil to the finish,” undoubtedly. I certainly had.
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Jan 12, 2011 Silvana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, audiobooks, preteen-teen-youngadult

I love love love this book!

Please please PLEASEEEEEE Jonathan Stroud, write another prequel/sequel/epic poem/play/novella/memoir/thesis/whatever of Barty! We, his adoring fans, could never get enough of him!

Ok, back to the book. This is your typical Barty-like adventure. High-speed chases, extreme danger, lots of demons (scary, weird, yucky, you name it), strong (but flawed) characters, and of course...the trademark acerbic, sarcastic, narcissistic comments from our dear beloved jinni.

O Barty,...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Jay Daze rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, children-s-lit, fantasy, library-book, longueur

Argh! This book took forever to get started. I wish there was some way to skip over about a hundred pages, the loong time it takes for Asmira and Bartimaeus to start working together, and foreground the nicely nasty maneuvering early on in the book instead of saving it up for a reveal later on. Only after the unveiling does Asmira start to become slightly interesting in her zealotry, but that only lasts for a few scenes.

The prequeal to Bartimaeus Trilogy, the story is set in ancient Jersualem wh...more Argh! This book took forever to get started. I wish there was some way to skip over about a hundred pages, the loong time it takes for Asmira and Bartimaeus to start working together, and foreground the nicely nasty maneuvering early on in the book instead of saving it up for a reveal later on. Only after the unveiling does Asmira start to become slightly interesting in her zealotry, but that only lasts for a few scenes.

The prequeal to Bartimaeus Trilogy, the story is set in ancient Jersualem where King Soloman (the one with the song) rules with the aid of a magic ring that contains a powerful demon. When the country of Sheba is threated a young palace guard, Asmira, is sent to kill Solomon and bring the ring back to her queen. Meanwhile Bartimaeus is just one among many of the spirits that has been bound by the circle of magicians that serve Soloman, and he delights in causing as much trouble as he can. The book is told in alternating chapters from Asmira and Bartimaeus' view points which might explain why it takes so long for the two characters to finally start doing something.

I really enjoyed the backbiting and self-serving human characters in the trilogy that came before this book, as well as the ever sarcastic and witty Bartimaeus. But this book takes Stroud's strong point as an author, his acid view of human nature and makes it into a secret. Which left me reading a pretty bland boring book all the way up until what, page 306? I mean, yeah, Bartimaeus is still great. You get the funny footnotes. But I already know his story, his magical predicament. Jersualem and Sheba aren't really evoked in a way that brought it to life as anything more than a genric Hollywood backlot.

This one book felt far longer than the other three books combined. On the strength of this book, I wonder if Stroud has anything more to say about this world. I love Bartimaeus but does he do anything different here than he did in the trilogy? Then there is the problem with prequeals. This story happens before The Amulet of Samarkand and I have the feeling that Stroud ran into the problem that nothing much new CAN happen.

Well, I guess I'm not being fair. Bartimeaus isn't really supposed to change. The burden of movement falls on the shoulders of his co-star Asmira. But I found her stiff and boring. She doesn't start to get interesting until far, far into the story which was too late for me.(less)

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Jan 01, 2011 Chachic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted here.

Bartimaeus is back, with his trademark wit, humor and impudence. In the world created by Jonathan Stroud, demons are slaves to magicians who summon them from the Other Place. They are forced to accomplish tasks that usually involve prestige for their masters. There are many kinds of demons and Bartimaeus isn’t even one of the most powerful. He more than makes up for it in his own cunning way and has even served several powerful masters. In The Ring of Solomon, he serves Kh...more Originally posted here.

Bartimaeus is back, with his trademark wit, humor and impudence. In the world created by Jonathan Stroud, demons are slaves to magicians who summon them from the Other Place. They are forced to accomplish tasks that usually involve prestige for their masters. There are many kinds of demons and Bartimaeus isn’t even one of the most powerful. He more than makes up for it in his own cunning way and has even served several powerful masters. In The Ring of Solomon, he serves Khaba the Cruel, who is one of King Solomon’s seventeen magicians. Bartimaeus is in a bind because Khaba is a strict master and he doesn’t get to create mischief as often as he wants. Also, he’s stuck on earth when every demon craves to go back to the Other Place because prolonged stay on earth drains a demon’s essence. Things become even more complicated for Bartimaeus when he meets Asmira, a personal guard of the Queen of Sheba, sent to accomplish a seemingly impossible task.

Fans of the Bartimaeus Trilogy will be delighted by this installment. What’s good about it is I think it works well as a standalone. This would serve as a good introduction to anyone who’s curious about Jonathan Stroud’s work but is unwilling to take on a series. It has all the elements that made me thoroughly enjoy the trilogy – an action-packed plot spiced with plenty of humor (and lots of footnotes care of Bartimaeus’ storytelling). The story is told from alternating points of view – in this case, Asmira’s and Bartimaeus’. Asmira’s strength lies in the military arts – she’s been trained her whole life to protect the Queen of Sheba at all costs. She has very limited experience when it comes to handling demons but she has to learn how to deal with Bartimaeus when she reaches a crucial aspect of her mission. It’s funny how fascinated Bartimaeus is of certain humans – their motivations, their character, their determination – and how that fascination eventually leads to his involvement in something bigger. This one reads like a historical fantasy as opposed to the modern setting of the trilogy, which is enjoyable because you get to see Bartimaeus (and even some other comrades) in a different setting. All in all, a very satisfying read and just what I needed when I felt like reading something fun during the holidays. Recommended for fantasy fans or anyone who’s interested in hilarious narrators.(less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ htgkvkkviholmvobsvzighxofyyzmw rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: magical-mystery-tour, i-am-the-walrus, i-me-mine

Barty! Barty! Barty!

What a rofl book. Just laugh, laugh and laugh until my stomach hurts. Since first page, The Ring of Solomon was sooooooo funny that me started laughin' so hard.

Oh Barty, we love you. This book is hilarious, funny, and exciting. I think Barty is the most beloved fantasy characters all time. awesome!

I like this book it is a lot fun 'n you should get this book you will love Barty more and more and more and more!

Great job Mr. Stroud. Please, give us more Barty's stories.

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2011 Chrisanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, fantasy, i-laughed-out-loud, five-stars

How I love sequels that are well-thought out. It's like getting back together with an old friend and picking right back up from where you left off. However, to clarify, this isn't a sequel. It's a prequel that feels like a sequel. But Bartimaeus is still his delightfully charming, impertinently saucy, and good(!) self. Great fun.

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Apr 12, 2011 Joan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-favorites, fantasy, jewish_authors_and-or_interest, ya-books

I read this after it won SLJ's Battle of the Books since evertone was raving about it. I was pretty dubious about it but no more! This is so much fun I have immediately started rereading this which I don't do often at all! The language and wit of Bartimaeus is just so much fun! The story is suspenseful and well done, and the other characters are all individual as well. I also like who got the worst punishment among the baddies, very interesting choice. I can't wait to start the original trilogy!...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Ms. Library rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: really-entertaining, urban-fantasy

Plot: This book is a prequel to the other Bartimaeus books. Its set in Israel, in the time of Solomon, who Bartimaeus mentions quite frequently in the other three books. This time, the reader gets to find out what really happened. Unfortunately, a lot of old favorites are missing because its set in the past, but the reader does get to hear from his/her favorite djinni. In this book, Bartimaeus is as snarky as ever, as he engages with King Solomon, a ring of great power, and an assassin sent to k...more Plot: This book is a prequel to the other Bartimaeus books. Its set in Israel, in the time of Solomon, who Bartimaeus mentions quite frequently in the other three books. This time, the reader gets to find out what really happened. Unfortunately, a lot of old favorites are missing because its set in the past, but the reader does get to hear from his/her favorite djinni. In this book, Bartimaeus is as snarky as ever, as he engages with King Solomon, a ring of great power, and an assassin sent to kill Solomon. He has to conquer great odds while remaining witty and keeping his skin. He also encounters other familiar djinni and greedy magicians.

Positives?: This book has a lot of the trademarks of the other books. It has a fun, fast-moving plot, memorable characters, a different take on history, and of course, everyone’s favorite sarcastic demon. Its entertaining, and a rather quick read. It has some interesting insights into Bartimaeus’ character, and the reader gets to find out more of what makes him the way he is. The reader also gets to be more engaged with the other djinni. In previous novels, Bartimaeus has been the djinni that the author focuses on most.

Negatives: Unfortunately, a lot of what made the other books fantastic is missing here-namely the human characters. I missed Nathaniel and Kitty. They were a little more interesting, and I was more attached to their character arcs. This definitely suffered from the loss of those characters. I also think that some of the plot points from the previous novels didn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t Bartimaeus have mentioned some of these characters, or more specifically what happened? I was a little confused, because some things seemed to contradict information we were given in previous books. Unless, of course, that was on purpose, and Bartimaeus lied (which has been known to happen).

Overall rating: A solid 3 grouchy djinni’s out of 5. Entertaining, but not as good as the previous three.

Recommend: If you loved the Bartimaeus adventures, you probably don’t want to miss out on this one. However, if you haven’t read the series yet, I would start with The Amulet of Samarkind, which I think is the strongest of all of them.(less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Jusmalia Oktaviani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bagi pecinta The Bartimaeus Trilogy karya Jonathan Stroud, maka karya Stroud yang satu ini akan mampu mengobati kerinduan penggemar terhadap sosok jin konyol, Bartimaeus, yang menjadi tokoh utama di The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Ya, buku The Ring of Solomon atau Cincin Solomon kembali menghadirkan Barty, sang jin, sebagai tokoh utama.
Mirip seperti triloginya, di buku Cincin Solomon ini, Barty masih dengan karakter yang tak jauh beda—cerdik, nakal, jahil, dan pembangkang.

Buku ini menceritakan tentang...more Bagi pecinta The Bartimaeus Trilogy karya Jonathan Stroud, maka karya Stroud yang satu ini akan mampu mengobati kerinduan penggemar terhadap sosok jin konyol, Bartimaeus, yang menjadi tokoh utama di The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Ya, buku The Ring of Solomon atau Cincin Solomon kembali menghadirkan Barty, sang jin, sebagai tokoh utama.
Mirip seperti triloginya, di buku Cincin Solomon ini, Barty masih dengan karakter yang tak jauh beda—cerdik, nakal, jahil, dan pembangkang.

Buku ini menceritakan tentang petualangan sesosok jin tingkat menengah bernama Bartimaeus di masa pemerintahan Raja Solomon. Di zaman itu, Bartimaeus dan semua jin dari berbagai tingkat tunduk pada Solomon, karena Solomon memiliki cincin berkekuatan magis yang membuatnya bisa terhubung dengan dunia jin hanya dengan menyentuhnya. Biasanya, jika ingin berhubungan dengan jin dan dunianya, seorang penyihir harus membuat pentakel dan membuat semacam upacara pemanggilan, belum lagi dengan resiko terbunuh oleh jin level tinggi yang tak mudah dikendalikan seperti marid dan afrit. Namun, cincin itu membuat Solomon mampu memerintah jin melakukan apapun tanpa perlu repot-repot melakukan berbagai upacara atau membuat pentakel. Dengan kekuatan cincin itu, Solomon mampu membangun Jerussalem menjadi kota yang paling maju di masanya dan menjadi raja yang disegani. Namun kekuatan cincin itu membuat banyak pihak tertarik dan ingin merebut cincin itu. Dan Bartimaeus pun terlibat dalam masalah yang pelik, ketika ia diperintahkan oleh majikannya, seorang pengawal perempuan negeri Sheba bernama Asmira, untuk membunuh Solomon dan merebut cincin itu—sebuah tugas yang bisa dibilang hampir mustahil bagi jin tingkat menengah seperti Bartimaeus.

Cerita dalam buku ini berdiri sendiri, tidak berhubungan langsung dengan buku trilogi sebelumnya, hanya tokoh utama yang sama, yaitu Bartimaeus. Bagi yang belum membaca The Bartimaeus Trilogy sebelumnya, maka jangan khawatir, karena akan ada penjelasan lengkap mengenai jenis-jenis jin dalam buku, peta, dan sedikit penjelasan mengenai dunia jin itu sendiri. Sehingga kita tidak akan merasa ‘tertinggal’ saat membaca The Ring of Solomon ini.

Cerita Cincin Solomon ini sendiri sepertinya terinspirasi dari cerita Nabi Sulaiman yang memang punya mukjizat menguasai jin dan berbicara dengan binatang. Hanya saja, keunikannya, buku ini diceritakan dari sudut pandang Bartimaeus, sang jin.

Stroud mampu mengangkat kisah sihir menjadi sesuatu yang masuk akal, karena sihir itu bisa terjadi karena bantuan jin yang diperintah oleh manusia atau sang penyihir tersebut. Hal ini membuatnya berbeda dari kisah fantasi lainnya yang seakan membuat sihir sebagai sesuatu yang tak terjangkau dan didapat dari bakat semata. Selain itu, karakter Barty yang benar-benar kocak membuat saya sulit menahan tawa sepanjang buku. Bagi yang ingin membaca novel fantasi berkualitas namun tak terlalu serius, maka buku ini adalah pilihan yang tepat.
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Mar 07, 2013 Inga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I thoroughly enjoyed Jonathan Stroud's Trilogy about Bartimaeus, an astonishing spirit, conjured by demoniac magicians to do their bidding. Bartimaeus gets caught in the humans world and involved in their affairs although always longing to return to the Other Place where spirits live. He never gets tired of telling his listeners/readers what a great and ancient spirit he is and what great things he's done. Never lacking a bit of self-irony in all the bragging.
The Ring of Salomon takes us back in...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Rebekah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to say a word here for the entire Bartimaeus series because I didn't review the other books when I rated them a few weeks ago. I LOVE this series. I'm shocked that it's not more widely known. If I were to rate all young adult fiction books, Bartimaeus would be in the top 3. It is that good.

I do have to say that I listened to the audiobooks rather than reading the series, and maybe that changed my experience because the narrator is absolutely hilarious and perfect for this role. But I imag...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Alvina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-fiction

Barty kembaliiiiii…

Yah, sebenarnya tidak tepat juga dibilang ‘kembali’, karena cerita ini berlatar tahun 950 SM, jauh sebelum Cerita Barty dan Nathaniel di tiga buku sebelumnya.

Alkisah, Barty diperbudak oleh Ezekiel, yang merupakan salah satu penyihir kepercayaan Raja Solomon. Si Barty ditugaskan mencari barang berharga dari Eridu untuk dibawa ke Masternya, sialnya ketika Barty telah melaksanakan tugasnya, eh si Master mati karena ternyata ada jebakan di dalam patung yang dibawa Barty.

Begitu tah...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Afifah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Saya belum pernah membaca seri Bartimaeus sebelumnya,jadi buku ini saya baca tanpa ekspektasi apa-apa. Cuma saya baca review-review di GR koq kayaknya bagus,dan ratingnya juga cukup tinggi, jadi saya pun akhirnya tergerak untuk membelinya, dengan pertimbangan toh buku ini adalah prekuel dari buku-buku yang sudah ada, jadi saya kemungkinan tidak akan merasa kesulitan memahami isinya meskipun belum membaca buku triloginya.
Sejujurnya, buku ini sempat menganggur beberapa lama di rak buku setelah say...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Felita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, young-adult, ada-kejutan-di-cerita

ketemu lagi dg bartimeus...

salut dg penerjemahnya, jadi gampang baca....

ini prequel ya? berarti sebelum barty ketemu dg nathaniel ?

kupikir ini cerita barty dg ptolemy, sang master kesukaan barty. ternyata bukan. tapi ga kalah seru.

barty ini jin narsis, punya segudang kejailan dan....jika masternya hanya penyihir "biasa" : suka nyuruh2 dan punya sifat tamak, tanpa segan2 barty akan menggunakan akalnya utk melepaskan diri bahkan memakannya...

nah, apa yg dilakukan barty jika ketemu master yg bukan...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Ari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: feelings-are-all-over-me, non-mm, own-copy

My favorite Djin is backkkkkkkk!

Setelah terharu biru lewat petualangannya di Trilogy Bartimaeus, jin luar biasa ini datang lagi lewat petualangan yang gak kalah seru meski secara emosi lebih ringan (*sobs* inget Nathaniel)

Ber-setting masa pemerintahan Raja Solomon di Israel, Barty karena "kenakalannya" harus mengabdi pada salah satu penyihir kerajaan; Khaba yang kejam. Pada saat itu, Raja Solomon sangat ditakuti karena memiliki kekuatan tidak terbatas yang diperolehnya dari sebuah Cincin. Tak te...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Feraena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

Oh, Bartimaeus.

The djinni is back, as charmingly witty and insolent as ever. Bartimaeus is one of the most unforgettable and entertaining (and 'loveable', though his masters would definitely argue with this description) fantasy character in the past few years , and his footnotes are one of the most important reason why I love the books. This book was set before the trilogy, in Solomon's Jerusalem. Unlike the trilogy, Bart was called by three masters in the entire book, making him whine because h...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Allison W. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA & up

Recommended to Allison W. by: Spied it on the shelf at library

Oh, the Bartimaeus books are so much fun! Stroud really does such a great job with them that I wish there were more of them.

There's really not much I can say about this book without risking spoilers - and it's so good that I just don't want to do that to anybody.

Unlike the Bartimaeus Trilogy, this one is set during the time of King Solomon of Jerusalem. Bartimaeus is witty and darkly humored as ever with a big soft spot for humans that confounds his fellow spirit slaves.

What I really like about...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Nix rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who liked PJATO

Recommended to Nix by: Blasterbot

Shelves: magic

Let me start this review off by saying: Jonathan Stroud, you depress me.

You depress me because I don't have that kind of wit. I can dissect the humor of this book into randomness, sarcasm/irony, and lovable arrogance, but I can't imitate it. I blame it on Bartimaeus. Inimitable, he is.

(At this juncture, I would like to crawl into a corner and disappear, or wail something like "I FAIL AT LIFE," but I have to finish this review, no?)

So, to business.

Ford and Zaphod: To business!

*facepalm* Anyw...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Naveen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is a wholly different interpretation of magic from the previous classics that I've read. The protagonist of the book is an witty, unruly and clever djinn named bartemaeius, Well I'd have to tell you what a djinni is first. Djinn's are a class of spirits, which are broadly classified into imps, foliots, djinn's, afrits and marids in increasing order of strength. These spirits that reside in 'The Other Place' can be summoned th the Earth by magicians to carry out various tasks. They are b...more

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May 19, 2012 Eleonora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Dopo anni dall’ultimo libro incentrato su questo personaggio, La Porta di Tolomeo, il fantastico Bartimeus ritorna sulla punta della penna di Jonathon Stroud in questo nuovo titolo, facendosi riconoscere per la sua ironia pungente e sempre indiscreta, in un crescendo di battute da far piegare letteralmente in due dalle risate (e non parlo per metafore: verso le ultime battute del libro io ero davvero piegata a metà per il troppo ridere! Non riuscivo più a smettere!).
Chi l’aveva già incontrato n...more

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May 09, 2012 01brysong rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a book all should read. It was writen specificaly for Young Adults but it is an examplary reason of why people read books. This book (The Ring of Solomon) was writen by Jonathon Stroud in 2010, so it is a recent book, but by reading it you would never know this. This book is set in 950b.c. in ancient egypt. This book is only398 pages long but despite its obvious lack of length it makes up for it in its impressive array of characters and plot.
The story starts with Bartimaeus. He is...more This book is a book all should read. It was writen specificaly for Young Adults but it is an examplary reason of why people read books. This book (The Ring of Solomon) was writen by Jonathon Stroud in 2010, so it is a recent book, but by reading it you would never know this. This book is set in 950b.c. in ancient egypt. This book is only398 pages long but despite its obvious lack of length it makes up for it in its impressive array of characters and plot.
The story starts with Bartimaeus. He is a fourth class djinni that was summoned by King Solomon to do his will. He feels a little snubbed because he doesn't get respect or even the attention of the king. He is summoned by one of the Kings pet magicians(he has 17 of them), Ezekiel. He dislikes Ezekiel and within and hour of his enslavement he kills him. Then he leaves back to the Other Place, the world of the spirits. He is summoned by one of the most cruel of King Solomons magicians, Khaba. He tortures Bartimaeus and then forces him to take a human shape and build a temple with manual labor, no magic. Bartimaeus doesn't like this at all and eventually took a magical form to do it bacuse no one was around. The only thing was he didn't see King Solomon coming. King Solomon is appaled, he casts Khaba and all of his spirits out in the desert. He tells them they must destroy all the bandits before they may return. Out in the desert, Bartimaeus discovers the Bandits attacking a caravan. He saves one person, Asmira. She was from Sheba, and she was here to kill the King because he was threatening Sheba. Also she is an assassin. Bartimaeus doesn't learn her intentions, but wants to eat her. Farquarl, another more powerful djinni does to, but Asmira talks to Bartimaeus and promises to get him freed. So they spare her. She goes to have court with the King and gets Bartimaeus and Farquarl released. But suprise just as Bartimaeus gets back to the Other Place, he is summoned again. This time by Asmira. She orders him to steal King Solomons Ring. She wants his power gone so she can kill him.
You will have to read the rest to find out what happens but let me tell you, you won't regret it if you do. Bartimaeus is a djinni with a sense of humor, an example of this is when he finds Asmira in the desert and she is sucking up to him to stay alive. "They wouldn't be able to cope with much apart from that bit about your unworthy bottom...my unworthy heart. That to I should think." Another time he says "This 'exhalted spirit' thinks you want something. What is it?" This story is different from most books because it is in ancient egypt, but not the way we know it. They changed how history was played out in a most delightful way. I highly suggest you read this book.(less)

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Apr 09, 2012 Adam Tan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Starting in the ancient era of Solomon's time, Bartimaeus was one of Solomon's many djinns that were summoned. He wasn't summoned directly, but summoned instead by his workers. Bartimaeus rebels and kills his master only to be re-summoned by Solomon for punishment which involved searching for a lost caravan in the desert. During this expedition, he discovered a young lady from a nearby city, threatened by King Solomon's power, and soon becomes her demon to control. Together they invade the kingd...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Lighthearted rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, humorous-fiction

Don’t read this book if you dislike authors taking significant liberty with biblical characters: while Stroud’s Solomon is wise, there is no mention of God’s assistance and lots of mention of various spirits’ endeavors. If you’re open to an alternative version of events though, this is a fun, albeit dark read. Bartimaeus is dangerous: he is a slave and he’s generally treated horribly treated by his magician masters. He’s also one of the most outrageously funny characters ever: he’s snarky, he di...more

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, adventure

Bartimaeus, the wise-cracking, irreverant djinni from The Bartimaeus Trilogy is back for another adventure in which he manages to embarrass, harrass, and outsmart the magician to whom he is supposedly enslaved. It’s always fun to watch Bart get the upper hand! He’s a lot like the genie in the Aladdin movies…but A LOT more sassy. He is enslaved unless a magician doesn’t say the summoning spell correctly or construct it carefully. If there is any kind of loophole at all in the summons, or in the d...more Bartimaeus, the wise-cracking, irreverant djinni from The Bartimaeus Trilogy is back for another adventure in which he manages to embarrass, harrass, and outsmart the magician to whom he is supposedly enslaved. It’s always fun to watch Bart get the upper hand! He’s a lot like the genie in the Aladdin movies…but A LOT more sassy. He is enslaved unless a magician doesn’t say the summoning spell correctly or construct it carefully. If there is any kind of loophole at all in the summons, or in the directions that follow, Bart will find it…and EAT the magician. His last master came to such an end:

And that was the end of the old magician. We’d been together awhile, but I never got to know his name. Still, I remember him with fond affection. Foolish, greedy, incompetent, and dead. Now that’s the kind of master worth having. (page 27)

Bartimaeus has been alive for thousands of years and has had many magician masters. This story takes place in Jerusalem in the 900s BC during the reign of King Solomon the Great. King Solomon is well-known for building a great temple that is talked about in the Bible. In this story, Solomon has one of his magicians summon a bunch of demons and djinni to do the work of constructing the temple. One of the djinni summoned is Bartimaeus, who is none too happy about being summoned AGAIN so soon after eating his last master. He is also not happy about lugging rocks in the hot sun for days on end, and so he does what he does best, he institutes a “change of work practices.”

We promptly set up our lookout and spent our time in a mixture of loafing, gambling, imp-tossing, and philosophical debate. Occasionally, when we needed the exercise, we’d whip a few stones magically into position, just to make it look like we’d been doing something. (page 103)

For being such a troublemaker Solomon sends Bart into the desert to search out bandits that have been disrupting the flow of commerce into Jerusalem. It’s about as bad an assignment as lugging rocks. When a young girl/warrior helps him fend off the bandits Bartimaeus is surprised and a little bit impressed. Asmira, the girl/warrior, has been sent by the Queen of Sheba to kill Solomon, an assignment Bartimimaeus could easily sink his own teeth into. Asmira’s got some confidence and sass herself, so when the two set their sights on Solomon’s magic ring, the sparks really begin to fly. Author: Jonathon Stroud

For more: http://www.imcpl.org/kids/blog/?p=8370 (less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Almak rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Bartimaeus takes place in Israel during the reign of King Solomon and centers around the premise that Magicians conjure up the service of demons and bind them to serve as personal slaves. The stronger the magician, the more powerful demon could be called to serve including imps, foliots, djinn, afrits and marids. At times, a magician could make a mistake with an incantation which meant the demon was free to do as he wanted, and that pretty much meant the magician became dinner to said demon.

Ent...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Rachel Brown (although you should start with #1 in the series.)

Shelves: audio-cd, british-authors, fantasy, childrens-books, literary-fiction, seriously-funny, young-adult

With his Bartimeaus stories, Stroud has created a world worthy of JK Rowling. Unfortunately his apparent desire to be a 'literary author' irks me to no end. His otherwise brilliant stories are constantly weighed down by endless descriptions and piddly details. When I first discovered Bartimeaus and the Amulet of Sarkamand (book 1) I was instantly caught up in Stroud's witty prose and original plot. (I've always been partial to good British sarcasm.) The second and third books, however, the plot...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's been far too long since I read the original trilogy (I was in high school, am now a junior in college) so it's hard for me to remember what it was exactly about those that I liked so much and compare it to this. Since I couldn't put my finger on it I was just going to not say anything, but there are lots of other people saying that this wasn't as satisfying as the trilogy itself so I guess I'm not alone in that.

True, the main (human) characters were lacking in the kind of flaws that made th...more It's been far too long since I read the original trilogy (I was in high school, am now a junior in college) so it's hard for me to remember what it was exactly about those that I liked so much and compare it to this. Since I couldn't put my finger on it I was just going to not say anything, but there are lots of other people saying that this wasn't as satisfying as the trilogy itself so I guess I'm not alone in that.

True, the main (human) characters were lacking in the kind of flaws that made them worth caring about too much. As a feminist, I really liked the idea of Asmira - a strong, female main character; bad ass etc - but I really just never got to a point where I liked her enough to care what was going on. I kept reading for Bartimaeus' sake because, quite frankly, the interactions of the demons were much more interesting than the politics (although Barty's footnotes were a little boring this time around... idk. They seemed a bit unnecessary and a lot of them didn't even have jokes, just side information that wasn't relevant).

Although the book does have a delightful plot twist right near the end, I feel like Stroud played down what a big deal that twist was in the face of other things that were happening right at the end. One of the things I liked about the original trilogy that I do remember very clearly is that politics in this world played a HUGE part in what Bartimaeus and his cohorts were doing, and I thought it was awesome that for a kid's book Stroud had taken the initiative to talk about politics in a way that would make them interesting. The power struggles and the way the government was run, especially in the first book, was really cool to me... I missed that in this one.

Bartimaeus' sense of humor was great as always (and I don't know if I just don't remember his original jokes, but he was a little racy in this one! It was great). The fact that he is so conflicted makes him lovable and I will definitely be re-visiting the original trilogy because of it. But all in all the rest of the book wasn't quite as exciting. Worth a read? Sure, although I wouldn't put it at the very top of your list. Looking at this from a writer's perspective, it's clear that Stroud really loves Barty and the rest of the demons much more than he liked any of his other characters, but there's nothing wrong with that because they're all great, of course.

All in all I'd recommend it if you're a fan of the rest of the series and just jonesing for more of Bartimaeus' wit, or if you're like me and you mostly read books for good characters. The demons will keep you entertained... but again, if you have a big to-read list, this one could wait.(less)

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Dec 14, 2011 John Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most delightful literary characters to appear in the last decade is the cheeky Bartimaeus–a five-thousand-year-old djinni (“genie”) who plays the lead role in Jonathan Stroud’s trilogy The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye, and Ptolemy’s Gate.

In Stroud’s world, magicians have no magic in themselves, but they do have the lore to summon and enslave demons, who can work magic. There are demons of various levels and powers. The lowest regularly summoned and enslaved are Imps, who can b...more One of the most delightful literary characters to appear in the last decade is the cheeky Bartimaeus–a five-thousand-year-old djinni (“genie”) who plays the lead role in Jonathan Stroud’s trilogy The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye, and Ptolemy’s Gate.

In Stroud’s world, magicians have no magic in themselves, but they do have the lore to summon and enslave demons, who can work magic. There are demons of various levels and powers. The lowest regularly summoned and enslaved are Imps, who can be crude and like to tell outright whoppers, but are good for standing watch and carrying messages. Next come Foliots, which Bartimaeus describes as “cut price djinn.” In the middle of the great chain of beings are the Djinn themselves, whose clever intelligence Bartimaeus extols, follwed by Afrits, and then Marids, who are rarely summoned because they are too strong for any but the most powerful magicians to control. Of Marids, Bartimaeus insightfully reveals that they are “dreadfully full of themselves.”

In the trilogy, Bartimaeus is summoned and enslaved to do the bidding of a sometimes jerkish young magician who learns to be a better person, despite himself. Of course, along the way the magician put Bartimaeus in great peril, which he attacks with cunning, sardonic wit, and many good one-liners. I read the first book, loved it, then listened to all three read by Simon Jones, who makes these stories even better. The sad news is that I finished them. I simply wasn’t ready to let Bartimaeus go.

Which is why I was so happy to find that Stroud recently released a fourth book: The Ring of Solomon, which is a stand-alone prequel to the trilogy. The family and I just finished listening to it, and it is every bit as good, if not better, than the first three.

This story is set in biblical times where King Solomon has risen to uncontested power because of his possession of an all-powerful ring which allows him to summon hordes of powerful demons in a blink. Bartimaeus is enslaved to one of Solomon’s magicians. A mean man, who Bartimaeus catches in a mistake and escapes, principally by devouring him. But Solomon doesn’t take kindly to that, and orders Khaba, a sinister and cruel magician, to summon him back to make an example for the other demons.

Meanwhile, the Queen of Sheba, having denied Solomon’s marriage proposal three times, is sent an extortion threat. Angry and frightened, she sends Asmira, a young woman and loyal captain of the guard, to Jerusalem to assassinate Solomon.

Bartimaeus and Asmira hook up and find themselves in quite a pickle as they attempt to solve their problems. The story provides lots of humor, adventure, peril for both Bartimaeus and Asmira, and a number of surprising turnarounds. It also, in its own way, makes a comment on leadership, loyalty, and zealotry.

You’ll find it in the middle-grade section of your bookstore, but don’t let the placement fool you into thinking it’s not for adults. Like the best stories, it offers something for everyone. It’s a perfect blend of insight and entertainment and had my whole family, oldest to youngest, spellbound for the duration as we listened to it riding in the car. This is one of my favorite books this year. And if you want do indulge yourself, listen to the audio book read by Simon Jones.

(less)

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Dec 03, 2011 Michael Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars

in Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 17, God parallels the demons with the "gods" who are you are not to worship and sacrifice to. The Hebrew word is SHADE.

Solomon loved many strange women and those strange women turned his heart over to strange gods, in other words the demons. the author handles Solomon in a way that is quite deft.

so the historical foundation is actually somewhat set for this book, though it is an entirely humorous twist. It makes light of demons with brilliant British humor.

The ma...more

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About Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Anthony Stroud is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and youths.

Stroud grew up in St Albans where he enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. Between the ages seven and nine he was often ill, so he spent most of his days in the hospital or in his bed at home. To escape boredom he would occupy himself with books and stories. After he completed his studies...more

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Books by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus, #1)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy Boxed Set (Bartimaeus, #1-3)

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Quotes from The Ring of Solomon

“Can you define "plan" as "a loose sequence of manifestly inadequate observations and conjectures, held together by panic, indecision, and ignorance"? If so, it was a very good plan.” — 110 people liked it

“Besides, if you're going to die horribly, you might as well do it with style.” — 69 people liked it

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