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The Ring of Solomon (Bartimaeus Series #4)

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The Ring of Solomon (Bartimaeus Series #4)

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Overview

Fans rejoice — everyone's favorite wise-cracking djinni is back!

Thousands of years before his fateful service to the magician Nathaniel in London, wily Bartimaeus served as djinni to hundreds of masters, from Babylon and Ancient Egypt to the modern Middle East. In this brilliant new installment in the best-selling series, history is revealed as readers travel alongside Bartimaeus to Jerusalem and the court of King Solomon for his most exciting adventure yet.

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About the Author

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ISBN-13:	9781423124047
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	01/24/2012
Series:	Bartimaeus Series , #4
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	90,725
Product dimensions:	5.24(w) x 7.74(h) x 0.96(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Stroud (www.jonathanstroud.com) is the author of four previous books in the Lockwood & Co. series as well as the New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus books, and the stand-alone titles Heroes of the Valley, The Leap, The Last Siege, and Buried Fire. He lives in England with his wife and three children.

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In this exciting prequel set in ancient Israel, Stroud presents an early adventure of his sharp-tongued djinn, Bartimaeus. King Solomon has risen to greatness due to the unparalleled power of his magical ring, but having had his marriage proposal rejected by the queen of Sheba, he now appears to be threatening her kingdom with destruction. Young Asmira, the fiery captain of the queen's hereditary guard, is sent to Jerusalem to assassinate the great king and steal the ring. Meanwhile, Bartimaeus, as sardonic, egotistical, and mouthy as ever, perfectly capable of "devouring old magician and departing his tower with a burp and a smile," is currently controlled by the wicked Khaba, one of Solomon's court wizards, and is bitterly unhappy with his lot. When djinn and would-be assassin team up, complex court intrigues come to light and spectacular magics are unleashed. Although the Jerusalem of 950 B.C.E. is not quite as enthralling as was the London of the original trilogy, this is a superior fantasy that should have fans racing back to those books. Ages 10–up. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 6 Up—Fans of Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy" (Hyperion) will cheer the return of the sarcastic, chatty, and mischievous djinni in this prequel. Or perhaps this should be termed a pre-pre-prequel as the setting is an alternate version of biblical times during the reign of King Solomon, where magicians command djinni and Solomon rides herd over the known world due to his possession of an all-powerful ring that causes everyone to cower before him. The Queen of Sheba, aware that Solomon is preparing to disrupt her country's frankincense trade due to her refusal of his multiple marriage proposals, sends her most trusted guard, Asmira, to kill Solomon and steal the ring. Meanwhile, Bartimaeus has been humiliated because of his misbehavior and forced to work for Solomon's henchman, Khaba, on his new temple. After an amusing incident in which Bartimaeus is caught in the form of a hippo while illegally using magic to lay stones for Solomon's temple, he is sent to hunt other creatures who are disrupting trade routes. He encounters Asmira, traveling to Jerusalem under an assumed identity to accomplish her mission. How Bartimaeus ends up as her servant, and what they discover about the truth of Solomon's power, makes this a delightful and fascinating book, and it's likely to bring new fans to the original series. Bartimaeus is a wonderful creation, with his constant storytelling digressions delivered in the form of footnotes. But the new character, Asmira, is equally well rendered, with her keen ability with daggers providing her with much-needed self-defense. Definitely a must-purchase for most libraries.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO

School Library Journal

Listeners were first introduced to Bartimaeus, the wisecracking djinni, in THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND. In this prequel, set in ancient Israel, the cynical and outspoken Bartimaeus is forced into servitude to King Solomon. The king has risen to greatness due to the power of a magical ring. After the Queen of Sheba rejects Solomon’s proposal of marriage, Bartimaeus teams up with Ashmira, the loyal captain of Sheba’s guards, to defeat Solomon before he destroys her kingdom. Narrator Simon Jones gives distinct voices to the multitude of characters, each with a unique tone and attitude. Bartimaeus, with his posh British accent, is both lovable and egotistical. Jones’s sense of timing for both humor and intrigue contributes to a spirited performance. L.A.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2010 - AudioFile

The entertainingly cocky djinni scraps his way through a 950 BCE escapade mostly unrelated to his series (The Bartimaeus Trilogy) but in that same metaphysical world. Any competent magician can summon Bartimaeus to Earth and enslave him, though none can suppress his amusingly snide commentary (complete with witty footnotes). Assigned to chase bandits outside a corrupt Jerusalem, he meets Asmira, a young woman whose third-person-limited narrative sections are told in a reserved, pragmatic voice. She treks to Jerusalem on a mission to assassinate King Solomon, who threatens her country of Sheba. Magical detonations enhance the tension as Asmira creeps closer to King Solomon and his world-controlling ring. Semi-success in her quest raises new questions, expanding her worldview and making her think in new ways. Despite Asmira's likability, copious action and suspense, the text's sharp elegance and Bartimaeus's funny panache under duress, the prose moves slowly throughout, partly due to over-description. Best for worshippers of popular Bartimaeus and fantasy readers who don't require a quick pace. (Fantasy. YA)

Kirkus Reviews

The Ring of Solomon (Bartimaeus Series #4)

The Ring of Solomon (Bartimaeus Series #4)

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