Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon (original 2010; edition 2010)

I listened to this on cd and the narrator was so good that it took what would probably be to me a 3.5-4 star book to five stars. I liked the plot better than the first three books and those were great, too. What makes them fantastic is Bartimaeus and his sarcasm, wit, and his whole put-upon-but-secretly-I-don't-mind attitude.

I wish Stroud would write more in this series. ( )

I listened to this on cd and the narrator was so good that it took what would probably be to me a 3.5-4 star book to five stars. I liked the plot better than the first three books and those were great, too. What makes them fantastic is Bartimaeus and his sarcasm, wit, and his whole put-upon-but-secretly-I-don't-mind attitude.

I wish Stroud would write more in this series. ( )

I read the first Bartimaeus book awhile back and didn’t love it enough to keep reading the series. However, I’d heard good things about this prequel, and also it beat Conspiracy of Kings in the SLJ Battle of the Books, so I clearly needed to actually read it. I enjoyed it a lot, and I can see why Richard Peck would have chosen it, even if I still disagree. ( )

A prequel to Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy. The reader knows that Bartimaeus survives, but it's still enjoyably suspenseful. This story underscores how old the demons are and how short the lives of humans and their empires. Many characters have very nice psychological storylines and the narrative is constructed with Stroud's usual care. The question of whose perspective, if anyone's, reflects reality is, as in his other work, a subtext once you know to look for it. ( )

The Ring of Solomon is a prequel to the Bartimaeus trilogy. Bartimaeus has been working hard for a magician who in turn is subject to Solomon. Yes, King Solomon, the wise man from the Bible. Solomon is building his temple and doesn't want any magical shortcuts, this of course is where Bartimaeus really gets himself into trouble. As punishment he and his handler are sent into the desert to stop raiders attacking caravans on their way to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus saves the last person in the most recent caravan to be attacked. This person turned out to be a lot more trouble than she was worth.

This was another fun rump with Bartimaeus and he was his old wise-cracking self. The footnotes often made the chapter. I hope this isn't the last we'll see of him. Things are never dull with Bartimaeus around. ( )