Jonathan Stroud – The Ring of Solomon
3. The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud (2010)
Bartimaeus Trilogy, prequel
Read By: Simon Jones
Length: 12h 38m (416 pages)
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Started: 14 December 2010
Finished: 07 January 2010
Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I really enjoyed the rest of the Bartimaeus Trilogy (pre-blog), so I was excited to hear that Stroud had come out with a new one.
One ring to rule them
all… and by “them” I mean the
sarcastic djinnis.
Summary: In the world of the Bartimaeus books, magic is done by sorcerers – but what the sorcerers actually do is call up and bind powerful spirits, and force them to do their bidding. The spirits, of course, resent this enslavement, and any sorcerer who makes the smallest mistake in their spells is immediately set upon and devoured. Bartimaeus is a djinn – powerful enough that only skilled magicians can control him, but not as powerful as an afrit or marid – and he’s also clever, resourceful, terribly sarcastic, and thoroughly full of himself.
As the book opens, Bartimaeus is enslaved to one of the magicians of King Solomon’s court. Solomon wields great power and influence, due to his magical ring – a ring that can summon spirits of unspeakable power with the merest touch. Bartimaeus chafes under his enslavement, and is punished for his habitual cheek by being sent to rid the desert of bandits. Also chafing under Solomon’s rule is the Queen of Sheba, who responds to one of his demands for tribute by sending one of her guards, Asmira, to assassinate the king and steal the ring. This task is thoroughly impossible for any single person (or spirit), but when Asmira encounters Bartimaeus on her way to Jerusalem, the two together just might have a chance of accomplishing their goal and freeing themselves.
Review: This book was a slow starter for me. Partly the slow start was due to the fact that Simon Jones’s voice is pitched low enough that I had a hard time hearing it over the noise of my tires, so I couldn’t listen to it while doing my holiday traveling. However, even if I’d been listening to it in other circumstances, I think I would have still had a hard time getting into it. The first half of the books alternates chapters between Bartimaeus’s and Asmira’s points of view, but their stories are completely separate. It’s obvious from very early on that their storylines are going to cross eventually, so all the time they spend mucking around on their own just felt like stalling.
However, the good news is that once they do meet, the pace picks up dramatically. Asmira’s a good foil for Bartimaeus, and I really enjoyed their interactions. One of my favorite things about Bartimaeus is that he’s got this soft spot for humans that he’s desperately trying to keep hidden underneath all of the bluster and self-aggrandizement and snarkiness (which are available in ample supply, and hilariously wonderful to read). The manifestation of this soft spot is different here than it was in the original trilogy, but it’s there nevertheless, and it gives the story a subtle depth underneath the silliness and adventure.
In the end, I wound up enjoying this story every bit as much as the original trilogy. It was fun, funny, and a good distraction that made doing my post-holiday chores much more bearable. I also love these books in audio; Jones’s rendition of Bartimaeus is just so perfectly dry and catty that it really adds something that you don’t get reading them in print. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: The Ring of Solomon is completely independent, plot-wise, from the books of the main trilogy, and could easily be picked up as a stand-alone. Recommended for YA fantasy fans who want a book with a unique setting, a unique way of doing magic, and/or a main character that is dripping (occasionally literally) with snark.
This Review on LibraryThing | This Book on LibraryThing | This Book on Amazon
Other Reviews: Book Nut, Charlotte’s Library, Travels Through Iest
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.
First Line: Sunset above the olive groves.
© 2011 Fyrefly’s Book Blog. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Fyrefly’s Book Blog or its RSS feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is being used without permission.
Fyrefly's Book Blog 
I have this out from the library right now and am really looking forward to it. I lovelovelove it when two seperate storylines come together, so I wonder if I’ll think better of that part than you did.
Memory – I usually love intertwining storylines too; I think my problem with this one was that what happened before the meet-up wasn’t particularly integral to the plot, and there was so much of it, that I really just wanted them to get on with things already.
I loved the snark! The original trilogy got too dark for me, but this one hit the spot.
Charlotte – I usually like dark fantasy, so I didn’t mind the original trilogy, but neither did I mind having something a little lighter!
I loved the original series and this one was an excellent addition. Bartimaeus’ footnotes are hysterically funny, especially when you realise that they’re not totally factual, but rather skewed towards his own egotistical viewpoint.
I read and reviewed it on my blog: http://travelsthroughiest.blogspot.com.
Elfy – Added your link, thanks!
Hey, I didn’t know Jonathan Stroud had written a new book. I still haven’t read the whole Bartimaeus trilogy — I read the first book but so long ago I hardly remember anything about it, and then I couldn’t get the sequels — but I obviously need to catch myself up!
Jenny – They’re totally independent, so you could easily read the new book without worrying about catching up on the original trilogy.
The three books in the main trilogy also started slow, so I am not surprised that this book also takes some time to come to the point. I enjoy Stroud’s writing though, and I am pretty sure I will like this one as well :)