The Ring of Solomon

Locations
Call Number: Y Fiction / Stroud, Jonathan
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Stroud, Jonathan	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Prequel to the Bartimaeus trilogy.
Wise-cracking djinni Bartimaeus finds himself at the court of King Solomon with an unpleasant master, a sinister servant, and King Solomon's magic ring.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Bartie's Back! submitted by MariaK on January 1, 2011, 5:29pm Honestly, I was surprised to see another Bartimaeus book pop up after the extremely...final...nature of the conclusion of Ptolemy's Gate. I was afraid that without the snark-filled interplay between Batimaeus, Nathaniel and Kitty, this book would be somehow lacking, but that was not the case. While I did miss Nathaniel and Kitty, Asmira, Khaba and Solomon are quite interesting enough to make up for their absence. This book does not sequentially follow the original trilogy, but I'd still recommend readers start there -- Bartimaeus' backstory as revealed in the trilogy adds a lot of depth to this story's subtext. Overall, a very enjoyable, witty read! Fans of this series might enjoy Sarah Rees Brennan's "The Demon's Lexicon"-- more demon-summoning magicians, but played for drama instead of laughs.

Prequel submitted by 0liviap0pp on June 28, 2011, 7:14am This is a surprising prequel to the Bartimaeus Trilogy, but I really liked it all the same.

Prequel? submitted by OKH34 on July 5, 2011, 3:58pm The expression on my face was very near commical when I glanced at the bartimaeus books (out of habit, you see, it took me weeks to get the third book, ptolemys gate.) and saw that there was another book out! Of course I snatched it up immediately and took it home. It was odd to read the prequel (I believe one of the preceding reviews mentioned the finality of ptolemys gate, and I share there sentiments), and it was very good. It was such a surprise! Anyway, this series is terrific, read it if you haven't (and if you have, read it again!).

The Survival of Jerusalem and Bartimaeus! submitted by alexis on July 11, 2011, 7:54pm I really loved to find Bartimaeus in yet another book. It was one of the most epic of the books written by Jonathan Stroud. I have to admit, I thought that this book would not be as interesting as The Amulet of Samarkand; Nathaniel was not involved. This book explained many things that the others could not. I think that this book should have been the first of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, with it telling Bartimaeus' backstory. Although Nathaniel was not included in this book, I really liked having Asmira, Queen Balkis, King Solomon and Khaba having this huge feud over the Ring. I hope that Jonathan Stroud continues to write books on Bartimaeus and all of the other characters!

OK submitted by Parzival on June 15, 2012, 2:53pm I haven't read any other of this author's books but everyone was ranting about how good they were. I fail to share their sentiment but if you are bored I would suggest it.

Prequel submitted by Commander Taffy on June 19, 2013, 12:13pm I loved the Bartimaeus Trilogy and although this book was not as good as the others I still enjoyed it. My recommendation is to read the others first, you will be able to enjoy this one more if it is not your first.

Good read submitted by VanCancue on June 17, 2018, 7:46pm I was glad to get another chance to experience more of Bartimeus's cool wit. However this prequel was not as great as the trilogy.

Fantastic Prequel! submitted by Marina_Hope on July 25, 2023, 9:45am Bartimeus is in fine form in 950 B.C.E. I loved the depiction of King Solomon and Jerusalem. Good villians are crucial to a Bartimeus story and Khaba meets that standard. Since it is a prequel, you don´t need to read the trilogy first. Highly recommended!