Title: The Ring of Solomon
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Humor
Page Count: 398
Rating: 5 out of 5
Cover Rating: 4.5 out of 5. I love this cover! The only thing that prevented me from giving it a 5 was the fact it is a teensy bit spoilery, if you take it literally. Which I tend to do. (THIS COVER is also cool, but the gargoyle is rather grotesque.)
Inside flap:
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 to 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 names Bartimaeus among them. True to form, Bartimaeus promptly gets kicked off the temple project and assigned the even more miserable task of hunting bandits in the desert. There he crosses paths with Asmira, a highly skilled and loyal captain of the Queen of Sheba's guard, on a suicidal mission to save her country from Solomon's imminent attack. Of course, Bartimaeus has no intention of helping her. That is, until Asmira makes him an offer he cannot refuse . . .
My expectations: High. I LOVE The Bartimaeus Trilogy, and I expected a lot from this prequel.
My expectations were met, and even exceeded in some ways.
About the book: I love Bartimaeus. He is one of the funniest, most endearing characters in the Fantasy books I've read, and definitely the best dijinni. I found the historical setting in this book quite interesting, along with the portrayal of both the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon and the whole culture across that area.
The writing style is great--Jonathan Stroud writes well, and as with all Bartimaeus books, the little footnotes that serve as wisecracks are definitely a bonus, even if the reader has to keep glancing down at the bottom of the page. For some authors that would be a drawback, but for Stroud it certainly isn't.
- Plot:
Fast, and there are several unexpected twists--it never lagged, and the ending wound up everything well.
- Characters:
Bartimaeus, as I have mentioned, is quite funny. You get a lot of his character in this book, from the dancing hippo (I cracked up at that part) to the banter with his fellow djinni.
Asmira was a determined, and strong girl. She does what she has to do to accomplish her mission. I didn't really like her at the start, but by the end of the book I did. She changes throughout the story, even though it doesn't span that much time.
Khaba is an excellent antagonist. Evil, cunning, and power-driven, he has all the right stuff. Or, rather, wrong stuff. He knows what he wants and he'll do anything from torture to killing to get it, and is a formidable enemy.
Khaba is an excellent antagonist. Evil, cunning, and power-driven, he has all the right stuff. Or, rather, wrong stuff. He knows what he wants and he'll do anything from torture to killing to get it, and is a formidable enemy.
- Setting/Elements:
The setting--historical figures, warriors, demons, magic--is fascinating, and something unique; it's nice to be able to read something that's put in a setting different from a lot of other books.
Other: Violence, (bandits, assassins, etc.), but that's really about it.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely!
-----The Golden Eagle
