The Ring of Solomon: A Bartimaeus Novel

A Bartimaeus Novel

By: Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by: Simon Jones

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 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 named 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. . . .

A spellbinding addition to Jonathan Stroud’s New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus audiobooks, The Ring of Solomon brims with dazzling wit, unforgettable characters, and powerful themes of freedom and slavery, with or without magical bonds.

The magical wit of Bartimaeus

While I didn't find the storyline here to be anywhere near as addictive or engrossing as the original Trilogy (the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5), the hilarity that ensues every time Bartimaeus opens his mouth makes this well worth listening to. Simon Jones is one of the best narrators out there, and I could listen to him all day. His reading of Bartimaeus's dialog is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny. He makes me wish I was trained in the magicians' arts so that I could summon the resourceful and wise-cracking djinni to keep me company. I'm happy to let Bartimaeus recharge his essence in The Other Place for a while, but I hope that this is not the last we see of him. I just hope that the human characters are a bit more interesting next time around - they were a little weak in this one.

NEXT PLEASE!!!

Pairing up Jonathan Stroud and the fabulous Simon Jones is worth a credit every time. I love these books. All the Bartimaeus stories are so fun!. Well written and so entertaining. Please Jonathan live forever and keep churning out Bart books for us.

The perfect family road trip book

First you will need to read books 1 through 3. that being said these are perfect to share with your kids. History, mystery, and good fun. The narration is excellent and the stories are good enough for both adult and child absolutely one of my favorite series.

Wonderfull

Continues the humor and fun of the series. Of course, the only returning character is Bart, but the book is just as good as the others.

Entertaining

The narrator provides great character to each role within story which keeps the listener engaged. I really enjoy his reading.