Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Ring of Solomon

The Ring of Solomon
By Jonathan Stroud
Random House/Listening Library, 2010. 12 hrs, 39 mins.. Teen Fiction

Snarky djinni Bartimaeus is in Jerusalem, enslaved by one of King Solomon's powerful (and evil) magicians, Khaba. Meanwhile, in Sheba, a magical messenger informs the queen that she will have to pay a tribute to Solomon or her kingdom will be destroyed. Since Solomon is the owner of a highly powerful ring that allows him instant control of unlimited numbers of magical spirits, Sheba has no options...except one. The queen sends one of her personal guards, Asmira, to Jerusalem to assassinate Solomon and steal his ring. Along the way, she meets Bartimaeus, and "encourages" him to help her on her mission, despite his protests that it's impossible.

This Bartimaeus novel wasn't quite as appealing to me as the other three Bartimaeus books, but it's still a great choice for almost anyone. A clean read and a great mixture of suspense, humor, and adventure--and Bartimaeus's distinctive witty sarcasm.

Four stars.

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