from Luke:

The Ring of Solomon is a young adult novel by Jonathan Stroud, and it focuses on a world where magical spirits exist alongside humans. These spirits, however, are enslaved by wizards to perpetually do their bidding with all of the magical power the spirits possess. Our main character is a djinn named Bartimaeus, who is conscribed to a wizard in Jerusalem, which is ruled by King Solomon, one of the greatest wizards in the world. The story bounces between the point of view of Bartimaeus and a young warrior serving under the queen of Sheba, named Asmira. This is an action-packed, witty book that is a prequel to Stroud’s ‘Bartimaeus’ trilogy, but it can be easily read and enjoyed by someone with no familiarity to the other books. If you like magical escapades, you’ll love The Ring of Solomon. ( )

Fun stuff from the King of Footnotes. ( )

I like this Jonathan Stroud guy - very consisten with his Bartemeaus personality... (or at least the reader is.) wonder if there will be more... ( )

This book serves as a prequel to the regular main trilogy- even though you wouldn't be out of the loop skipping it, I wouldn't recommend it given that the main core trilogy is one of the best series of books ever written. It's up to you to read this one before or after the main trilogy- either way is fine. This was written after the entire core series was published. Masterfully written with a sardonic sharp tongue and liveliness as found in the Bartimaeus sequence.

Unlike the core series that is written in alternating perspective- this book is linear and told from one character the entire way cover to cover. Superb choice of reading for fantasy fans that are looking for something new and are tired of the generic tropes and predictable stories.

Once you are done with this- head on over to Book # 1 of the Bartimaeus Sequence! Read my review of the core series here (be sure to check it out, I have a special offer going on about it) :
https://www.librarything.com/work/56997/reviews/228006079 ( )

How I love sequels that are well-thought out. It's like getting back together with an old friend and picking right back up from where you left off. However, to clarify, this isn't a sequel. It's a prequel that feels like a sequel. But Bartimaeus is still his delightfully charming, impertinently saucy, and good(!) self. Great fun. ( )