My first encounter with Jonathan Stroud was a typical case of judging a book by it’s cover. And as it turned out, The Amulet of Samarkand was totally awesome. The further two parts of the Bartimaeus-trilogy were also a blast. What I particularly loved about the series is the source of the magic that is being wielded. While Harry Potter seems to get away with waving a wand and saying some memorized incantations with seemingly nothing at stake, wizards in the Bartimaeus-verse (yeah, I know) have very little magical powers themselves. They have to summon demons who then have to do the actual heavy lifting.
Four years after the original trilogy ended, the titular djinni Bartimaeus returns in a prequel called The Ring of Solomon. And once again, it’s a riot. Bart is his old snarky and mischievous self, and all his masters, whether they are greedy wizards or a young female assassins, seem to want just one thing: king Solomon’s ring, whose magical powers are without equal. Surely, that can only be the start of something … interesting.
- Book read
- Jonathan Stroud — Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon
- First Line
- Sunset above the olive groves.