The Ring of Solomon facts for kids
Original cover
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| Author | Jonathan Stroud |
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| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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14 October 2010 |
| Media type | Print (paperback & hardback) |
| Pages | 448 (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | 1-4231-2372-7 |
| OCLC | 758069020 |
| Preceded by | Ptolemy's Gate |
The Ring of Solomon is an exciting children's book. It mixes alternate history, fantasy, and magic. This novel is a prequel to the popular Bartimaeus trilogy. It was written by the British author Jonathan Stroud. The first paperback edition came out in October 2010 in the UK.
Contents
About the Story
This book tells about the early adventures of a clever spirit named Bartimaeus. He serves the powerful King Solomon. The story shows how Bartimaeus gets into trouble and helps solve big problems.
Where the Story Happens
The story takes place in a fantasy version of ancient Jerusalem. This is during the time of the biblical King Solomon. It's set around 950 BCE, a very long time ago!
Who Are the Main Characters?
Magicians
- Solomon: The wise and powerful King of Israel. He rules with the help of a special ring.
- Asmira: A brave captain of the guard for the Queen of Sheba. She is very loyal.
- Balkis (Queen of Sheba): The queen of a faraway land. She is strong and proud.
- Ezekiel: One of King Solomon's magicians. He is not very careful.
- Khaba the Cruel: Another magician serving Solomon. He is known for being harsh.
Spirits
- Bartimaeus: A clever and often funny djinn. He is a mid-level spirit.
- Faquarl: Another djinn, and an old rival of Bartimaeus.
- Ammet: A very powerful marid (a type of spirit).
- Spirit of the Ring: The powerful spirit trapped inside Solomon's magical ring.
- Philocretes: An afrit (another type of spirit) who is trapped.
Groups in the Story
- High Magicians of Solomon: These are the most powerful magicians who serve King Solomon.
Magical Items and Places
- Ring of Solomon: A very powerful magical ring. It gives King Solomon control over spirits. However, it also causes great pain to anyone who wears it.
What Happens in the Story?
The story begins in Jerusalem. Bartimaeus, a djinn, is working for one of King Solomon's magicians, Ezekiel. King Solomon rules Israel using a mighty Ring. Ezekiel orders Bartimaeus to get a magical object from the ancient city of Eridu. Bartimaeus succeeds, but then he tricks Ezekiel. The magician is knocked out of his protective circle. Bartimaeus gets free from the magician and returns to the spirit world.
When King Solomon hears about Ezekiel's fate, he is very angry. He feels insulted that a simple djinn caused such trouble. To punish Bartimaeus, the king orders Khaba, another magician, to summon Bartimaeus back. The king also asks the Queen of Sheba to marry him, but she says no.
The story then moves to Marib, the capital of Sheba. Queen Balkis receives a message from a fierce marid spirit. The spirit claims to be from Solomon. It demands 40 sacks of frankincense as payment, or Sheba will be destroyed. The queen has two weeks to pay. Balkis decides to send her loyal guard captain, Asmira, to Jerusalem. Her mission is to stop Solomon.
Back in Jerusalem, Bartimaeus is now forced to work for Khaba. He has to do many boring jobs, like counting grain and cleaning sewers. His old rival, Faquarl, is also working there. Khaba gathers the eight djinn under his command. He tells them they must build Solomon's Temple on the Temple Mount. They are ordered to build it without using any magic. Bartimaeus uses his quick wit to annoy Khaba. Khaba punishes the djinn and threatens to trap them if they displease him again.
At first, Khaba watches the building work closely. But after a while, he and his helper stop showing up. The djinn become lazy. They start using magic to build the temple, which is against Solomon's rules. One day, Solomon makes a surprise visit to the building site. The other djinn quickly hide their magic. But Bartimaeus is caught looking like a pygmy hippopotamus in a skirt! The king questions Bartimaeus. The djinn admits his guilt but protects the other spirits. Solomon is about to use the Ring on Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus begs for mercy. Solomon finds this funny. He spares Bartimaeus's life. Instead, he punishes Bartimaeus and Khaba by sending them to hunt local bandits.
Days later, in the desert, Bartimaeus and Faquarl find bandits attacking Asmira. Faquarl wants to get rid of her. But Bartimaeus hopes she can help them with Khaba. Asmira is taken to Jerusalem by Khaba. She convinces him to let the two djinn go. Faquarl gains his freedom. But Khaba traps Bartimaeus in a small bottle as punishment. Asmira tries to get close to Solomon but fails. Asmira then frees Bartimaeus from the bottle. She orders him to help her stop Solomon. They sneak through the palace gardens and climb the tower wall. Bartimaeus uses his magic to help them avoid traps.
They find the king in his observatory. Asmira stabs him with her dagger. But it's only an illusion set up to trick them! Bartimaeus escapes, but Asmira is captured. She is taken to the real King Solomon. Meanwhile, Bartimaeus meets a trapped afrit named Philocretes. He learns the secret of Solomon and the Ring. The Ring causes great pain to whoever wears it. Bartimaeus then sneaks into the room where Solomon is questioning Asmira. He steals the Ring. Asmira takes the Ring from him. She discovers that its power truly hurts anyone who touches it. Solomon then says he never sent any ransom demand to Sheba. This makes Asmira doubt her mission and her loyalty to Queen Balkis. Asmira decides not to harm the king. Instead, she chooses to take the Ring back to Sheba. Solomon warns her, and Bartimaeus tries to discourage her. Suddenly, Khaba arrives. He captures both Asmira and Bartimaeus. He claims the Ring for himself. Khaba orders the Spirit of the Ring to destroy Solomon's palace and other magicians. But Asmira uses her last knife to cut off Khaba's finger, with the ring still on it. She tells Bartimaeus to throw it into the sea. Khaba is weakened but tries to destroy Asmira and Solomon. They manage to hold off Khaba's other servants for a short time.
Meanwhile, Bartimaeus has fled the palace. The powerful Ammet is chasing him. They reach the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Bartimaeus dips the ring in the sea, completing his task. In a surprising move, he puts the Ring on. He orders the Spirit to trap Ammet inside a wine jar at the bottom of the sea for thousands of years. Bartimaeus returns to Jerusalem. He knocks out Khaba and gives the Ring back to Asmira. She returns it to Solomon. The king traps Khaba. He forgives both Asmira and Bartimaeus for what they did. Solomon then calls Queen Balkis to Jerusalem. He explains the misunderstanding. However, a spiteful Balkis removes Asmira from her service. Solomon then offers Asmira a job working for him.
After the attack, Asmira willingly lets Bartimaeus go. She tells him she plans to turn down Solomon's offer. She wants to choose her own path in life. They part ways as friends.
