A captivating, funny and beautifully imagined fable

Startlingly beautiful...an eloquent example of the games a fine storyteller can play

A beautiful book... It's like a bridge, built between generations, fabulous and strange and from the heart

A bustling and minutely imagined fabular landscape, crammed with allegorical figures and places...its exuberance is inextricably linked to its profligacy with puns, rhymes, one liners and snippets of nonsense... It captures brilliantly that moment when adults enrapture children by behaving like children themselves

A playful, inventive statement to a son, a story of growing up and imminent self-awareness, a tale of magic

Enough twists and turns to make the story unpredictable and compelling

Witty and funny and exciting, just like the first book. Marcus made a great narrator again . . . It was really intriguing and I think many kids would be hooked on this series of books

Absolutely unputdownable. I raced through it, it was so addictive and I enjoyed every minute of it. I didn't want it to end! I can't recommend this series enough! Read it, then give it to any child you know . . . and then let me know, did YOU guess the ending, or am I the only idiot who didn't?!

Bartimaeus is as sardonic, egotistical, and mouthy as ever. This is a superior fantasy.

Bartimaeus is back, and he's better than ever! For fans of Bartimaeus, this is an absolute must-buy. For those not yet introduced to him, you may want to give him a try!

Deservedly shortlisted for this year's Costa prize is Jonathan Stroud's The Ring of Solomon....It has magic, intrigue, wit and sassy footnotes.

Pace, drama, magic and exotic colour, with Bartimaeus there to give an irreverent, current feel to a story set in the ancient past.