...a prequel to the hugely popular Bartimaeus trilogy, about a sarcastic millennia-old djinni and a boy wizard with bags more personality than Potter... The Voice is as funny as ever, but there are passages of eerie beauty, and a shrewd message about fanatacism. "You don't need a djinni for this job." says Bart wearily, "Young men are best at dying for empty concepts." Stroud has lost non of his dazzle.

This tale of the irascible djinni causing chaos in Jerusalem around 930BC will not disappoint. Wonderfully written and brilliantly plotted, this book provides an entertaining cast of characters and a satisfying denoument, with ends finally tied after many twists and turns. Bartimaeus himself is a brilliant creation, offering lots of comedy opportunities to the writer

May be the best one yet... Needless to say Bartimaeus is a tad resentful of the magicians and expresses his disgruntlement with wit, much sarcasm, and occasional magician-devouring.

A really funny read that focuses on high-speed action and comic chat...By the end you'll be repeating Bartimaeus's arsenal of put downs to your mates. The story has some neck-snapping twists and the thrills keep going to the finish. Fantastically gobby fantasy.

If you haven't 'met' Bartimaeus yet then you are in for one hell of a treat - in my opinion he is one of the greatest character creations in modern children's literature, and he is certainly in my top ten favourite characters from any book, adult or child... I could go on and on! He is the kind of character that most children's authors might dream of creating, but Jonathan Stroud got there first and not only that, but he has the writing skills to make us come back for more and more... it is also a book that can be thoroughly enjoyed by all ages, from 11 upwards. And yes, I am including adults in this... Whatsmore, with five thousand years of Bartimaeus history to cover, Mr Stroud could be writing these for many years to come.

The fantasy, the action and the historical detail will give much to ponder on and you will keep turning the pages long after you feel you should put it down for the night. Brilliant fantasy writing.If you read the Trilogy then this is a must read. If you have never read a magical fantasy then this is as good as it gets

one of the greatest character creations in modern children's literature... certainly in my top ten favourite characters from any book, adult or child.

So rarely do humor and plot come together in such equally strong measures that we can only hope for more adventures."

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.