Title:

Bartimaeus

Author:

Jonathan Stroud

Category:

Science Fiction / Fantasy

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

May 17, 2024
read through a list of the best fantasy novels; most of the titles were familiar to me, but the Bartimaeus books I had not heard of before though apparently they are quite popular. Stroud wrote a trilogy starring the smart-alec djinn Bartimaeus, and then later wrote a prequel, which was Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon. I decided to start at the beginning of the tale, and so picked up the prequel to read first. I thought that the story was okay, but it wouldn't make my list of best fantasy novels. It is meant to be a lighthearted tale, but none of the humor struck me as terribly funny. The novel is told in two points of view. There are chapters in first person, which are narrated by Bartimaeus himself, and these sections have numerous footnotes where the djinn will make sarcastic aside comments or other exaggerated remark. The other chapters are in third person and tell the story of Asmira, the loyal guard of the Queen of Sheba.

Bartimaeus is a djinn - not the most powerful of the magical beings, but still pretty high up in the hierarchy of otherworldly beings. Bartimaeus can transform himself into different shapes, hurl magical bolts and possesses other useful skills. He is also immortal, and can see all seven planes of existence (lowly humans can only see the base layer). Human magicians can summon these ethereal beings and command them to do their bidding, but they must be precise in their explanation of what their desires are. The djinn hate slaving for human masters and will look for any loophole in the summoner's demands, or any careless misstep outside of the pentacle.

Bartimaeus manages to slay his current master, a powerful magician in the court of King Solomon. But rather than let such a deed go unpunished, the most powerful magician in Jerusalem, the evil Khaba, summons Bartimaeus and forces him into servitude. Bartimaeus is assigned to a team of captured djinn who must build a magnificent new temple for King Solomon. Solomon is greatly feared by everyone because he bears a magic ring on his finger that allows him to summon Uraziel, the most powerful being that there is. Solomon merely has to twist the ring and Uraziel will appear, and execute any command that Solomon utters. Solomon is not pleased to see Bartimaeus and his fellow djinn goofing around when he arrives for a surprise inspection. Khaba, who is in charge of controlling the djinn instructed to construct the temple, is wroth over Bartimaeus's antics, and banishes him to the desert to guard against bandit attacks.

A demon appears in Sheba, with a demand that the Queen come to Jerusalem and marry King Solomon. Also, her kingdom must pay tribute in the form of sacks of valuable frankincense. If the king's demands are not met, he will unleash an unstoppable horde of unearthly beings to destroy Sheba. The Queen has just two weeks to comply, or her kingdom will be destroyed. Just so she gets the message, the demon shatters a castle tower as it departs.

The Queen entrusts her most loyal guard, Asmira, with a seemingly impossible task. Asmira must travel to Jerusalem, slay King Solomon, and steal his ring. That is the only way that Sheba can be saved. Asmira is highly skilled in combat. Her mother died protecting the Queen of Sheba from an attack, and now it is her turn to continue her mother's loyal legacy. She is equipped with silver knives, which she can throw with unerring accuracy. (Otherworldy creatures hate silver and iron). Asmira sets forth immediately, joining a caravan that crosses dangerous desert terrain, in an area where ruthless bandits are known to roam. Naturally, these are same bandits that Bartimaeus has been commanded to dispel...

One minor quibble I had - why doesn't Asmira retrieve her thrown knives after the battles are done? Surely they could be thrown again, and a silver knife must be valuable.Also, then Asmira would not run out of these handy knives.

I think the Bartimaeus novels are targeted at a younger audience. Perhaps Bartimaeus's cheeky commentary will seem funnier to younger readers. The story is interesting enough to finish, but I am not currently inclined to seek out the remaining three books in the series.