Ptolemy's Gate

In the final book in the Bartimaeus trilogy, Bartimaeus has been serving Nathaniel for two years straight and his essence is aching to go back home to the Other Place. Nathaniel - John Mandrake - is firmly ensconced as a magician and there is little of his young self left as he serves the government and works on putting out propaganda for the war in America. Kitty Jones, safe in a new identity, is meanwhile learning a little bit of magic on the side, commoner though she is.

This is a really fitting end to a fantastic fantasy series. The characters are great - especially Bartimaeus with his wise cracks and boasting - and Stroud shows how much of a history he's created for this alternate world as we also see a bit more of Bartimaeus's show more backstory with Ptolemy. Definitely worth reading and rereading; the audio read by Simon Jones is also excellent. The end still makes me cry. show less

SPOILER ALERT: I loved this book probably the best out of the three, though it is terribly hard to choose. The tension between Bartimaeus and John Mandrake (Nathaniel) mounts, and so does the conflict between commoners and magicians. The suspense and action all lead up to a satisfying climax, though the ending is heartbreaking. I did not want Nate to die of course, and maybe he could have saved London and his own life, but really, if he had saved the day again, he would just revert back to the greedy, selfish jerk he had become. He finally went back to being Nathaniel, the innocent, caring child he was, instead of his alias, John Mandrake, associated with all of the bad pieces of his personality. By sacrificing himself to save London, show more he remained Nathaniel forever. show less

I loved, loved, loved this trilogy. All three books were superb. Bartimaeus is sarcastic, bombastic, egotistical and hilarious. For most of the time, the human characters' negative traits win out over their occasional attempts to do the right thing. The ostensible heroine, Kitty, is tne most consistently "good" but even she has moments of lost faith or horrible failures that leave others hurt. The hero Nathaniel seems to become a hopelessly lost cause, but there's always a spark of goodness in there somewhere. Their foibles, fears and failures make these characters very human, and the bittersweet ending even more affecting.

I find it extremely heartening to read a children's book that has the courage not to stoop to cliche ideas of good show more vs. evil, or stock bland-yet-perfect heroes. And the history/mythology is all over the place between fact and fiction! I pity future teachers for the botched ideas it will inspire in their students' essays. show less

Ptolemy’s Gate is a powerful and deeply satisfying conclusion to The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Set in a magical London on the brink of collapse, the story follows Nathaniel, Bartimaeus, and Kitty as they confront a government in turmoil and a growing rebellion. Jonathan Stroud expertly weaves together humor, suspense, and heartbreaking emotion, creating a finale that feels both epic and intimate.

Bartimaeus’s voice remains sharp, witty, and unforgettable, but the book also shines in its exploration of loyalty, sacrifice, and what it means to be free. The character development—especially Nathaniel’s—is some of the strongest in the series, showing how far he has come from the ambitious boy he once was.

Full of tension, world-building, show more and emotional depth, Ptolemy’s Gate delivers an ending that is thrilling, meaningful, and unexpectedly moving. It’s widely regarded as one of the best fantasy trilogy finales for young readers and adults alike. show less

I think this is Stroud's best work by far. The book is surprisingly touching for a book about a satrical djinn. It is as witty and full of satire as its ancestors, yet it is deeper. When Ptolemy dismissed Bartimeaus before his death, so as to save him, I nearly cried, and when Nathaniel did the same for Bartimeaus, linking this story to a full circle, I did cry. A true masterpiece that balances of humor and profoundity subtlely. A stunning conclusion befitting of a bestseller series, which is rare indeed.

After a continuous spell on Earth for two years, the djinni Bartimaeus is weakened and no longer the imposing presence he once was; no longer is he in possession of astonishing levels of power, even if he still displays the usual very sharp tongue and acid sarcasm. Following his success with the golem, Nathaniel has been promoted to Information Minister and now sits on the Council with the most senior government magicians, churning out pamphlets to sell the necessary war with the American colonies to the commoners, who are mostly providing the cannon fodder. Meanwhile, Kitty Jones has taken on not just one, but two secret identities and managed to get access to magicians' books and libraries, pursuing a plan of her own. But a traitor show more with links to the government has hatched a terrible plan, and it falls to Nathaniel, Kitty and Bartimaeus to put their differences aside and act together to repel the threat to London and the rest of the country.

Even though it takes a long time to get moving properly (around 200 pages), when it does, it does so at a frenetic and breathless pace right to the end, and what an explosive ending it is. Hat off to Jonathan Stroud for manipulating my emotions to skilfully: amid the sheer horror, Bartimaeus keep his head and often injects some much-needed lightness and humour into the rather dark proceedings, which also display some unexpected poignancy at the end. The author leaves us in no doubt that this is the end of the adventures with the three unlikely allies and I will miss them all, though I might return to hear Bartimaeus's inimitable voice once again in The Ring of Solomon (written after Ptolemy's Gate, this is a prequel). Now I just need to get my breath back after exhausting myself following them around and watching them stumble from one scrape to the next. show less

As I expected, I had just as tough a time putting down the last volume of Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy as I did with the first two. In Ptolemy's Gate, the conflict between magicians and commoners bursts into the open as the magicians begin to lose their grip on power. Nathaniel's fortunes are waning along with his influence in the halls of power, and Bartimaeus' essence has been stretched to its limits by prolonged servitude. As Nathaniel seeks to unravel the great conspiracy which threatens the existence of the government, Kitty Jones re-enters his world and the two find themselves the victims of a very deep, very dangerous plot. With strong and malignant forces loose in London, Stroud's three protagonists find it necessary (no matter show more how distasteful) to cooperate for the greater good.

A fine conclusion to the series, with a healthy number of plot twists (most if not all of which were entirely unexpected). And for all those who are sick to death of happy endings, you needn't worry about that this time (and that's all I'll say about that). Truly an excellent series, and one which deserves more widespread attention.

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