The Bartimaeus Trilogy Bk. 3:
Ptolemy's Gate
by Jonathan Stroud
Ptolemy's Gate
by Jonathan Stroud
PTOLEMY'S GATE by Jonathan Stroud
Category: Fantasy
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 1/1/07
Publisher: Miramax
Reviewed by: K. Osborn Sullivan
Rating: 5 Stars
He’s back! But this time around, the smart-mouthed djinni, Bartimaeus, is exhausted from too much work and not enough
time to recover in his netherworld home. It’s like they always say, “All work and no play makes Bartimaeus a dull
supernatural being.” Although, in this case, he’s anything but dull. He’s tired, weak, sharp-tongued, homicidal, and
insulting. But definitely not dull.
In this third installment of THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY, the hero is again a djinni who has little respect for humans
and even less interest in their petty wars and government squabbles. The magicians who rule England in this series of
books insist on summoning Bartimaeus and scores of other demons to fight their wars, provide magical assistance of all
sorts, and generally do their bidding. The demons see this treatment as slavery, and for good reason. What would you call
forced servitude for no pay under threat of intense pain?
PTOLEMY’S GATE opens to find poor Bartimaeus stretched to the breaking point by his magician master, Nathaniel. A
war in America is going poorly, the commoners of London are growing tired of the ruling class of magicians, and young
Nathaniel is looked upon with jealousy and mistrust by his co-workers. As a result of all of these threats, Nathaniel
rationalizes the need to keep Bartimaeus around to help him deal with the many problems that he faces. After a long
association with the djinni, it is almost as if Nathaniel trusts his reluctant servant. And it is almost as if Bartimaeus has a
shred of concern for human dealings. Almost.
PTOLEMY’S GATE is an excellent capstone to the extraordinary Bartimaeus series. I enjoyed all of these books
immensely and recommend them to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy. Like the first two books, THE AMULET
OF SAMARKAND and THE GOLEM’S EYE, this one is filled with humor and excitement. These books also offer
some social commentary for those who want to pay attention to such things. For example, the ruling class of magicians in
these books take extreme measures to maintain their own positions, while claiming that they are really just interested in
keeping the masses safe. There are resistance groups that oppose the government, and they engage in acts of terrorism to
free themselves from the magicians’ oppressive yoke.
The entiretrilogy is a fun-filled pleasure to read. Doubtless it would be possible to read PTOLEMY’S GATE without
having read the previous two books, but I would not recommend it. There is quite a bit of background that would be
missed, and the story would definitely suffer. While the first book in the series, THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND,
could probably stand alone, the second two (THE GOLEM’S EYE and PTOLEMY’S GATE) should be read together.
And once the last page of PTOLEMY’S GATE is turned, readers will undoubtedly wish they could summon Bartimaeus
back for more.
Category: Fantasy
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 1/1/07
Publisher: Miramax
Reviewed by: K. Osborn Sullivan
Rating: 5 Stars
He’s back! But this time around, the smart-mouthed djinni, Bartimaeus, is exhausted from too much work and not enough
time to recover in his netherworld home. It’s like they always say, “All work and no play makes Bartimaeus a dull
supernatural being.” Although, in this case, he’s anything but dull. He’s tired, weak, sharp-tongued, homicidal, and
insulting. But definitely not dull.
In this third installment of THE BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY, the hero is again a djinni who has little respect for humans
and even less interest in their petty wars and government squabbles. The magicians who rule England in this series of
books insist on summoning Bartimaeus and scores of other demons to fight their wars, provide magical assistance of all
sorts, and generally do their bidding. The demons see this treatment as slavery, and for good reason. What would you call
forced servitude for no pay under threat of intense pain?
PTOLEMY’S GATE opens to find poor Bartimaeus stretched to the breaking point by his magician master, Nathaniel. A
war in America is going poorly, the commoners of London are growing tired of the ruling class of magicians, and young
Nathaniel is looked upon with jealousy and mistrust by his co-workers. As a result of all of these threats, Nathaniel
rationalizes the need to keep Bartimaeus around to help him deal with the many problems that he faces. After a long
association with the djinni, it is almost as if Nathaniel trusts his reluctant servant. And it is almost as if Bartimaeus has a
shred of concern for human dealings. Almost.
PTOLEMY’S GATE is an excellent capstone to the extraordinary Bartimaeus series. I enjoyed all of these books
immensely and recommend them to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy. Like the first two books, THE AMULET
OF SAMARKAND and THE GOLEM’S EYE, this one is filled with humor and excitement. These books also offer
some social commentary for those who want to pay attention to such things. For example, the ruling class of magicians in
these books take extreme measures to maintain their own positions, while claiming that they are really just interested in
keeping the masses safe. There are resistance groups that oppose the government, and they engage in acts of terrorism to
free themselves from the magicians’ oppressive yoke.
The entiretrilogy is a fun-filled pleasure to read. Doubtless it would be possible to read PTOLEMY’S GATE without
having read the previous two books, but I would not recommend it. There is quite a bit of background that would be
missed, and the story would definitely suffer. While the first book in the series, THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND,
could probably stand alone, the second two (THE GOLEM’S EYE and PTOLEMY’S GATE) should be read together.
And once the last page of PTOLEMY’S GATE is turned, readers will undoubtedly wish they could summon Bartimaeus
back for more.