The End of a Trilogy

Ptolemy's Gate by: Jonathan Stroud
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Miramax (December 20, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0786818611



Bartimaeus is back, or, more accurately, he hasn't left in three years. While Bartimaeus is still witty as ever, his essence suffers severely from lack of rest. Nathaniel, spends his time writing propaganda so that the common folks belief that England is winning its foreign wars and tracking down traitors within the government.
Excerpt from Bartimaeus: Times change. Once, long ago, I was second to none. I could whirl through the air on a wisp of cloud and churn up dust storms with my passing. I could slice through mountains, raise castles on pillars of glass, fell forests with a single breath. I carved temples from the sinews of the earth and led armies against the legions of the dead, so that the harpers of a dozen lands played music in my memory and the chroniclers of a dozen centuries scribbled down my exploits. yes! I was Bartimaeus... cheetah quick, strong as a bull elephant, deadly as a striking krait!
But that was then.
And now... well, right now I was lying in the middle of a midnight road, flat on my back and getting flatter. Why? Because on top of me was an upturned building. Its weight bore down. Muscles strained, tendons popped; try as I might, I could not push free.
In principle there's nothing shameful about struggling when a building falls upon you. I've had such problems before; it's part of the job description. But it does help if the edifice in question is glamorous and large. And in th is case, the fearsome construction that had been ripped from its foundations and hurled upon me from a great height was neither big nor sumptuous. It wasn't a temple wall or a granite obelisk. It wasn't the marbled roof of an emperor's palace.
No. The object that was pinning me haplessly to the ground like a butterfly on a collector's tray, was of twentieth century origin and of very specific function.
Oh, all right, it was a public lavatory. Quite sizable, mind, but even so I was glad no harpers or chroniclers happened to be passing.
Kitty Jones has gone into hiding, apprenticing herself to a magician and learning enough from her master and through research to summon Bartimaeus herself.
When Nathaniel finds Kitty, the two of them and the djinni must use all their strength and cunning to defeat the most dangerous demons they have yet encountered, demons that take over the bodies of the government magicians. Ptolemys Gate is an exciting and eminently satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, footnotes and all. This time, readers learn
In this 3rd book you lean more about Bartimaeuss past and his connection to the boy whose likeness he wears. Kitty's strength and intelligence comes to light, and Nathaniel's long lost compassion emerges from the mask of John Mandrake.
Ok.. I'm going to say it: I LOVED THIS TRILOGY! If I were Mr. Stroud I would write more books with Bartimaeus! But alas, he has gone on to something else that I just learned he is awaiting approval for publishing. I did however find another book by him that I will surely be ordering the next time I get books!
Why, when it won't be Bartimaeus.. well.. he held my attention through 3 books! He made me not want to set them down! This can't be the only good story in this man! He instantly got pushed up near the top of my list of favorite YA authors..but more than that, he wrote something that adults can enjoy too!
For anyone who was thinking about reading this series.. stop thinking and get the books!
To those who like reading of wizards... go get these books!
To anyone who enjoys insulting witty type humor... go get these books!
You run the gambit with this series, from interesting, to laughter to exciting to an ending I never expected!
If I had star ratings, this trilogy would get the highest amount of stars. Do yourself a favor, if you like anything I mentioned here, at least check them out at amazon .
I have to decide now what I will read next. Normally, this isn't a hard choice. Normally. But I know I will not be able to get Bartimaeus out of my mind easily, and I'm afraid whatever I read next will disappoint me because of it. So, maybe I will stray from my usual Fantasy reading and read a autobiography.. or something... and hope it's enough to make me stop thinking of that damn demon! (Errrr I mean djinni..heh, sorry Bart.)