I didn't like this one as much as I liked the first two.

This book is so fucking good lmao. I think Bartimaeus and Ptolemy’s relationship (and the way Bartimaeus regards Ptolemy 2000 years later) is beautiful, and the mirroring of it with Kitty is excellent. Nathaniel’s actions in the final third finally pay off how much of an asshole he is for the majority of the trilogy and the climax is legitimately heart-wrenching. This is YA at its very best.

I seem to be in the minority here, but I just did not LOVE this series. This last book ended with a bang, but felt unnecessarily long.

I have so many happy feelings about this book, because there are certain moments that will forever make me smile, even if I'm just remembering them. Loved this series and would reread them over and over.

I love it when a series builds from book to book to an inevitable yet unforeseen ending. I love that moment in the last book when you suddenly know how it's going to end, and you know that there's no other way for it to end, but you didn't see it coming. That's this series.

I really didn't like Nathaniel for most of the series, but by the end of this book, I loved him and I ached for him. I loved how he started realizing his own faults and the faults of his government, though I did think some of those realizations came about a bit too quickly. There wasn't much of a gradual change, so as a reader, I didn't really get to see how he came to his new conclusions.

As usual, Bartimaeus was fantastic, and he was even more dynamic. You got to know so much more about him and his history in this book, which I loved.

And then there's Kitty, who is simply awesome. I love how she ended up factoring into the conclusion. I would definitely recommend this series.

Finalmente! Finalmente un po' di tensione, una storia che ti invoglia ad andare avanti a leggere, che renda i personaggi qualcosa di più che macchiette che si muovono su uno sfondo indefinito. Non sono ancora sicuro che valga la pena leggere i primi due libri per arrivare al questo. Probabilmente un riassunto potrebbe essere sufficiente. Ma questo è l'unico libro della trilogia che merita davvero.

I read this in 2005, and wrote a note on it. Going through my old blog, I found this. So why not let's consolidate. So here you go, from Dec 28, 2005.
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So what do we have? A young apprentice magician. Evil, evil foes that are out to rule the world. Murder and mayhem. Teenage crushes and all that.

Ah, another wannabe Rowling I see! Right?

Wrong.

I wish JKR has the courage to do a Jon Stroud. To stick to her story till the end and not sell out to popular demands of thrill-a-minute entertainment. And coming as it does from an unabashed standing-in-the-line-for half-an-hour-on-the-first-day-to-buy-the–newest-book Harry Potter fan, that’s quite a bit to say, trust me.

Yes, this series is good. THAT good. Take my word for it.

Coming to the storyline (one could relax, no spoilers ahead), Nathaniel alias John Mandrake is an ambitious young apprentice magician, with big dreams and supreme confidence, with an unhealthy concoction of cockiness and pride to boot. Present day London, where he lives, is literally the centre of the earth in terms of power and prestige, and that comes with the city boasting of the greatest magicians of the day, and Nathaniel too has dreams of reaching the hallowed pantheon of the likes of William Gladstone (Oh yeah, the same guy you read about in history books, the same scourge of Benjamin Disraeli and prime minister and prime mover of the British empire of the 19th century.. Just that, you did not know that he was a great magician, indeed one of the greatest, and thus came his repute). So, that’s the parallel universe we are talking about here. Stuck as he is as understudy to a rather vain yet quite mediocre magician, sometime in the past, Nathaniel was humiliated by a powerful magician called Simon Lovelace. A plan for revenge is hatched.

Here I have to mention that magicians, all powerful as they are, have as the only source of their power other beings, often referred to by the magicians themselves as demons, who are the ones who have the power to do magic. They live in the other world and the magicians can call upon them, and use them for their magical biding. Once a being is called upon (with a correct summoning of course, these beings are capable of, and eager for in most cases if I may add, immense devastation and if the summoning of these beings have not been proper, a magician is liable to be attacked and even destroyed by the being) the being is not released from its chore unless its master (i.e. the summoning magician) agrees to do so. These are, in an increasing order of power, imps, foliots, djinn, afrits and marids… of course, stronger beings than marids are also to be found, but being tougher to handle, are summoned rarely.

Coming back to Nathaniel’s story, he summons an extremely capable djinni (that’s the singular for djinn), Bartimaeus, a fourth-level djinni, also called the Sakhr-al-Djinni and various other names, for his biding. Five thousand years old (to note, the concept of time is different in the other place that these beings reside in), this Bartimaeus is a rather famous djinni. He has been slave to some of the greatest historical figures (e.g. Solomon, Gilgamesh), has had a hand in the creation of some of the most famous historical structures and had fought in some of the greatest wars in history. And now the story begins in all earnest… but as I have promised, none of that will be revealed here.

Now what about the non-magic people (muggles, did someone say)? Ah, no, you will not find too many of the Dursley ilk here. The commoners have a pathetic existence in this world dominated by magicians. Discriminated against, they are very much second class citizens here, never considered as equals by the more magically gifted ones. And that’s where the parallel story of Kitty Jones comes in. A commoner, she’s quite a feisty girl, and yearns for and plots to overthrow this tyrannical rule. This series is about how the lives of Nathaniel, Bartimaeus and Kitty come together in battles against imposing foes after another. And again, I will say no more. As promised, I refuse to divulge even a teensy little bit of the story.

Read the series, I’d suggest. It’s often hilarious (Bartimaeus, did I tell you, is a master of small talk and backchat, and his altercations with Nathaniel and the explanatory footnotes at the bottom of the pages are often a source of genuine mirth), is a genuine page-turner (I finished the series, three books, each at an average 500 pages long, in three days flat) and does not drag at any stage. The conclusion is heartening. Jon Stroud had a chance of continuing with the franchise (not quite a Harry Potter, true, but successful by all means) by extending the story beyond what it should, he didn't, and that stands for courage in my book.

A good part about the book is that if you are looking for Harry Potter, you will get Harry Potter (or very nearly). That is to say, if you would expect fun and frolic and standard-fare good vs. evil, you will get just that. On the other hand, if you would want to read between the lines and look for discrimination in the rule of the elite, look for vestiges of the colonial rule and the reasons for its fall, if you want to look at history, if you are looking for a satirical social commentary, basically if you are looking for serious stuff, you could find that as well. And the two co-exist, and co-exist well.

Nathaniel, Bartimaeus and Kitty are back for another amazing adventure.

Ptolemy’s Gate picks up things three years after the events of The Golem’s Eye. Nathaniel is now a member of the council. He is also placed close to the minister and as such we can say that he has established himself as an influential magician. At the same time, we also come to discover that not everyone admires the man that Nathaniel has become. Kitty is now an assistant to a magician and is secretly continuing her research on magician and demons alike.

Baritmaeus is the character that gives this series the level that it is at. I love his wit and sarcasm. They are so hilarious that it brings in a slightly lighter note to the books. There’s never a dull moment when Bartimaeus is around.

The plot goes deeper into the world in this book. We discover a lot more about magic, demons and the relationship between magicians and demons. The winner for this book is certainly the climax and the turn it takes. It absolutely surprised me. Not to give out any spoilers, but if you pick this book up with an expectation of rainbows and happily ever afters, you will be sorely disappointed. In fact, once my surprise wore off, I feel that the book has a very realistic and appropriate ending. No other ending could have done justice.

The three books satiated my want for some good fantasy after a long long time. This is now my second favourite fantasy series, after Harry Potter. This book was a brilliant conclusion to a brilliant series. FANTASY LOVERS… MUST READ!

I am surprising myself by giving this book 5 stars, but I just can't help it. It was SO engaging, I couldn't stop thinking about the story. The plot was seamless and despite my feelings at the end of the second book, Nathaniel totally redeemed himself - but not in a sappy, obnoxious way. In a perfect way. And honestly, I wish was Bartimaeus was my next door neighbor. The guy kept me laughing outloud throughout the whole series. Highly, highly recommended reading.