Monday, April 13, 2009

Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3) (2006)

By far the best of the three books, Jonathan Stroud finishes the trilogy in a final confrontation between the magicians, commoners, and assorted magical beings. In each book we have learned more about the relationships between the three classes through history and here we learn more about the relationship between Ptolemy and Bartimaeus.
Nathaniel, at the age of 17, is the youngest magician at his rank in the government, thanks to the excellent work of his djinni, Bartimaeus. England is fighting a war in America and it is his job to write pamphlets to recruit commoners to fight, a harder and harder job as recruits quickly become casualties. (Those Americans) He tries to convince the government that Gladstone's staff could be used to bring the war to a quick end but it seems that someone up high has different plans for it.
The trio of Nathaniel, Bartimaeus, and Kitty save England in a final battle that is not to be believed (I don't want to give anything away here).
I highly recommend this whole trilogy through to the end! Fantasy and magic fans will love it!
My rating for this book: +++++

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