Ptolemy's Gate

Did You Know?

• The novel is set in an alternate version of London, England, where magicians rule over a non-magical populace.
• The year is approximately 2005, three years after the events of the previous book.
• The Staff of Gladstone was used by the famous magician William Gladstone.

Plot

In flashbacks set in 126 BCE, the Egyptian magician Ptolemy summons the djinni Bartimaeus. Ptolemy, uninterested in power or glory, interviews Bartimaeus about the Other Place and seeks to write a book bridging the gap between humans and djinn. Bartimaeus forms a close relationship with Ptolemy, protecting him from assassins sent by Ptolemy's cousin, a paranoid and arrogant king-in-waiting. Ptolemy designs and tests Ptolemy's Gate, allowing a human's essence to be summoned in the Other Place, though the experience leaves him severely weakened. Ptolemy's cousin hires Roman magicians with many djinn; Bartimaeus tries to escape with the weakened Ptolemy, but they are trapped in a catacomb. Ptolemy dismisses Bartimaeus to the Other Place before being killed.

In the present, three years after Nathaniel (John Mandrake) helped prevent a coup, he is an established member of the British Government responsible for propaganda and suppressing unrest. Bartimaeus, weakened by continuous service, is treated poorly by Mandrake, who refuses to dismiss him. Former resistance member Kitty Jones studies magic under an independent magician, seeking to break the cycle of magician rule. Mandrake tasks Bartimaeus with investigating a conspiracy among low-level government members. Bartimaeus and other djinn are sent to capture the librarian Hopkins, but find him possessed by the demon Faquarl, who kills the other djinn and traps Bartimaeus.

Magical objects, spells and places

Ptolemy's Gate is a reverse summoning method allowing a human to enter the Other Place. The Staff of Gladstone is a magical wooden staff containing several powerful spirits. The Amulet of Samarkand protects the wearer from magical attacks. The Other Place is the home dimension of djinn, a boundless realm of swirling essence where they exist in formless state.