Ptolemy's Gate is a novel of alternate history, fantasy and magic. It is the third book in the Bartimaeus trilogy, written by British author Jonathan Stroud. It was released in the United Kingdom in September 2005, and in the United States in December of the same year. Synopsis Three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel (otherwise known as John Mandrake) helped prevent an attack on London that would have been cataclysmic for its magicians and commoners. Now an established member of the British Government, he faces unprecedented problems: foreign wars are going badly, Britain's enemies are mounting attacks close to London, and rebellion is fomenting among the commoners. Increasingly distracted with other affairs, Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever. Setting Set in an alternate version of London, England. The year is approximately 2011, as the book takes place three years after The Golem's Eye, which was estimated to take place in 2008 due to the timing of Gladstone's death. Magical objects, spells and places Ptolemy's Gate - a kind of reverse summoning, a method that allows a human to enter the 'other place' where spirits dwell Principal characters Magicians Nathaniel/John Mandrake Ptolemy Jessica Whitwell Jane Farrar Quentin Makepeace Harold Button Sholto Pinn Carl Mortensen Helen Malbindi Clive Jenkins Rebecca Piper Bruce Collins Commoners Kitty Jones Clem Hopkins Nicholas Drew George Fox Rosanna Lutyens Spirits Bartimaeus, a fourth level djinn in service to Nathaniel Ascobol Cormocodran Mwamba Hodge Faquarl Nouda Purip Fritang Plot summary The British Empire is falling apart. Many commoners are unhappy with the current government, though none of the commoners claim responsibility for the status quo. The magician's demons are being assaulted by the children's natural abilities to see and resist the demons. Some commoners advocate slow reform, while others advocate open revolt, while still others say the commoners should learn how to summon spirits of their own to combat those spirits belonging to the magicians. Ptolemy's Gate concludes with a council of surviving magicians and important commoners trying to work out a government that is beneficial to everyone. Kitty Jones eventually unearths the reason why humans and spirits are locked into the endless cycle, that humans do not understand the nature of djinni and summon them only as powerful, but dangerous, slaves, not equals. This theory is confirmed by Bartimaeus who states that his greatest master, Ptolemy, was the only human who treated his servants