First, let me say how truly wonderful this series was. I simply couldn't put the books down. One of the things I loved about this book is how you turned the whole Magician/Demon relationship on its head. I have to admit that in the beginning I was very biased against the whole demon world. I mistrusted everything that came out of that realm, agreed with the magicians approach in binding and enslaving the demons. After all, they were demons. If they can't be controlled and used, they should be destroyed. But gradually as the series progressed, we saw much to our chagrin that our initial conceptions were completely incorrect, and indeed Bartimaeus has more humanity in one of his fingernails then the likes of Lovelace and Makepeace put together. So well done on that count.

Now, on to the questions

1) When Kitty went into the Other Place, she was greated with courtesy by everyone. That was a bit surprising. If Bartimaeus's account could be believed, most demons, when summoned, will take any opportunity to break free and destroy the magician in question. Often times the "demons" will make every effort to misinterpret their charges, often to the detriment, if not the destruction of the magician. Why was Kitty treated with such courtesy in the other place? Was it because of the gesture she was making?

2) How representative of the population of the other place is Bartimaeus. Clearly bartimaeus is no demon. He is for the most part a moral being. How many others in the Other Place are like him? Or is he one in a million. I would hope that one day the magicians and the spirits would come to some understanding and open diplomatic channels. Of course that would not be possible if most spirits are evil and vindictive.

Thanks again for writing such an amazing series! I miss bartimaeus already.

Hi there.

Great to hear that you liked the trilogy, and many apologies for taking so long to reply to your questions. As to which...

You're right, she IS treated with a certain restraint when she goes to the OP. Partly this is because most of the spirits don't notice her; partly it's because those who are hostile to her assume she'll soon lose herself (and her mind) without any help from them. But partly, yes - you're right - they do treat her with a darn sight more courtesy than the average spirit is treated when it comes to earth. It links back to your point about your assumptions concerning the 'demons'. By the end of Bk III we see that the spirits, by and large, are more restrained in their approach to humans than vice versa. Kitty certainly gets kudos for being there at all, as you suggest.

The whole term 'demon' is used by humans (magicians and non-magicians) to disparage the entities whom they fear: it's not the proper term for djinn or any of the other spirits. But it shows exactly what they all assume the spirits will be like - evil, vindictive. And some are. But some aren't, and others are positively benevolent. Most of them are a mix of impulses. In other words, they're as varied, morally, as we are.

All the best,

J