Dear Mr. Stroud,

Ideally, it's best for a spirit to never be summoned and always remain one with the OP. But Barti, in his 5,000 years of slavery, got to meet people like Ptolemy, Kitty and Nathaniel. This is truly a unique experience, but it also came at a great sacrifice: he has a name, and that name allows others to take him away from the OP. Does Bartimaeus think it was worth it, or would he have preferred never to be summoned in the first place?

Thank you for answering my question XD

Hi Phoenix,

That's a great question and I'm sure that Bart would instantly and loudly proclaim that he would have prefered never to have been summoned. But even so, it's clear from the pride (not to say boastfulness) with which he recounts his many past experiences, and from the importance he obviously attaches to his relationships with Ptol, Kitty and Nat, that Bart actually gets a great deal from his adventures. I think the truth is that if he had never been summoned he'd have been quite happy just floating as part of the essence in the OP. But since he HAS been summoned, he gradually comes to enjoy certain aspects of his time on earth, though most of the time the pain, danger and inconvenience make him very grumpy. In a way it's a bit like our lives - there are many things about them that we don't like, but would we prefer never to have lived at all...? Getting a bit philosophical, this, so I'll stop here...

Best wishes,

Jonathan