JS, and all else who read this,

I suppose I should start with a few simple and practical(ish) questions. Pardon if they've already been answered. Firstly, You mention that Bart is mainly fire and air. Does this mean there are other djinn as well, made from earth and water? If so are they then the same as the Djinn in the book, or are they of a different mythology all together? How come they are so underused(i think) by magicians? Is there a water/earth Other place?

Who were the spirits trapped in the Amulet and the Staff? What is the history of these items?

Well, then, those are the questions. I finished PG only two days ago and i suppose you can take pride in the fact that it weighs on my mind even now. I'm sure you have fans of all types, well, I'm one of the sentimental ones, probably more so than anyone else(my screen name is more about appearance than character). While reading PG I had figured out a number of things before hand: The Bart/Nat combo, the demon overpowering makepiece, Makepiece being the master mind, Barts dismissal, etc. I'm not sure if there was anything really going on between Nat and Kitty, but it was something I had been looking forward to since book 1(!).
I suppose that's sort of why I was also let down by the ending(not disappointed, it fits very well, makes sense), cause in book 1 i identified with Nat, a talented young boy trying to rise up in a world that is savage, has strict rules, where understanding is something rare. His character in GE was deplorable, so his redemption was eagerly awaited. And this eagerness was fulfilled, but I sort of wanted him to be happy too. He was a lonely guy and he had such potential in his relationships with Bartimaeus and Kitty. But he was born alone and in the end died alone, I suppose that's where the book leaves me a bit empty. But that's ok. Great writing. Would appreciate a reply.

Hi Verroq,

Thanks for the interesting observations and personal feedback - it's always good to hear what people make of the books, particularly the emotive issues raised in PG. It was a risky business grappling with the ending, and I was aware there were high stakes involved. In the end it came down to what I thought was the most appropriate ending for all the characters, and Nat is the most important in that it's character arc that we've followed all along. It was right that he was redeemed, but it was also right (I think) that he pays a high price in so doing - he's spent several years being a fairly important player in a corrupt and callous government, and to survive there he must have done some pretty bad things. I don't feel that it would work for him to get up at the end, dust himself down and go off into the sunset with Kitty. The fact that he might have done, that he pretty much came full circle in personality - rediscovering his hidden idealism in the process - is the uplifting bit. But it would have (I think) compromised the fairly tough world N inhabited, to have him getting off at the end.

But that's just my view... Anyway, as for your questions - traditionally in Arabian tradition, djinn are spirits of fire and air. In my book, entities of earth and water fall into the category of elementals, though they tend to be just one element each rather than combinations. They aren't djinn - they're a lower order; though they can be hugely powerful, they're not intelligent. All the different spirits come from the same OP.

I don't know the names of the spirits trapped within Amulet and Staff. The names were kept studiously secret by the magicians who created the objects: this keeps the power safer. It may be that were the names uncovered it might be easier for other magicians to weaken or even break the objects concerned.

All the best,

Jonathan