Dear Mr. Stroud,

Amazon kept recommending The Amulet of Samarkand to me, I suppose because I do read a fair amount of "young adult" sf & f (despite turning 40 this year). But I delayed buying it for a long time, under the unfortunate suspicion that it would be another "cute kid's fantasy." Then, three weeks ago, I spotted it at a library used book sale. Within the first five minutes of reading, I realized how wrong I had been, and immediately added Golem's Eye and Ptolemy's Gate to my "must read" list. I just finished PG last night.

Unquestionably, I loved the series. Not since Goldman's Princess Bride have I had so much fun reading footnotes. Nathaniel was an intriguingly complex character. Kitty was captivatingly intense. And Bart... what can one say? (That he hasn't already said?)

The ending left me slightly stunned. Of the three, I hadn't quite expected Nathaniel to die (nor Bartimaeus to survive). Kudos for a surprise, non-Hollywood ending.

I did notice a number of loose ends, though. There are still several hybrid spirits-in-bodies on the loose. "Commoners" are now involved in British government, but the spirits are still enslaved. Jane Farrar may still be out there, may know how to make more werewolves, and would be unlikely to remain quiet when presented with a "corruption" of the government. Foreign nations will still look for an opportunity to disrupt the British Empire as it attempts to re-form. Kitty and Jakob may have unresolved business. It would be interesting if Kitty were to meet Ms. Lutyens. And I have a hard time imagining that Kitty might not try again to call to Bartimaeus, even thinking he is dead, if only in desperation.

Here are actual questions, in the format required in this forum:

1. Is Nathaniel really entirely dead? As far as we know, he and Bartimaeus were the first human and spirit to willingly coexist in a single body. Their minds were intermingled. When Nathaniel dismisses Bart, is it not possible that Nathaniel himself could be drawn into the Other Place at that point, similar to Ptolomy's Gate? The Staff would still break -- the only thing holding together at that point was Bartimaeus' will.

2. Would Nathaniel's spirit or personality be able to survive in the Other Place without a physical body in our world? Would that very lack of a body be what could make his survival possible? Would he essentially become a spirit, merged with the other essence in the Other Place, but possibly able to be summoned (e.g. by Kitty)?

3. If so, would it be possible for him to share or inhabit a body again, as Bartimaeus was able to share his? I have never anticipated a classical romantic relationship between any of the three main characters, but Nathaniel had made promises to Kitty, which I could see obligating him in some way, if his death were not quite final.

4. There is also the question of whether it would be possible to mitigate the costs of using Ptolemy's Gate, with further research. Could it be safe for Kitty to travel to the Other Place again, if only briefly?

5. How stable might the in-body partnership between Nathaniel and Bartimaeus have been, since it had been entered willingly and they each knew each other's names? It seems to me that such partnerships would be worth exploring in the future -- perhaps even necessary, if the cycle of magician rulership and spirit enslavement is ever to change.

I've read that you hope to write other works outside of the world of Bartimaeus for a while, and I can certainly appreciate not wanting to get stale. But I hope someday you'll consider returning to this world, to expand on some of these ideas -- or at least give us more of Bart's wonderful wit.

neko

Hi Neko,

Thanks for your message. Sorry it's taken so long to reply.

You're right about the loose ends. I didn't want to wrap everything up too neatly. Life just doesn't work that way - it's messy, both personally - eg. for Kitty, and generally - it's not clear whether the magicians/commoner's government is going to hold, or what sort of threat might come from outside.

1. Nat. That's a very intriguing idea, that Nat's mind might in some way be drawn to the OP. I suppose that could be considered a 'loose end' of a kind; if another story was ever written about what happened next, that would be answered properly. All I can say is that to all intents and purposes, with the trilogy finished as it stands, Nat is dead.

2. Further interesting speculation! That might indeed be the case - but we don't know, as yet, just as we don't know whether Kitty will ever think to try summoning Bart again.

3. I think that if Nat did survive in some form he might attempt to fulfill his promise to Kitty. But again, we're in the realm of metaphysical speculation here! This is something for each person to ponder and come to their own conclusion...

4. I'm on safer ground here. Yep, I reckon further research might achieve results. Ptolemy got a long way on his own, so prolonged investigation by others might improve matters. But the focus in Britain now will almost certainly be on this world, not the other.

5. You're right that Bart/Nat's synthesis did suggest a whole new possibility as far as magician/demon relationships are concerned. But who is brave enough, or - crucially - has the kind of relationship with a spirit to actively take such a risk? I would say that before this kind of thing can be attempted, the survivors in London need to sort out their own backyard - ie the politics of the human world. If a stable, democratic synthesis of magician and commoner was ever attained, they might be able to look toward more ambitious forms of bonding...

Many thanks for your good wishes; I'm sure there'll be more about Bart some day.

Cheers,

Jonathan