Dear Mr. Stroud,

I really loved your books. I think the most time it took me to read one was 3 days. My favorite character was Nathaniel, I think because I could relate to him. Anyway, my questions are:

How come you never flat-out said that Nathaniel died?

Did Nathaniel and Bartimaeus really hate each other or were they just acting? Nathaniel is often mean to him, but he shows some sympathy at Deveroux's party when he dismisses Barti even though Farrar wants him to let Barti die.

Why did Nathaniel tell Kitty his birth name? Is it mostly because he wants to be Nathaniel again instead of being John Mandrake? Or because Ms. Lutyens doesn't like what he's become?

Thank you so much!

Hello,

Sorry for taking so long to reply...

Glad you like Nathaniel: yep, I relate to him too.

I avoided being too blunt about Nat's death because it is a very tricky subject. In an early draft I had Bart doing an epilogue talking about Nat after his death, and it didn't work at all: it had to be treated with extreme caution. So we don't actually see it.

Nat and Bart have a rather complex relationship that incorporates both extreme dislike and occasional hatred and a much deeper, stronger and ultimately more fulfilling bond. You can never quite believe a lot of their comments about each other.

Partly because of his meeting with Ms Lutyens, partly for other reasons, Nat finally casts off his magician's name: it is the symbol of him rediscovering himself.

Thanks for your questions!

Best wishes,

Jonathan