Actually, I think he chose Bartimaeus because of strategic reasons as well as others. When you pick a book like Amulet Of Samarkand up, you get the impression - from the sypnosis - that the book is just like any other HarryPotter-wannabes out there, so you want to see something different. And just when you're turning the second page and thinking, ' Bah, I should put this down ' you suddenly get this...
person who talks in this sarcastic, attractive style; not to mention pages with footnotes that get you cracking up inside. Then, when you've got past the fourth chapter and you're starting to wish that the story would hurry up and explain itself, you get some 'truthful' insight about demons (and begin to wonder if there's any hidden part to the djinni you've grown to like) from the perspective of the yet unknown boy. The way the story is combined, you've just got to keep reading until you finally understand the boy and the demon, then you're to caught up in the story to think about stopping. After that it's only natural for Stroud to continue narrating the perspective from Bartimaeus throughout the trilogy - especially after seeing the reception he got from kids. I know many right now appreciate the books for different reasons, but I'll bet that when we were younger and the series just started, many of us liked AoS best because of the funny and sarcastic style it's written.
So, strategy. But that's only one reason. ( No I'm not done yet sorry :P )
I also think that he chose Bartimaeus because you know that if the first point of view were written in the humans' POV, they'd spend some time being horrified by what' s happening and being overwhelmed by their emotions - and while we'd all understand that they're all too human, it would put a bit of a damper in the story. Bartimaeus, meanwhile, has been through all of that and more, so he's mostly a bit weary and trying to save his skin while wondering how to get back at whichever master or enemy currently on his mind. His describing the tense situation and getting
on with it allows no room for us to truly read about how he's feeling, and so we get even more...surprised, shocked, horrified by what's happening and by wondering just how much did the magicians make him do to be that immune. His sarcastic and irascible voice also offers the story some comic relief, not to mention more sense in the action.
Plus, the characters must have been fitted with their basic tone for a reason. Kitty is turbulent and passionate in GE, slightly less so in PG. Nathaniel in AoS is undermined and out to prove himself, while in GE he's industrious, conscientious and
still undermined. In PG he turns to Mandrake and is detached, as though 'distracted by an inner sense of melancholy'. Bartimaeus is just Bartimaeus.If Stroud were to write from Nat's or Kitty's first person POV, just how is he supposed to pull it off without making the story boring? It would be tedious to explain things if he had to rid the books of footnotes, and seeing human children explaining things is kind of perplexing.
wrote:I have three guesses why he did it: It was because Bartimaeus's sarcastic personality is more fun to read, it was because it would make it easier to learn about spirits, magic, and Bartimaeus's history, or that Nathaniel's character would be difficult to fully take on; he should be observed from the side so that his actions can interpret his feelings.
I think you might have something there on the third count (the underlined part). I don't think Stroud would find it too difficult to write Nathaniel from the first person POV, although there would be complications - he is the author after all. But he wrote Nat from third person so that we get the feeling that he's the cold, detached kid, who becomes even more of one in PG. He makes lots of mistakes and actions that would be hard to justify, so writing from the third POV allows readers to reason out for themselves what he's feeling and what he did.
:D On another note, FuzzyLobster: I don't know what you mean by whining, but if you mean to say that we'd read a lot about what he's planning to do once he becomes all-powerful and blah blah then I agree.
*Looks at post* Oops. Again.
