Shade*—The standard Type One ghost, and possibly the most common kind of Visitor. Shades may appear quite solid, in the manner of Specters, or be insubstantial and wispy, like Phantasms; however, they entirely lack the dangerous intelligence of either. Shades seem unaware of the presence of the living, and are usually bound into a fixed pattern of behavior. They project feelings of grief and loss, but seldom display anger or any stronger emotion. They almost always appear in human form.
Shining Boy**—A deceptively beautiful variety of Type Two ghost that manifests as a young boy (or, more rarely, girl) walking in the center of cold, blazing other-light.
Sight—The psychic ability to see apparitions and other ghostly phenomena, such as death-glows. One of the three main varieties of psychic Talent.
Silver—An important and potent defense against ghosts. Worn by many people as wards in the form of jewelry. Agents use it to coat their rapiers, and as a crucial component of their Seals.
Silver-glass—A special “ghost-proof” glass used to encase Sources.
Snuff-light—A type of small candle used by psychic investigation agencies to indicate a supernatural presence. They flicker, tremble, and finally snuff out if a ghost draws near.
Source—The object or place through which a ghost enters the world.
Specter**—The most commonly encountered Type Two ghost. A Specter always forms a clear, detailed apparition, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Specters are less nebulous than Phantasms and less hideous than Wraiths, equally varied in behavior. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living—perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.
Stalker*—A Type One ghost that seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at Listening often detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.
Stone Knocker*—A desperately uninteresting Type One ghost, which does precious little apart from tap.
Talent—The ability to see, hear or otherwise detect ghosts. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the night watch. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the agencies. The three main categories of Talent are Sight, Listening, and Touch.
Tom O’Shadows*—A London term for a Lurker or Shade that lingers in doorways, arches, or alleyways. An everyday urban ghost.
Touch—The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or haunting. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of Talent.
Type One—The weakest, most common, and least dangerous grade of ghost. Type Ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behavior. Commonly encountered examples include: Shades, Lurkers, and Stalkers. See also Bone Man, Cold Maiden, Floating Bride, Glimmer, Stone Knocker, Tom O’Shadows, and Wisp.
Type Two—The most dangerous commonly occurring grade of ghost. Type Twos are stronger than Type Ones, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. They are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm. The most common Type Twos, in order, are: Specters, Phantasms and Wraiths. See also: Changer, Limbless, Poltergeist, Raw-bones, Revenant and Screaming Spirit.
Type Three—A very rare grade of ghost, first reported by Marissa Fittes, and the subject of much controversy ever since. Allegedly able to communicate fully with the living.
Visitor—A ghost.
Ward—An object, usually of iron or silver, used to keep ghosts away. Small wards may be worn as jewelry on the person; larger ones, hung up around the house, are often equally decorative.
Water, running—It was observed in ancient times that ghosts dislike crossing running water. In modern Britain this knowledge is sometimes used against them. In central London a net of artificial channels, or runnels, protects the main shopping district. On a smaller scale, some homeowners build open channels outside their front doors and divert the rainwater along them.
Wisp*—Weak and generally unthreatening, a Wisp is a Type One ghost that manifests as a pale and flickering flame. Some scholars speculate that all ghosts, given time, degenerate into Wisps, then Glimmers, before finally vanishing altogether.
Wraith**—A dangerous Type Two ghost. Wraiths are similar to Specters in strength and patterns of behavior, but are far more horrible to look at. Their apparitions show the deceased in his or her dead state: gaunt and shrunken, horribly thin, sometimes rotten and wormy. Wraiths often appear as skeletons. They radiate a powerful ghost-lock. See also Raw-bones.
ALSO BY JONATHAN STROUD
LOCKWOOD & CO.
The Screaming Staircase
The Whispering Skull
The Hollow Boy
THE BARTIMAEUS BOOKS
The Amulet of Samarkand
The Golem’s Eye
Ptolemy’s Gate
The Ring of Solomon
Buried Fire
The Leap
The Last Siege
Heroes of the Valley
PRAISE FOR
THE LOCKWOOD & CO. SERIES
The Screaming Staircase
“Stroud (the Bartimaeus series) shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments). Stroud plays with ghost story conventions along the way, while laying intriguing groundwork that suggests that the Problem isn’t the only problem these young agents will face in books to come—the living can be dangerous, too.”