Slashdot Mirror
His Dark Materials (Trilogy)
Lyra soon finds herself at the centre of world shaking events, but unlike so many fantasy books, Philip Pullman has come up with a series of astounding, interlocking adventures, full of wonders, creatures, and worlds that will keep you guessing for the full length of the trilogy. All the main characters in the three books are fully fleshed out, with distinct personalities and motivations. There is a fairly large cast of characters, but the author deftly weaves their stories together, often to great dramatic effect.
This trilogy is marketed as children's literature, but this is a much more intense series than Harry Potter is. Battles are deadly, not glorious; good people that you have come to care about die. Certain unfortunate events unfold with ruthless logic. Organised religion is presented in a very bad light, which will turn off some readers. I wouldn't recommend this series to children under 12, but I enthusiastically recommend His Dark Materials to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
The Golden Compass
Lyra is a resourceful and vivacious young girl who lives at Jordan College -- left there by her rich and powerful Uncle, Lord Asriel. Lyra lives a carefree life doing pretty much as she pleases, but she loves adventure and is continually getting into trouble. Then she overhears a conversation about Dust -- a strange substance mysteriously associated with people. Something about Dust is causing great consternation with the Church and other powerful people. At the same time the gobblers are stealing children. Soon Lyra is propelled into the midst of a great conspiracy that takes her far from the comforting halls of Jordan College, and face to face with terrible danger. Lyra's resourceful optimism makes you want her to succeed, and the world she travels through evokes the wonder of things new, and events unknown.
The action will keep children enthralled, and the imaginative twists and turns will surprise and delight adults and children alike. Various peoples and cultures are met throughout the story, and all find a part to play in the epic battle that builds up over all three books.
The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife starts off in our familiar world, and introduces a new character: Will. Will is much more serious than Lyra, but their fates are soon intertwined. Will has lived a much more troubled life looking after his mother after his father's disappearance. Someone badly wants something of his father's, and Will's efforts to protect it quickly lead him from home and entangle him in the events started in the Golden Compass. A great war is brewing and Will is destined to play a key role, along side Lyra, in this conflict. A weapon is discovered that will tilt the balance in this war, and Will's search for his father lands him in the middle of the conflict.
Once again the story pulls you into the believable worlds so artfully drawn by Phillip Pullman. Adventure abounds, betrayal, heroic deeds, and dark conflicts drive the story forward.
The Amber Spyglass
The third book in the series draws the story to a satisfying end. Unlike some series, which seem to never end and leave you hanging at the end of each book in search of another sale, the Amber Spyglass reveals the mysteries alluded to throughout the story, and resolves the final conflict. But not before leading you through another set of breathtaking adventures, unforeseen turns, and an epic battle between good and evil.
I highly recommend this series to anyone over the age of 11 who enjoys excellent fantasy. This is a superior children's series that adults will also enjoy for its well-drawn characters, detailed worlds, and intricate plotting.
You can purchase The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber SpyGlass from B&N. Want to see your own review here? Just read the book review guidelines, then use Slashdot's handy submission form.
Since when did Slashdot start putting the ads in the stories themselves?
Seriously, this thing reads like a marketing release. There's a reason book reviewers are called critics. Gushing praise for something I've never heard of smells a bit too much like a payoff for my liking.
I'm very disappointed.
(Oh, and it's my 400th post. Be happy for me. Whee.)
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
but I'm gonna say it anyhow. This story caught my interest, as most
I suppose writing thousands of lines of code a week, maintaining various databases, and burning through caffeine/nicotine supplies is okay (and pays the bills), but it really isn't *life*. Okay, it might be life at the moment, but that begs the question: should it be? I know I could use some more balance in my life... I used to read one to two books a day as a teenager (and somehow still found the time to generate heaps of code). I suppose it's just something to think about...
I read the books when they came out, though I lost interest really after the first one. But in the UK, the first book is called Northern Lights, not the Golden Compass.
I assume this is like Harry Potter, where the publishers renamed the books for the USA.
Wouldn't a real atheist not give two donkey butts about the church? Wouldn't they especially never write scenes involving an actual god in their books?
Kinda confused here. I mean, religion for me is like kneecaps for a snake---I just don't bother.
Of course, you might be saying that he writes about the evils of temporal authority and the bad stuff churches do, which I'm good with. I'm just fuzzy on him writing about a "revealed god" in his books.
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
As much as I don't normally like to criticise the editors selection of articles on the site I fail to see how this trilogy is in any way relevant to anything any of us are interested in. It's target age group is obviously 13-16 or thereabouts, it's nothing innovative or even particularly good. The plot is cliche to say the least and has been done better in several other novels available at your local library. One of the best has some spectacular cover art involving a girl looking through a floor length mirror and seeing another world (Not Through the Looking Glass) but I can't remember the title off hand. This trilogy is just plain not worth the attention of Slashdot.
Kintanon
Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
For those of you unfamilar with it, The Golden Compass is basicaly the same concept.
Unfortenatly while the first book is a masterpiece it all goes down hill from there (for the very reason the reviewer finds it such a satisifying triology) it simply tries to explain everything and thus the once bountiful and wonderful universe that was created in the first book is limited and brought to heel. The whole thing leaves an unsavory and forced taste in your mouth. Frankly I'd just stick to the first one, or two, then let your own imagination write the third.. you'll get better results.
well-drawn characters, detailed worlds, and intricate plotting
I agree with the first two; it is well written. Realise, however, that it is a children's book. They plot may be intricate for its target audience, but it's been a while since I was that young, but it it is pretty much A to B to C stuff for adults. There is a single plot line for much of the 1st book and the latter books have a couple of sets of protagonists.
The trilogy is an entertaining, but quick, read for an adult.
0xB
and in related news, it was revealed today that the popular character "Big Bird" is actually a covert operative dedicated to educating our youth on the immorality of processed lunch meat products.
yes... it's a joke...
This is great. I know I enjoyed reading JRR Tolkein when I was a kid, but that was long ago. Maybe the newness of these novels will help entice a whole new generation to get into fantasy.
Could this be a little more vague? I still have honestly no idea what the heck these novels are about in any way whatsoever.
Saying "the character goes on adventures and meets new people in amazing places" describes about 75% of the books in existence.
"It's a great fantasy book about characters that do things!" I'm not asking for the Cliffs Notes version of the book, but even the blurb on the back dust cover could have told me more about why I'd like to read it that this "review".
Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
I agree that this is more like a plug for the books than a review, but I have all three books in hardback, and I loved them when I first read them in middle school. It is really enjoyable and I recommend that any young adult that is questioning his faith or can suspend belief enough to where the book isn't "damaging" should read these books. They really are good.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
how much oif the harry potter audience can it grab. I was glad to see this comparison this is a serious question- both my girlfriend(22) and my little brother(15) liked the potter books- is this something they'd like? is it the same style, and the same age group? reading level? I plan on passing this review on to both of them.
Looking for Book Reviews? Check out Literary Escapism.
No, seriously. Take some courses in philosophy or the humanities. It'll open your eyes to a whole different perspective on what life is.
Turtledove has long been talked about on Usenet's alt.history.what-if and is known for his meticulous detailing of historical events. Other books he has out discuss alien invasions in the height of WWII, Columbus finding apemen in the new world, and alien colonization. Check him out -- I picked up all his books at Half Price Books for under $25.
Click here or here.
You haven't read it, or parts of it, so how can you tell if its dumbed down or anything like harry potter?
There's a reason it's the:
Winner of the Carnegie Medal
Winner of the Guardian Prize for Fiction
It's also considered a children's book, it was written with such an audience in mind. There's no reason to dismiss Philip Pullman's litature because it was written with children in mind. It's like trying to dismiss the Chronicles of Narina because C.S. Lewis was writting with Christians in mind.
If you enjoyed paradise lost, then at least try the golden compass. You might be suprised.
I read this books after a local bookseller recommended it. This is _not_ a good book, the jacket compares this series to Tolkien and Harry Potter, and this is a huge overstatement. Her mother (the main antagonist) is a direct rip off from the villain in 101 Dalmatians. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone older than 12. This author may be someone to watch in the future, but don't waste your time on this series.
Goofy story, totally unbelievable, choppy and incoherent. The armored bear is neat, but plays a relatively small part in this elementary pointless story.
There are so many good sci-fi fantasy books available, and this book is not one of them.
The author tries hard to captivate the reader by twisting the motives of the characters in the middle of the story. There is absolutly no reward for finishing this book.
I wouldn't be so adamantly opposed to this book if the publisher didn't compare it to so many great books.
"If you like wasting your time reading half hearted empty stories about character you don't care about, you'll love this book." - whatisausername99
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this series, but I have to say I did enjoy it despite some very upsetting flaws.
Good things: Very well written, beautiful even, in an almost classical sort of way. Strong characters and strong emotions, serious coming of age issues. His compassion for his protaganists is deep.
Bad things: I hate it when people use Everett-Wheeler as a narrative device because EW basically destroys the meaning of human action. Think of it - there is another universe where the characters make all the same choices until suddenly they do something random. Or there is another universe in which the same events happen, except a bee farts in the Andromeda galaxy. Posit parallel universes if you like, but leave EW out of it.
Ugly things: It was mentioned that "organized religion" is presented in a bad light. More accurately, Mr. Pullman appears to be some sort of rabid pagan with a massive chip on his shoulder. But that is his right. What bothered me was how he spent the first book describing a particularly ugly situation created by the church and condemning it, then had one of his protaganists (Asriel) do exactly the same thing (kill innocents for power) and portrayed it as virtue. As ethics, this is hypocricy, pure and simple. I suppose his characters are entitled to be hypocrites, but there is something smug and self-righteous about his presentation that goes beyond that and pissed me off.
You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
John Milton's 1667 work. (awww he missed the deadline by one year for being nero)
This is an adult fantasy with two teenagers as lead characters. It is fast moving and entertaining, but based on some deep theological and moral issues. For example, the two main adult characters do some very evil things in the cause, we find out later, of trying to save the world. Whether or not their behavior can be justified is one of the key questions that runs through the book.
claiming that HDM is "just the same as Harry Potter" is like claiming that running linux on an athlon 200+ is the same as running windows 3.1 on a 386. i mean, they're both PCs with operating systems, right? must be the same! :)
~~~~~~~~~~~ chris worth cat herder corneredmedia.com
Or did anybody else think this was about Bill Gates?
Book 1 - The Thieves of Basic
Book 2 - DOS Is Not Done, Until Lotus Will Not Run
Book 3 - 2,4,6,8 Times Heralding The END OF DOS
Perhaps it'll end up like the Hitchhiker trilogy.
Book 4 - Hello, It Looks Like You Are Trying To Write A Letter
Book 5 - Mostly Secure-Like
The hardcover Collection of His Dark Materials will include the short story "Young Ballmer Plays It Like A Sweaty Monkey"
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
The environment portrayed by the author is harsh and at times quite disturbing. Don't be fooled into thinking these are just Harry Potter rip-offs; they're scarier and contain more violence. However, they also are primarily philosophical works rather than your run of the mill sci-fi thrillers. Although entertaining, this series makes you really think and reconsider your view of the world.
One Of My Top Three Favorite Linux Sites
I've always seen that as a subtle point of irony. And the point he's trying to make is that it *is* hypocricy.
By no means would I classify His Dark Materials as a random teenage book. Neither does it make the impression of an author struggling to combine mythology with technology, as another post suggested.
IMHO, His Dark Materials is one the better fantasy books I have read during the course of the last year. For reference, I also very much enjoy reading Neal Stephenson, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King.
His Dark Materials tells the story from the perspective of a teenage protagonist, but the topics include the power of organized religion, original sin, and other Fun Stuff(TM). BTW, the church in the books is not the christian church, although obviously based on it, so do not be turned away by the theological content. It is some of the old school, power monging organization stuff, that we have come to love from books/movies like The Name of the Rose.
My recommendation to everybody is to go to the local library (which is a marvellous place to visit anyway) and read the first 50 pages. If you still don't like it, more power to you. But do not blindly turn down a good book, before you've given it its fair chance to prove itself.
We run / decline those just as happily as we run / decline positive ones.
:)
Our (reader-submitted) book reviews tend to come from readers who liked a book or series enough to finish it because they wanted to, not because they had to. Sometimes, they're from people who disliked a book enough to submit a review partly as a warning to others (like the recent T1 survival guide).
And since when has Slashdot provided an affiliate link to a bookstore? I'm not sure, but it's been a couple of years. That doesn't obligate anyone to buy; there are a lot of online book vendors who would happily accept your filthy lucre
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
A quick and careless reading of the books leads people to think Pullman is only attacking organized religion and particularly the Catholic Church. But the Church in his stories is actually a composite of the most authoritarian elements of both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism (notably, Calvin is basically called a terrorist). Plus the Church in the book's principal alternate world also performs the functions of the orthodox scientific establishment in our world: there's no distinction between theologians and scientists, theology is in fact experimental, but theorizing is rigidly subject to the authority of the hierarchy. Theology/science at the Oxford of the alternate world is hampered by political infighting, personality clashes, money grabbing, power trips... sound anything like university departments you've seen?
Pullman's trilogy has been called the anti-Narnia, and it's definitely that. Like William Blake, he rereads Milton to make Satan the good guy (sort of: the Satan figure in the trilogy is attractive but flawed). And the best key to what Pullman's up to is Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Namely:
Read it with Blake in mind, and it's not just a kiddie book. That said, Pulllman's trilogy is often unsatisfying for the lack of internal consistency and coherence in its imagined world, and there are some (to my mind) howlingly bad insertions, like the obligatory descent to the realm of the dead. He wants to have his myth & his science too, and that doesn't always work.I'm midway through the third book now. IMHO, the books are a quick entertaining read with some interesting ideas, especially intriguing to me are twists on organized religion. The stories are definitely plot driven, and the characters are pretty transparent and simple -- but their actions do surprise you sometimes.
If I had to guess, I'd say these were aimed at people in their mid-to late teens. Although they fall in the fantasy genre, which I outgrew in favor of sci-fi, the ideas here are new and cool in a sci-fi kind of way.
The first and second books definitely leave you hanging; the three making up one continuing story. I guess I'll have to finish the third before I can say whether Pullman pulls his ideas into a cohesive point of view or if he just dangles them there as food for thought.
As I said these are quick and easy reads, and make good travelling books. YMMV.
"Research is like sex: sometimes something useful is produced, but that's not why we do it." -- Richard Feynman
[SPOILER] the point was that lord asrael's anti-church AND the established Church were BOTH evil. they were mirror images of each other. both strove to enslave all creation for their tyranny.[/SPOILER]
Pullman is condeming THOSE THAT SEEK POWER, and those who seek to subjugate others.
this is a fantastic and complex trilogy, miles beyond harry potter. it's more violent and far, far more intellectually stimulating. there's some heavy shit that goes down.
i can see how the first book might be mistaken for just another teen novel. although i enjoyed it immensely, it is lighter fare than the other two. the trilogy gets increasingly darker and stranger as it goes. i can also see how christians would get pissed at the portrayal of god and many of the forces of Heaven and Hell, but see my comment above - he's not condemning christianity per-se, he's using christianity to condemn tyranny.
i could live a little longer in this prison
For a real review of at least the last book in the series take a look at this
Extract: "Despite various flaws--too much overt moralizing, the unwarranted flip-flop in the fundamental character of Mrs. Coulter, not enough Serafina Pekkala--His Dark Materials is an overwhelming reading experience, brought to a sublime and touching close by The Amber Spyglass. In another time, this is a book that would have made the Index, and in still another era gotten its author condemned to the stake as a heretic. Even now some concerned parents may judge that Philip Pullman has gone Too Far in his plain-spoken critique of religious orthodoxy. But as Blake said, you never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough. His Dark Materials is a novel of electrifying power and splendor, deserving celebration, as violent as a fairy tale and as shocking as art must be. "
My wife and I read to each other before bed, and this was one of the series we went through a few months ago.
The Golden Compass is a great little book. The world that Pullman creates is intriguing and detailed and self-consistant. It's when, in Subtle Knife, he gets into parallel worlds that the whole framework falls apart. And Amber Spyglass is just awful - it has the dubious honor of being one of three books that we had to throw away. The whole Dark Matter connection is just stupid. You hear me, Pullman? If it's magic, then let it be MAGIC. Don't try to justify magic by tying it to science in a poorly considered manner. Cripes - it's worse than if Tolkien had said the reason the Ring corrupted the wearer was because it was made of unshielded plutonium with a mercury coating.
Honestly, it was just insulting, the turn into absolute stupidity that book 2 took.
Read Golden Compass and make up your own story for the rest of it. You'll be far more satisfied.
GMFTatsujin
There be SPOILERS here, but nothing that I think would really ruin the books....
This is a really strange trilogy of books. It's marketed at kids, but most of the allegory is bound to go over their heads. (It's pretty much an "anti-Narnia" series. With as much of a field day as the overzealous wackos have been having with HP, I'm amazed they haven't latched onto this series yet. It's *extremely* anti-religion.)
There's also the problem that the author obviously wasn't planning ahead. There are plenty of *big* references to the Knife as "God Killer", and it's obviously intended for that purpose, but never used in that way. The third book creates the "Amber Spyglass" mainly so it can be a third "item" to round out the trilogy; it serves no useful purpose whatsoever. And then there's the suddenly-tacked-on intense love interest between Lyra and Will in the last few pages of the book to make their parting have *some* meaning.
Overall, the first book got me interested enough to keep reading, the second book really got me hooked, and the third book was so frustrating that I wanted to throw it at the wall by the end.
i thought Pullman built up their affections quite well. from the moment Will was first introduced, i could see Lyra's fascination with him, his strength, and all the things he knew that she didn't. i thought their falling in love seemed quite natural and real, quite the opposite of tacked on at the end. i thought he did a good job of building real romance(albeit, subtly!) from the very beginning.
i could live a little longer in this prison
I read the series about a year ago, it was quite entertaining. Since, it's been a while, I don't remember much of detail of the book, however, I do remember staying up late try to finish it (for each book it took me within 2 days to finish). Pullman does create a interesting world.
As a religious person, I was slightly disturbed by anti-organize-religion slant on of the book, though I would still recommend it to others. Like Dune, and many other fantasy novels, religion is a major component of the world being weaved by the authors.
The series also raised some metaphysic issues. Pullman created a world where a person is more then just one "being" (like the idea of mind, soul and spirit). In some worlds, the different beings of the same person manifest physically, while in some worlds, like ours, only one being is visible. The idea of a multifaceted personhood is intriguing.
Anyways, it's a enjoyable read. It would be fun if you get some friends to read it at the same time, so you can dialogue with them. Agreeing with the original post, though this book is marked as children book, it was entertaining for a 24 year old. If I had any kids, I don't know if I would let them read it until they are in high school. It's more adult then Tolkien's the Hobbit or Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia.
The Amber Spyglass, however, completely fell apart. Pullman introduced another world which was not nearly so interesting as Lyra's world or the world of Cittagaze (sp?!), and had to waste half of the book talking about it. The character of Mary added nothing to the story, and could have been cut. I would have liked to see more of the workings of Asriel's army on a lower level, and more philosophy -- just how do we know that God was to blame for the actions of the Church? How would Will react if he had learned who had been in that crystal chamber he had cut open? Etc.
The gay angels ("They're not gay. They're puppets. They don't even have legs.") were a nice touch, tho.
Become a FSF associate member before the low #s are used
I think the first book in this trilogy is wonderful.
The second one is very good but a bit
strange. I was very very annoyed by the
third - it is inconsistent with the earlier
ones, and makes no sense.
An interesting article by the author of the trilogy can be found here. I looked for it on the Guardian site, but couldn't find it. Anyhow, in the above, he says of the basic message of _The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe_, that "...it's propaganda in the service of a life-hating ideology. But that's par for the course. Death is better than life; boys are better than girls; light-coloured people are better than dark-coloured people; and so on. There is no shortage of such nauseating drivel in Narnia, if you can face it."
I remember hearing him say in an interview that the Trilogy was his response to the Narnia series -- he intended the message to be that life is good, joy is good and a girl can be a hero. Oh, and authoritarian life-hating religion is bad.
I enjoyed the Trilogy myself, as did my wife, but we can't figure out why it was called "His Dark Materials." Just being dense, I'm sure.
-Craig
Corollary to Clarke's Third Law: Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
Perhaps this review isn't all that relevant to Slashdot. I actually found that this trilogy covers the same theological ground as many of the D.C. horror comics such as Hellbazer and Preacher in which the God of the Bible is not necessarily the creator of the universe but actually one political faction pushing its own laws, and fighting against another political faction with a different agenda. In other words, what happens if you read the Bible as divine propaganda rather than as divine truth. While The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a revision in Gospels, Dark Materials starts with Milton and touches on Dante. In the process Pullman tackles some of the more difficult problems in theology such as the nature of sin, and what really triggered "the fall from grace."
In a way, the Dark Materials trilogy is related to the Lord of the Rings in that the Lord of the Rings is basically the results of a writer playing with language and history, while the Dark Materials trilogy is the results of a writer playing around with theology. At any rate, it surprises me that Dark Materials has not received the same level of hostility as Harry Potter which never gets political beyond vague mumblings about anti-muggle prejudice.
I think that shoving this trilogy into the "young adults" category is rather a misnomer. In fact, I find a disappointing that the best works of fantasy writing including the Earthsea series and a fair number of works by Ray Bradbury get shoved into the "young adults" shelves and never get taken seriously. Granted there are some serious flaws. The entire talking companion animal idea has become a personal pet peeve of mine, but Pullman does manage to do something different with it.
Why is it that nerds have no taste in movies or books? Why must they flock to fluff? When is Slashdot ever going to review anything with even a little substance?
While these three books are targeted at the juvenile audience, it is likely that they'll get additional attention from older F&SF readers because of the success of Harry Potter.
I must say that I thought "The Golden Compass" was quite well done. It's original, dark (so much so that I kept the book for a few years before giving it to my Harry Potter-loving niece), and inventive.
The two sequels, however, I found very disappointing. Rather than inventing a parallel universe with it's own rules and logic, Pullman succumbs to the same draw that ruins much of science fiction on TV - he want's his world to be "real," and starts throwing in concepts from particle physics to "explain" his universe.
If you cringe every time they say things like "his DNA is reconfiguring" on Star Trek, you'll probably have the same reaction to the "explanations" in Pullman's last two books.
Better choices for fantasy: the "Earthsea" books by Ursula LeGuin (especially for kids), and for older readers, Stephen R. Donaldson's two "Thomas Covenant" trilogies.
The first book, published here in America as "The Golden Compass," has to rank as one of the most vividly drawn fantasy worlds in the recent history of the genre, ranking, in my opinion, right up there with Middle Earth. I certainly would not hesitate, and in fact haven't hesitated, to recommend this book to adults. (Dare I say on Slashdot that I'm 35?)
However, the tremendous amount of goodwill the novel builds up is slowly squandered in the next two volumes as the story begins to collapse under the weight of the author's religious and political agenda. The saddest result of this is that Lyra, the protaganist, moves from being an incredibly vivid character to just another pawn in Pullman's increasingly abrasive polemic against organized relegion. Those who have read the book will know just what a shame this is - Lyra is an intelligent, resourceful and moral girl whose sense of wonder in discovering the fantastical world around her is truly infectious.
Though the trilogy manages to move inexorably downhill, it starts from such a lofty height in "The Golden Compass" that it's worth slogging through the final book to get to the end - which will break the heart of even the most hardened, cynical geek.
"Trust in haste. Repent at leisure"
One of the problems in describing Pullmans books is that they're not about anything. I don't have the reference offhand, but he has written at least one place that he wishes a return from all sorts of experimental fiction towards just writing good stories.
However, it is not really true that his books don't have themes. Most of his work is about the process of change and growing up, in particular about the end of adolescence. The protagonists of His Dark Materials are children when the story begins and young adults when it ends - the story, on one level, is about puberty. However, it is the plot that drives his stories forward.
What in my opinion makes his mark as a writer that Slashdot readers should be interested in, is his plot devices - the Alethiometer, the Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass, and above all, Dust, the Dark Material. I see fodder for .signature files, role-playing campaigns, and - yes - two of my computers are named Lyra and Pantalaimon.
But to give a summary of what the books are about - that would be as impossible as to sum up what the Lord of The Rings is about. It's not just about this bad ring that has to be destroyed, and the struggles to destroy it, is it?
His Dark Materials appeals to imagination, first and foremost. It is an immense work, it shows an imagination and a playfulness second to none. The setting of the story is in a parallell universe where (I hope I'm not giving away too much now)
- The Calvinist Church won against Luther - Calvinist authorities in Geneva rule the world.
- Consequently, there are strict rules against science, which is here called experimental theology
- Electricity exists, but there are strict limiations to its applications, so there is electric light and telephones, but no radio
- And there is no USA - North America conists of independent countries.
- People wear their souls outside their bodies. They're called daemons.
And, oh yes, magic exists. Lyra, the protagonist, visits our world, and other parallell worlds. OK, there is a quest, which I suppose is what makes it fantasy. And there are incredible plot twists.Just trust me. Give it a try. I'll take that chance that there are slashdot readers who don't like it, because I think that most of you will. These are not children's books - as a 35 years old psychologists I think I should have noticed if they were.
BTW, his Sally Lockhart series, set in Victorian London, and his other books, especially The Butterfly Tattoo and The Broken Bridge are also highly readable, for entirely different reasons.
-- Rolf Lindgren, cand.psychol
"Of course, I haven't read this book, but ... "
Then of course you don't know what you're talking about.
Definitely WAY above the the Harry Potty pablum. Not quite LOTR, but certain the equal of the Narnia series, and without Lewis' not-so-cleverly-"hidden" Xian apologistics.
Anyone who grew up on Curdie, Narnia, the LOTR, and F&SF will probably enjoy it immensely. Those who find such fare silly *may* still like it anyway.
Meanwhile, it irritates me that people see fit to pontificate on subjects about which they know nothing. Save it for the call-in radio shows.
-0-
I was totally prepared to like these after a review in the NY Times was positive. I read most sci fi and fantasy for fun, and agree with Pullman's angle on religion/science, and yet.... There's not much to save him from just not writing very well, being weak on style and characterization, having evil that's less threatening than Cruella Deville and seemingly directly modeled on her.
"with their freedom lost all virtue lose" - Milton
The whole idea of a battle with god was troubling in a good, make-you-think kind of a way.
I too had some problems with the last book -- perhaps the whole series was too ambitious and there was just too much to wind up. There is just so much good stuff in the books, much of it -- interesting questions about human conscienceness, theology, and cosmology, left unresolved.
Themes in the series come up over and over again -- the journey to the dead is a lot like the one in the Earthsea books.
I think Dark Materials is like cats -- people have strong emotions one way or another.
-- ac at work
I'm just about finished with the second book in this trilogy. The thing I liked most about the first book was the exploration of Lyra's alternate earth. I absolutely loved the idea of the armored bears, bears with opposable thumbs who's metalcraft is far beyond the humans of her world. Also fascinating was the concept of daemons, physical representations of people's souls. A cool "alternate world" moment came when a character read from the book of Genesis. The passage was exactly the same as our except that it refered to Adam and Eve's daemons. Making something alien appear commonplace helps put the reader firmly "in" the world of the book. Like C.J.Cherryh, Pullman has that gift.
A lot of the second book takes place in our world, which is relatively boring by comparison. I hope things pick up more in the third.
I wouldn't characterize this a children's book. It assumes a fair knowledge of science, religion and world history. Also, bad things happen to children which are quite unsettling. I would place it in "young adult".
Read a good book lately?
I enjoyed the Trilogy myself, as did my wife, but we can't figure out why it was called "His Dark Materials." Just being dense, I'm sure.
Hint: Read the excerpt of Paradise Lost at the beginning of the first book....
duh - read the book or some reviews before sounding stupid in front of several million people. not only are these books very worth reading for adults, but the concepts are fresh. potter just plain sucks compared to these deep and interesting books.
In a certain kind of literature, including most of the Dead White Guy canon, plot is kind of beside the point. The stories are taken from folklore, popular history, and religious tradition, so everybody already knows the story. It's all about the presentation.
That being said, I didn't care for this trilogy either. Not because it was written for kids -- given the kind of "grown up" fiction most Slashdotters read, we're in no position to be snobbish. Just wasn't a very imaginative telling.
But tell me this. If unoriginal stories badly told are Uncool, why is that idiot Harry Turtledove so popular?
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan is a lot better than this other crap. I like it better than Tolkien too :)
~Turd
Read the book, please.
As other people have said in this thread, it's not just another teenage book. Pullman writes commentaries into his book and makes slight allusions throughout the work that, frankly, very few teenagers would pick up. Calvinism, religion, the relation to body and soul. Those are the subjects of the books. If Pullman hadn't artistically wrapped them up within a frame that above all other things is entertaining, you wouldn't think of calling this a teen book.
Yes, the language is simple. So are newspapers. Yes, the plot isn't terribly complicted. At least it doesn't interfere with the theme. Yes, the ending it a bit contrived, and reeks (rather ironicly) of deus ex machina. But at least the message remains the same.
Pullman created a complex world in these books. Don't throw it out simply because he created an accessable, fun trilogy. These books have been called an anti-Narnia for a reason. Like Lewis' books, they're easy to read. Like Lewis' books, they're entertaining. Like Lewis' books, they have an underlying theme. Unlike Lewis' books, the theme doesn't bludgeon you over the head.
It never ceases to amaze me that people throw away some real gems just because they're easy to read. You don't need to write like Joseph Conrad to write something that says something big. Addditudes like this pigeon-holed Bradbury for a long, long time. Looks like Pullman gets the same treatment for the same reason: He's fun.
There are audiobooks (a favorite medium of mine) of all three books acted out with a full cast (the best kind of audiobook there is). Unfortunately, as is the case with most audiobooks, they're only available on cassette. I can't understand why more publishers don't give more serious consideration to releasing the audio versions of their books on CD. The last cassette I bought was probably in the mid-80's; I don't even own a cassette player anymore.
So anyway, if you like the medium, you can listen to full cast productions of all these books. Hopefully I'll get to hear them one day myself.
By the end of the book I thought it was brilliant-- in the second one I realized just how much stuff he had set up and in the third it came together perfectly.
This is kind of Good Omens meets Lord of the Rings meets Narnia; they're really fantastic books and have child characters you will actually like. The boy, Will, is someone Lyra is obviously going to fall for but is a dark, twisted, dangerous kid. Pullman doesn't set him up as a psycho, but neither does it make Will ignorant, naive, or picture perfect. Will and Lyra are very smart but also endowed with emotions and motivations that come off as real, not just superbly crafted.
The third book feels like Rendevouz with Rama (at least, before the Rama series started to suck!) You explore alien worlds and wonder how they got to be that way. Everything fits well into the plot, the theme, and the universe that he has created-- Pullman rocks.
-magic
Really, can the world stand one more character named Asriel/Azriel? To me, choosing a name like this is the equivalent of declaring that you are creating a completely original superhero comic and the protagonist's name will be...Bat-Man! Maybe I'll write a play about a prince named Hamblet. It would at least have greater cultural meaning than "Asriel" does to the audience. The point is that 1) 'Asriel' doesn't mean anything to the majority of readers, 2) whether the author is making some sort of insightful reference to the mythological 'Azriel' is seemingly doubtful and, therefore, 3) It ends up coming off as just having been chosen because it's 'the kind of thing spooky sci-fi characters are named'. Next, it'll be 'Alucard'. Yeesh.
Yeah, but you don't see me blaming the moderators for my actions, do you?
Actually, I've been telling my (30- and 40-something) friends that this is the series we'd all have been reading if Harry Potter hadn't come out. I enjoyed it immensely, couldn't put it down.
I really enjoyed all three books-- particularily the last one.
However, the ending of the last one was really, really annoying to me. I recommend that anyone who reads the series skips the last ~10 pages.
The only children's author to win the Whitbread award ever? And for the last book in the reviewed series?
a rt s/newsid_1776000/1776393.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/
I loved the series as well, and don't think the praise is at all overdone.
Seriously, a little investigation before lashing out.
-- perl -e'print pack"H*","6e656d6f406d38792e6f7267"'
http://www.geocities.com/necrosio/azrael.htmld yes, Azrael is both good and bad, just like in mythology.
An
One of the most interesting wrinkles that occured to me, reading these books, is that Lyra's home dimension was never "visited" by Christ. Reading the third book, I suspected that Lyra and Will would make some great sacrifice and, in that way, become the Christ figures of the story -- and that's sort of what happened, albeit quite lamely IMHO.
This means that the whole Calvin vs. Luther "alternative dimension" take on the story is unfounded. The Church in this story, while clearly a fictional combination of the worst anti-Christian biases, has no equivalent of the New Testament; it could only have been an outgrowth of Judaism. Which is not to say that Pullman is attacking Judaism -- I think he is slamming organized religion in general and perhaps didn't even realize the implications of creating a universe in which the Messiah had never come, not even allegedly.
I am an avid reader of SciFi/Fantasy and I didn't really think much of these books... who wrote this review? Is there really a place for this kind of story on Slashdot?
If you are going to review fiction, there are plenty of better writers who need the praise.
--
My wife and I read books together periodically, and we read this just last year. The first book is great.. but they character of Lyra gets weaker and weaker as the series progresses.
The last book has her entering puberty a few years early and having sex... it's a little weird to be reading, and I definitely wouldn't want to read it with a young child.
I do highly recommend the first book to everyone.. but skip the 2nd and 3rd.
This passage (more or less, I don't remember exactly where it began and ended) is quoted on the first page of the book.
In Paradise Lost this passage is talking about the chaotic elemental void from which God creates everything.
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
Compare the church in His Dark Materials (HDM) trilogy to the pedophile priests in Boston.
I had just finished reading The Golden Compass and started the Subtle Knife when the first pedophile priests were dragged out on the Boston Globe. The juxtaposition of the events of The Golden Compass with the behavior of these priests was Spooky. Example: Boys trapped by priests on camping trips vs church agents kidnapping boys and girls, taking them to Bolvangar...
The scandal expanded as I progressed through the Subtle Knife and Pullman fleshed out his anti-religion theme. Somewhere in the second half of the book the reader learns that the subtle knife must be delivered to Asriel so he can defeat The Authority. Consider the Subtle Knife as the Sword of Justice striking at the church...
Now I am near the end of the Amber spyglass-- The Authority has died-- and bishops are facing criminal charges.
Prophecy!? No, but Quite the coincidence. If you are not reading HDM trilogy now, I recommend you wait a few months before doing so. At this particular time, it is rather disturbing.
See the end of this article for an overview of the scandal.
You can have it good, fast, or cheap. Pick any two.
Hi, I wanted to add a plug for the books on tape varsion. For kids, and for adults, the ensemble does an excellant job of bringing the characters to life. My wife's white, dented, grand caravan is named Iorek (Byrnison) now. For a "Boston" driver in a large white craft moving very fast, the name of an armored (polar)bear is appropriate ;-)
Initially, when The Golden Compass was introduced in the States, it was published by Random House, and my mother was the sales rep primarily responsible for promoting his book in New England. I was all of 13 at the time, but I remember while we were in Williamsburg he tried to pick my brain about theoretical physics. Uhhh... sir, I think you'd better read "Hyperspace" for yourself. The man was really quite genuine and pleasant, however. What I am trying to say is.... I forget. But he's nice. Yes, he is that.
Hahahahaha, sometimes I swear I have the mind of a 50 year old. Now, to find my car keys...
I don't see anyone blaming the moderators for their actions. I see grendel blaming the moderators for their actions.
Schmuck.
The audio versions are superb. They use a full cast and have won all sorts of awards. I rented them from www.storytapes.net. You can also hear clips online.
Or better yet, read all of Paradise Lost. The best thing I can say about His Dark Materials was that it led me to read Paradise Lost. Milton did it much better than Pullman. As others have mentioned, the first book is great, but the series collapses under its own illogic.
If any of the religious zealots who burn Harry Potter sat down and read His Dark Materials, they would probably want to burn Pullman at the stake.
-- stream of did I lock the front door consciousness