Book Review: His Dark Materials
August 27, 2007
If you’re feeling slightly bereft from the ending of the Harry Potter series there is good news: His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Apparently this series has been around for some time now, so it’s possible you’ve already read them (in which case I’m very sorry you can’t enjoy them again for the first time), but if you haven’t you need to.
While ostensibly a series for children, this set of novels is more appropriately enjoyed by adults who can fully appreciate all of the innuendos and philosophical elements the novel weaves into an exciting adventure. The stories follow an eleven year old girl, Lyra, from a world unlike our own who gets caught up in the theological and political debates of her time. While the underlying premise for the series is a war on The Almighty, the grist of the story is an adventure through the eyes of a young girl as she travels through multiple worlds and plays her part in fate.
Adam and I listened to all three books on our drive out west and they were our saving grace on multiple 12 hour days in the car. Like Harry Potter, which is more enjoyably listened to the first time around, the audio recordings of this trilogy are well worth the time it takes to listen rather than read. They are narrated by the author himself and read by a whole cast of characters. They are a delight.
And, if you need further incentive to read them, the movie of the first book, The Golden Compass, is coming out in December - so hop to …
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Timothy Wright said:
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Hi,
Do you know much about the Phillip Pullman and his belief system? Have you read his Dark Materials? I am curious about your thoughts?
Cheers
Tim
The Golden Compass and Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” | pomomusings | progressive theology & design said:
December 4th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
[...] This past summer, Sarah and I listened to Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” fantasy trilogy on CDs. It was probably the best book-on-CD I’ve ever listened to partly because it had a full cast acting out all the parts, but mostly because Pullman’s imagination is just amazing. Pullman’s first book in the trilogy, The Golden Compass, came out in 1996 - so they’ve been out for awhile. However, since we are living in a post-Potter world now, His Dark Materials is taking its place in the world of popular fantasy literature. Of course that means it’s the “next big thing” for conservative Christians to rail against. Unfortunately, it’s even easier for them to put up a stink about these books, because the underlying premise is that a war is being waged against The Almighty (read a short review from Sarah here). [...]