Phillip Pulman?

[andustar]

Anyone here read the His Dark Materials trilogy?

1)Northern Lights (called the Goldan Compass in America for some odd reason )
2) The Subtle Knife
3) The Amber Spyglass

I reccomend you do if you haven't

[cee2lee2]

No, I haven't. Just haven't gotten 'round to them yet.

What did you like about them?

[andustar]

Well... I just enjoyed them, and thought you might

er, as to why... the books were well written, exciting... obviously carefully planned from the very start... and in the Amber Spyglass some very, er, interesting ideas about God and angels. I won't go into them here, but I promise you they will surprise you they make the third book very much a love or hate thing. But I think the others can be enjoyed by just about anyone.

[cee2lee2]

Thanks! I'll definitely have to put these on the "To Read" list.

[webwizard333]

I made a thread about this along time ago (I think it was deleted when we moved to here). Most people find the third book so difficult to read because they don't read the book for fun. They take everything far too seriously. They take it far too seriously, its like trying to get rid of Tolkien or Lewis, because their worlds had made up religions (do you know if thos are Philip'strue ideas on religion?)

[Comic Book Guy]

I just got 'Northern Lights' from my school libary, so far I am finding it interesting. I just don't like the way the Dæmons can change form so freely. Some parts are creepy though, like the photo of the child in the snow and the 'Gobblers'.

[webwizard333]

Just out of curiousity, what do you mean by finding the form changing feaky? I didn't get that feeling so I don't understand what you mean.

[Comic Book Guy]

It seems to me that they should just have one form, to represent their personality of themselves and their Master. I know this sort of happens as the Dæmons get older and more mature.

[Comic Book Guy]

Does anybody know why there are quotes from later on in the Amber Spyglass? I believe its only in the UK version. It spoils it a bit too much I think.

[Tailin]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I'd just thought I'd say that I think it's a great series, I just finished the subtle knife, and it was great. I was going to buy the Amber Spyglass, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Sorry..........

On another subject, I would like to say that the bond between Daemon and People are just a little similiar to the bond between Aes Sedai and Gaidin in the Wheel of Time. The stuff about sensing the others emotion, that stuff. It's not similiar by much, bu a little.

And, on another subject, I would like to say that The Fancloth from the WoT is very similiar to the Elvencloaks in LoTR. The stuff about melting into the surroundings and stuff like that, you follow?

[Talera]

Philip Pullman's series is one of my all time favourites! I cried my eyes out for the last 3 chapters of Amber Spyglass it was just so incredibly sad. But, if it hadn't ended like that (dont' want to give too much away for those who haven't read it yet) I guess I would have been unsatisfied as if he'd done it the nice way it would have been too much of a cutsey 'nothing the way life really is' kind of ending - do you get what I'm trying to say?! Not sure if I'm making myself clear!

Definitely a fantastic series though. Have you read his other series, comprised of - The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North and the Tiger in the Well? Not quite as good as His Dark Materials but worth a look.

One extra thing, having a Daemon must be brilliant! It would be really interesting to find out what shape my daemon would be.

[cee2lee2]

I cried my eyes out too! Any other ending wouldn't have been right for the integrety of the characters or the plot.

I just finished the books a couple of weeks ago. I started on a Friday night and just kept going through the weekend. Now my mom is reading them.

Pullman's ideas about religion are very interesting. In some ways, I would think these books would be more upsetting to fundamentalist Christians than Harry Potter. I'll not say more to avoid any spoilers for those who haven't read them. But I say as much as I do as a Christian who was a little disconcerted by the ideas myself - disconcerted and challenged.

[FrodoFriend]

LOL, I'm another one of those who has 'cried her eyes out'! WOOOHOOO! It's good to know other people have read Philip Pullman. His Dark Materials is one of my favorite trilogies.

On another subject, I would like to say that the bond between Daemon and People are just a little similiar to the bond between Aes Sedai and Gaidin in the Wheel of Time. The stuff about sensing the others emotion, that stuff. It's not similiar by much, bu a little.

I don't think that's how it's meant to be. The daemon and the person are not separate. They're one being. I think the daemon is kind of like the soul, or consciousness, or the person (they do say that Dust is consciousness, and that Dust and daemons are sort of the same thing). So I don't really see it as being like the Aes Sedai and the Gaidin.


Was anyone else a little confused at the end? It seems to me that the whole biblical prophecy thing didn't come out very clearly. How did Mary play the serpent? When did Lyra fall? How was she Eve, exactly? It was a bit anti-climatic after all the foreshadowing and prophesizing going on. That's all the criticism I think I can muster . . .

Pullman and Tolkien share that wonderfully frustrating talent of mixing happiness and sadness together until you want to scream but love it anyway.

[Laurelyn]

I've read the Golden Compass and the Subtle Knife. They're great.

[Comic Book Guy]

I was Rather confused by the Ending also, It didn't make a lot of sense and questions went unanswered, I.E The Republic of Heaven. It has recently won a Book of the Year awards in both Childrens and Adult literature.

[Araethirion]

Its called 'The Golden Compass' in America because the Alethiometer is a "Golden Compass", and it fits with the other titles more because the titles are nicknames [[except for TAS]] of the materials, i.e., Golden Compass = Alethiometer, Subtle Knife = some really long, confusing name that I can't remember how you spell it. Æthirelot or something... I forget. ANYWAY, I love all of the books, escpecially TAS, the ending was VERY sad, but just before that it was really happy. My heart skipped a few beats when they had to leave each other... *sigh*

[FrodoFriend]

Yeah, the ending of TAS was really, really great. My favorite is still TSK, though. I'm in love with Citagazze. I'd live there if it weren't for the those stupid Spectres . . .

Just a question: Which would you least like to meet: A Spectre or the Ring of Power?

[Araethirion]

Prolly a specter; if it was right now. If it was in a few months [[when I turn 13]] the Ring of Power. Then I'd just throw it to someone else and run

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

I'd rather meet The One Ring. At least it wouldn't suck out my soul right away. . .

My favorite book is The Golden Compass/Norther Lights, but I think my favorite part in all three is when they reforge the knife. Reminiscent of the reforging of Narsil/Anduril. . .

I almost cried at the end of Amber Spyglass! . . .and I rarely cry at books. . .VERY rarely. The only book at which I actually cried is LotR.

[FrodoFriend]

I'm just getting my mom to start the series. Can't wait to have long discussions about the nature of daemons and Dust. One of the best endings ever, I think I may even have liked it more than the ending to LotR.