Viewfinder - Pullman

Pullman's Compromise

Advantages: Beautifully presented little snippet of the future, post-His Dark Materials
Disadvantages: Undeniable aftertaste of pointlessness

Anyone who has read any of my previous ops about books, audio books or children?s books, will have come across copious references to Philip Pullman, and my love of the beautifully crafted His Dark Materials. It is an extraordinary book, published as a trio of intelligent, pacy, fantastical novels: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. If this epic collection has a fault it is, as jillmurphy once suggested to me, that it verges on a polemic against organised religion that involves some gentle brainwashing of its own. I think this is true. But I also think that it is a stunningly written and fascinating exploration of those themes from the point of view of a child pitched on the verge of adulthood. His Dark Materials ended oddly for me. Although it had been a long haul through The Amber Spyglass, and although ...

ruth_cole 07.12.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Lyra's Oxford - Philip Pullman

Pullman reveals the trump card!!!

Advantages: Brilliant end to a brilliant trilogy. Short chapters: ideal stopping places
Disadvantages: Much longer than the others. Very descriptive in the middle.

A little short of amonth ago, I woke up on Christmas morning and opened my presents. One of these was Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. I had eagerly awaited these (guessing I would get them for Christmas) and tucked into them immediately. The first two in the trilogy, namely 'Northern Lights' and 'The Subtle Knife', leave you thristy for more. Pullman creates a fantastic tale over the course of the trilogy, leaving the reader needing closure. 'The Amber Spyglass' is significantly longer than the first two books, over 500 pages long, and at points in the middle, it seems to drag slightly.I found myself pushing through long descriptive paragraphs without incidences of conversation to break up the monotony. These descriptions were integral to the plot, as is everything, but I felt Pullman was close to going off ...

pmcds 21.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of His Dark Materials III: The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman's Northern Lights

Advantages: Exciting story, told by an obviously imaginative author
Disadvantages: Kids book, so maybe a little restrictive on content in places

Much has been made of Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy. In 2005 it was voted the Cilip Awards best ever book(s). It is a critically acclaimed series, and the focus has come to the fore again with the emergence of 'The Golden Compass', the film adaption of 'Northern Lights', the first in the trilogy. Upon starting the book, I was aware of the criticism of anti-religion Pullman has received for the trilogy. Howev er, this is a work of fiction, and this must not be read into too much. I found that, with letting go and just trusting the author, I found it an extremely good book. The theories are incredibly imaginative, as are the characters and the plot. The book starts with the main character, a 12 year old girl named Lyra Belacqua, hiding in a room forbidden to her. What she overhears and sees then shapes the course of the book, as ...

pmcds 09.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Northern Lights (His Dark Materials) - Philip Pullman