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juushikaTitles: His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass
Author: Philip Pullman
Published: Scholastic Ballantine Books, New York, 1997-2000
Pages: 351, 288, and 548, total of 1187
Total pages: 6945
Text number: 22-24
Read for: My own enjoyment
In brief: I would call this another great classic childrens' series. Although not as well known as Harry Potter and Narnia, I believe His Dark Materials is equally important and makes equally good literature for both children and adults. The series begins in a world very different and yet very much like ours and moves through are world and clearly alien worlds. It is about a mysterious material called Dust (or Dark Matter, or Shadows) and the role that this material plays in the creation of human consciousness, maturity, and identity. Both magical and moral (though in a very unexpected way), the journey of the texts is huge, decisive, and wonderfully written, the characters and their relationships are both realistic and inspirational, and the ideas and multiple worlds are well thought out and described. I can't recommend this series more: it is a spectacular read and really is right up there with those other great childrens' series.
This was my first reread of His Dark Materials in quite some time, and I was really pleased with what I found in the books this time around. They were as wonderful as I imagined, just as magical and as grand, but the characters and the commentary on adolescence had become a larger and better part of the book.
Let me start by saying that I love alternative universes, magic, exploring new worlds, female leads, metaphysical questions, and issues like what it means to grow up and what makes us human, so these books appeal to me from the onset because they contain all of the above. For those who like good fantasy/sci fi, love stories about battles, good vs. "evil," and apocalypse, or like new-world-explorative books like Harry Potter, Narnia, and even Lord of the Rings, you'll love this series. Pullman works with magic, scientific explanations, and fantastical world and creatures; he wages war against the "Authority" and common conceptions of correctness, goodness, and godliness; and he creates not one but multiple whole new worlds. Moreover, he manages to do all of the above quite successfully. His Dark Materials makes for an interesting, engrossing read from the onset even if characterization and the topic of human consciousness and adolescence don't immediately interest you.
Beyond just sci fi, battles, and new worlds, however, Pullman does write a book about people: what makes them people, how they interact, and the nature of adolescence. These aspects were important to me when I first read the series as it was published, but how well Pullman handles them and how fascinating his conclusions are strikes me more and more as I read the texts as an adult. Somehow, very tactfully and righteously, Pullman manages to condemn religious institutions and the stifling, inhuman morals that they impose, he manages to wage a war against this authority and have the normal, "sinful" man win. He turns adolescence from hell into a celebration, if an awkward one, of the insecurities, relationships, loves, desires, and actions that make us human. Ultimately he comes out unorthodox and life-affirming, and I love him for it. Few authors have confronted modern expectations and thoughts about adolescence and turned them around to put such a positive and beautiful spin on what it means to come of age. He doesn't come off as preachy, and his writing is uplifting and very real. For that reason, I recommend it to all adolescents and even to people like me who are still dealing with what our adolescence meant. Pullman's theories are a nice and healthy break from what we normally hear on the subject.
In short, as should be obvious, I love these texts and highly recommend them to kids, adults, and everyone in between. They are engrossing, well-written, and revolutionize some tricky and sensitive subjects. Just go read them.
Author: Philip Pullman
Published: Scholastic Ballantine Books, New York, 1997-2000
Pages: 351, 288, and 548, total of 1187
Total pages: 6945
Text number: 22-24
Read for: My own enjoyment
In brief: I would call this another great classic childrens' series. Although not as well known as Harry Potter and Narnia, I believe His Dark Materials is equally important and makes equally good literature for both children and adults. The series begins in a world very different and yet very much like ours and moves through are world and clearly alien worlds. It is about a mysterious material called Dust (or Dark Matter, or Shadows) and the role that this material plays in the creation of human consciousness, maturity, and identity. Both magical and moral (though in a very unexpected way), the journey of the texts is huge, decisive, and wonderfully written, the characters and their relationships are both realistic and inspirational, and the ideas and multiple worlds are well thought out and described. I can't recommend this series more: it is a spectacular read and really is right up there with those other great childrens' series.
This was my first reread of His Dark Materials in quite some time, and I was really pleased with what I found in the books this time around. They were as wonderful as I imagined, just as magical and as grand, but the characters and the commentary on adolescence had become a larger and better part of the book.
Let me start by saying that I love alternative universes, magic, exploring new worlds, female leads, metaphysical questions, and issues like what it means to grow up and what makes us human, so these books appeal to me from the onset because they contain all of the above. For those who like good fantasy/sci fi, love stories about battles, good vs. "evil," and apocalypse, or like new-world-explorative books like Harry Potter, Narnia, and even Lord of the Rings, you'll love this series. Pullman works with magic, scientific explanations, and fantastical world and creatures; he wages war against the "Authority" and common conceptions of correctness, goodness, and godliness; and he creates not one but multiple whole new worlds. Moreover, he manages to do all of the above quite successfully. His Dark Materials makes for an interesting, engrossing read from the onset even if characterization and the topic of human consciousness and adolescence don't immediately interest you.
Beyond just sci fi, battles, and new worlds, however, Pullman does write a book about people: what makes them people, how they interact, and the nature of adolescence. These aspects were important to me when I first read the series as it was published, but how well Pullman handles them and how fascinating his conclusions are strikes me more and more as I read the texts as an adult. Somehow, very tactfully and righteously, Pullman manages to condemn religious institutions and the stifling, inhuman morals that they impose, he manages to wage a war against this authority and have the normal, "sinful" man win. He turns adolescence from hell into a celebration, if an awkward one, of the insecurities, relationships, loves, desires, and actions that make us human. Ultimately he comes out unorthodox and life-affirming, and I love him for it. Few authors have confronted modern expectations and thoughts about adolescence and turned them around to put such a positive and beautiful spin on what it means to come of age. He doesn't come off as preachy, and his writing is uplifting and very real. For that reason, I recommend it to all adolescents and even to people like me who are still dealing with what our adolescence meant. Pullman's theories are a nice and healthy break from what we normally hear on the subject.
In short, as should be obvious, I love these texts and highly recommend them to kids, adults, and everyone in between. They are engrossing, well-written, and revolutionize some tricky and sensitive subjects. Just go read them.
