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Tophat665 · 01-10-2004, 01:14 PM

His Dark Materials is not a children's series. It's probably listed as a children's book because the two main characters are children, but the themes are purely adult (adolescent at the very earliest). My mother picked it up to read to her students, loved it, and gave it to me because it probably would have caused her no end of trouble if she had read it to them. I hadn't though of it as Anti-Narnia, but now that you mention it, that's an excellent description.

If you think the Christian right when apeshit over Harry Potter, you ain't seen nothing yet. If this develops that kind of popularity, there will be televangelists on the edge of apoplexy 24/7 until a couple of them have heart attacks. I really can't say much more about the books without giving away some things that would take away from the enjoyment of the books if you knew them ahead of time.

Let's just say that as Narnia is to Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials is to The Dark Tower. It's dark and creepy and has a science fictiony kind of vibe to it underlying a Victorianish setting and a Christian mythology epic fantasy premise turned on its head.

While it is not the best series I every read, it is almost certainly in the top 10.

Edit: I should also mention that the writing is excellent: the plot is good and tight, the characters are three dimensional, and the setting is positively atmospheric - it seeps into you.

Another Edit: To answer your question about whether or not it is the equal of LOTR, that is a really toough question. Tolkien was a huge part of my growing up, so it is hard for me to tell at this point whether my enjoyment of his stuff stems from the stories themselves or from the weight of nostalgia they carry for me. However, at a guess, I would say that HDM is better written than LOTR, and is every bit as broad in scope, though not so deep in its conception. Pullman's grandson, f'rinstance, is not going to be able to write a dozen books from his notes on this series, I don't think (God I hope not). It doesn't feel like a life's work the way LOTR does, more an exceptionally good piece of craftsmanship by a very talented writer.

01-10-2004, 01:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tophat665 Minion of the scaléd ones Location: Northeast Jesusland	His Dark Materials is not a children's series. It's probably listed as a children's book because the two main characters are children, but the themes are purely adult (adolescent at the very earliest). My mother picked it up to read to her students, loved it, and gave it to me because it probably would have caused her no end of trouble if she had read it to them. I hadn't though of it as Anti-Narnia, but now that you mention it, that's an excellent description. If you think the Christian right when apeshit over Harry Potter, you ain't seen nothing yet. If this develops that kind of popularity, there will be televangelists on the edge of apoplexy 24/7 until a couple of them have heart attacks. I really can't say much more about the books without giving away some things that would take away from the enjoyment of the books if you knew them ahead of time. Let's just say that as Narnia is to Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials is to The Dark Tower. It's dark and creepy and has a science fictiony kind of vibe to it underlying a Victorianish setting and a Christian mythology epic fantasy premise turned on its head. While it is not the best series I every read, it is almost certainly in the top 10. Edit: I should also mention that the writing is excellent: the plot is good and tight, the characters are three dimensional, and the setting is positively atmospheric - it seeps into you. Another Edit: To answer your question about whether or not it is the equal of LOTR, that is a really toough question. Tolkien was a huge part of my growing up, so it is hard for me to tell at this point whether my enjoyment of his stuff stems from the stories themselves or from the weight of nostalgia they carry for me. However, at a guess, I would say that HDM is better written than LOTR, and is every bit as broad in scope, though not so deep in its conception. Pullman's grandson, f'rinstance, is not going to be able to write a dozen books from his notes on this series, I don't think (God I hope not). It doesn't feel like a life's work the way LOTR does, more an exceptionally good piece of craftsmanship by a very talented writer. __________________ Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life. Last edited by Tophat665; 01-10-2004 at 01:23 PM..