His Dark Materials Trilogy

[Undomiel]

Has ne1 else read His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman?? That is "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass". I adore these books. They are joint favourites with LOTR. I wanted to know what other ppl thought of them.

[Daisy Gamgee]

I read the trilogy earlier this year and though it was very good, defiantely better than Harry Potter, not quite as good as LOTR but definately worth a read. :thumbs:

[Undomiel]

wow! sum1 replied-i woz beginning to think nobody except me had read them-yay!

[Little Devil]

I've read them and think there brilliant! :thumbs: I'm now reading Philip Pullman's The Tiger in the Well
P.S I want a deamon!

[Daisy Gamgee]

I like to think i have a deamon - i just wish i could see it!!
I didn't know he'd written anything else - hows it going so far?

[Undomiel]

every time i read them i always end up wanting a daemon. it's so sad at the end. it always makes me cry, but i just love the whole trilogy they're brilliant books

[Daisy Gamgee]

I want to read them again, but i lent the first book to my friends daughter and haven't got it back yet :angry:

[Little Devil]

I hate lending books to ppl! :angry: parts of the books are so powerful and sad they make me wanna cry! :mecry: i want a dæmon sooooo much.

[Undomiel]

i get round the lending thing-i've got 2 copies of each of the trilogy coz I had them 2 of them in pareback for Xmas one yr, then i had to wait ages for the 3rd to come out. Then i got that in hardback, so i got the other two in hardback and the third in paperback. lol. it stems from the fact that my mum decided i should have the complete hardback set.

[Belaqua]

i love that trilogy! i finished the Amber Spyglass at the weekend an don't know what to do now.

[Bonos-Girl]

i haven't read them yet......my brother said he would borrow them from his school library though so i should have read them by the week after half term...if he remembers!!

[Undomiel]

they are fantastic. I know what u mean Belaqua-i never know what to do with myself when i've finished HDM or LOTR. I usually feel like starting them all over again lol

[Belaqua]

Alas, I can't. I borrowed Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass from library. Foolish me.

[Daisy Gamgee]

I still havn't got Northern Lights back from my friends daughter. When i saw her last, she said she hadn't even started reading it!! she's had it for months and that means i can't read the trilogy again!!:elfeek:

[Undomiel]

:elfeek: o no!:elfeek:
as i said i have loadsa copies so i can avoid this awful dilemma (same for LOTR as well) lol :)

[Lalaith]

I've read them... and re-read them!
I found them truly captivating - it's not often that a book for chihldren contains characters that you can care deeply about. My heart almost broke at the end!
Very original - I want a daemon!!!

[Orkybash]

I only read the first one, but that was before the second two were even published! I still haven't gotten around to reading them!

BTW, back when I read the first one it was called The Golden Compass, not Northern Lights. That title seems more appropriate to the series (all the titles have to do with objects, at least...) anyone know why it was changed?

[Undomiel]

i'm not sure. I got the impression it was called Northern Lights in England and The Golden Compass in America. I could be wrong though. I suppose the alethiometer wasnt actually a compass but i dont know exactly why it's different.

[Ruthiel]

I read the first one, and it was good, I just didn't want to continue. Are the others good?

:elfqueen:

[Undomiel]

They are much much better. I mean the scope just gets larger and there are a myriad of new characters. Seriously, if you thought the first one was good, you will enjoy the next ones even more:thumbs: I just really love them.

[Ruthiel]

Thanks. Maybe I'll go pick 'em up from the Library someday soon...

:elqueen:

[Undomiel]

you definitely should :grin:

[Querarien]

Love those books, but I think The Subtle Knife was the best of the 3, there was still such an air of mystery as to what the hell was going on.

[Lessien Elensar]

i loved them!! although i only actually own northern lights i've lost count how many times ive read the series........... :grin:

[Undomiel]

i'm gonna start reading them again as soon as i've finished ROTK!!!!

[Amoraq]

I loved all the books in the trilogy. I liked the first one the best. In the U.S. the first one is called the Golden Compass I think. They were all great!

[Undomiel]

Yeah it's weird the way they changed the name. It's like how they changed the name of the first Harry Potter book. I always thought that was a bit strange really.

[Amoraq]

It took me forever to figure out the name change with the Harry Potter books.
I loved all the Dark Materials books. The daemons are cool. I wish I had one. :)

[Undomiel]

i know-every time i read them i want a daemon so much. I keep thinking how lucky they are to have one (like a visible one i mean)

[Little Devil]

I only started reading them,after my friend introduced me to them and I love them, I think that Northern Lights and Amber Spyglass are my favourites, I hope they'll make a film out of it. ;)

[Undomiel]

i dont want them to make a film. I have such fixed ideas about the characters. And also i think they would cut alot out because of the atheist content. Some of the things in there would offend strict christians quite badly. I know there are various groups on america who want the books banned. If they had to cut stuff like that it would change the story. I like having my imagination. One of the best things about them being based around Oxford is that my gran lives there. So every time i go to see her, we drive down the avenue of Hornbeam trees-Sunderland Avenue. My gran actually lives quite near Phillip Pullman.

[Amoraq]

I prefer the books. Usually when a film is made of really good books it isn't half as good. LotR was an exception but I was worried that the movies wouldn't be as good at first. :)

[Lessien Elensar]

yea..... i think making a movie out of the books would be way to hard to try and please everyone, imagination is the best way to go :thumbs:

[Daisy Gamgee]

Apparently, one of the major film studios has already bought the rights, I think it may even possibly New Line (they have either bought these or the Narnia Chronicles :huh: ), so chances are with the success of LOTR, they'll be made into a film at some time.

[Undomiel]

yeah i'm pretty sure it was New Line. I've read about it. I still dont want them to make it though:(

[Lessien Elensar]

oh no!! well they better get it right.....otherwise i won't go see it..............

[Pil]

I read Northern Lights before the other two were published i believe. I haven't re-read it since or read the other two in the trilogy but i listened to a radio broadcasting of the Northern Lights a while ago and it flared up my interest in the book once more. To re-read it and to read the subtle knife and amber spy-glass are definitely on my list of reading material...there's so many books out there! :o lol :p

I think a film would be difficult to make based on what i can remember from the book....hmm....we'll see.... :huh: :mmmm:

What creature do you think your daemon would be right now? I think mine would be a sloth...i feel quite lethargic at the moment! lol

[Undomiel]

i think mine would be a cat. Though i'm not really sure. I guess i more would LIKE my daemon to be a cat. I dont know if it actually would be lol

[Amoraq]

I don't know, I guess I would like my daemon to be a bird maybe.

[Undomiel]

it's an interesting subject really. I mean there must be a reson why a daemon takes a particular form. It must say something about you. Like Lord Asriel's shows how powerful he is.

[Elvenwanderer]

I read these about two years ago.... over-read them in fact, as I haven't picked em up since. During a time of about 6 months, I read them 9 times. Then, when my "favorite person" (I HATE her, though not only for this) took Northern Lights, and said she'd pay for it.... she didn't.... oh well, I have since bought another copy of it. I did love them when I read them though!! :)

errrrrr... I want to add something to my previous post..... isn't the first book called "the Golden Compass"??? At least that's what's on my book.... I said "northern lights" previously b/c I couldn't remember what it was called. It could be titled differently in other countries though! :)

(Mirkgirl - added it to the first post for you :) )

[Lessien Elensar]

yea here in n.z it's called 'the northern lights'.....since reading this forum i started reading the books again, and they're even better than i remember, man it must have been ages ago since i read them coz i've 4gotten heaps............

[Undomiel]

it's called Northern Lights in the UK too. I know it's called the Golden Compass in America though.

[Elvenwanderer]

okey dokey!! :):)

[Evenstar]

I think there will be a film made, at least Philip Pullman thinks so because I heard him talking about it in an interview when the trilogy was on radio 4. If I had a daemon I would like it to be something fierce and catlike... a tiger would be good! :grin: or another snowleopard

[Undomiel]

yeah something that could defend you would be pretty cool. A cat of some kind would definitely be my choice. Maybe a panther. I really have to read them again, they're so good!!!!!

[Little Devil]

They are very good, such good ideas. I have a feline dæmon of some sort, cuddly,cunning abd courages. hehe, lots of alliteration.

[Undomiel]

lol It would be so amazing to have one. I mean you wouldnt have to ever be alone, and you'd always have someone to tlak to when things were bad.

[Elvenwanderer]

hmmm, a daemon sorta seems like a spirit guide (an angel sort of person that guides you through life's situations, the little voice in your head warning you against eatin that chocolate cake....)..... I think mine would be an owl, wise, winged and nocturnal.

[Fairlyn]

Hi everyone who's reading this:)

Had anyone read His Dark Material triology?
They're by Phillip Pulman and the books are called "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass".
They're a bit confusing to start with but as you get into them, they get really exiting and i couldn't put them down. lol
They're a really good fantacy series! And I hope someone has read them, hehe:blush: :p

[Fairlyn]

yay! heaps of ppl have replied! lol, I didn't think anyone would have read them! They're fantastic aren't they.
I cried at the end of them! Twas soooo sad, but very emotional.
Hehee, I feel proud for starting this thread :)
If i had a daemon, i'd want it to be a tiger or a leopard! lol

[Túrinqualië]

Thats an interesting question - if i had a daemon it would probably be some kind of nocturnal animal like a badger or an owl.

[Melathwen]

dunno wot mine would be... think i'd like somthing like a big cat...im not too fussy :)

[Eowyn]

I've only read the first one so far but I couldn't seem to get into the book. I didn't connect with the characters as well as I do with other books. I'm going to read the second one this term. I'm guessing they get better as they go along :huh:

I haven't figured out what my Daemon would be, hmmmmm

[Silverbridge]

They made "His Dark Materials" a play in England. Go to "His Dark Materials" on-line and you can see pictures of the play....Timothy Dalton is in it. It looks neat, I'd love to see it.

I've been meaning to read the books, but I've been busy....I better get the "book-on-tape."

[Mánalinya]

Hmmm...I've read these books. I liked the first one the best. The second and third onces were kind of...wierd.

Actually, I was a little uneasy with the idea about the "Republic of Heaven". I didn't agree with the explanation of who God is. The whole idea of him being simply the first "angel", who lied about who he really was, and just made everyone else believe that he was God...I don't know...I just wasn't really comfortable with that.
I know it's just a story, but I still don't agree with it.

But they were well written books, none-the-less. I found the third one rather confusing at times, but I liked the ending. I know, I know, it was sad, but I liked that it didn't have the usual happy ending. I didn't expect that at all, especially for a children's story. But I liked it.

And yes, the idea of the daemons was really cool. That would be really fun to have one. I think mine would be a fox. A particularly sly one, hehe :grin:.

[Eowyn]

oh dear do you really think the first one's the best :(

and from what I know of you Linya a fox would work ;)

[Mánalinya]

Well, when I wrote my last post, I'd forgotten that Will only came into the story in book two (hey, it's been awhile since I've read them :)), and I really liked him.

Okay, the second book was really good, too (I still think the third one was weird). I really liked Will, and the friendship he and Lyra developed. The overall story of The Subtle Knife was really good, but some of the things that were said in it bothered me, which really was a detriment to my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

All in all...I'm not sorry I read the books (if they had been terrible, I wouldn't have finished them), but they will never be among my favourites.

P.S. Concerining the fox: Thanks!....I think, hehe ;).

[Vorneniel]

Has ne1 else read His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman?? That is "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass". I adore these books. .
actually, i think the first book's called th Golden Compass

[Evenstar]

That's the american title i think, but originally it's called Northern Lights. ;)

[Vorneniel]

why does everybody in europe think that American's need simpler titles? it really irratating me!

[Eledhwen]

That's the american title i think, but originally it's called Northern Lights.

Really? I didn't realize that. I heard him in an interview and he also referred to the book as The Golden Compass. I guess he thought more people would recognize that title?

I don't really know that people in Europe think that Vorn. A publisher friend told me that it's American publishers who sometimes make that call.

I really love the third book, but there are some things in it that I found strange to get around. It's still my favourite one, though. No matter how much I tell myself that I KNOW the ending, I still cry. He's a wonderful writer.

[Evenstar]

I don't think I have a favourite out of them, but the third one makes me cry as well. :)

I don't think there are different titles because people think it's simpler... maybe it's like region 1 and region 2 films. The title shows what country it's published in. Also I think Northern Lights was just changed to the Golden Compass to make it go with the other two titles and the trilogy title: aurora borealis isn't one of the dark materials, but the alethiometer is.

Tho I don't know who the 'His' of the trilogy title is :p

[Eowyn]

Hey it isn't the Europeans that think you need simpler titles. I don't understand why they change the names but it's the American publishers that decide... I wouldn't have thought the authors would want to change them.... could you imagine Tolkien's reaction if they'd tried it lol I don't see the need for the change... but thats off topic... I think I'll read book 2 when I go back up to uni, I didn't have time last term :(

[Vorneniel]

all three books are well done ;)
is there anybody aside from me that thinks that Serafina is the best character in the entire book?

[Evenstar]

I think she's definately one of the best. :grin:

[Vorneniel]

oh yeah, her and the Snow Leopard, she was awsome lol

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

Just discovered this thread!! His Dark Materials is also one of my favourites! I adored each and every one of the 3 books!! I can't wait for the movies to come out!!! :grin: :)

[Vorneniel]

WHAT?! Movies? really? you're kidding... *starts hyperventalating* that would realy make my day!

[Enyd]

Movies!?! That'd be awesome! I love these books so much although... It'd be an odd movie wouldn't it? lol There's so much great unusual stuff in these books

[Vorneniel]

oh yes, now is the ideal time to maske a movie like this lol, the special effects will be worth the money alone lol

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

You mean you didn't know anything about the movies????????????????? :elfeek:

Well, it's going to be a trilogy-hot on the trail of LotR, with one film released every year- and the first, entitled The Golden Compass(the original title Pullman intended for the first part of his trilogy), is supposed to hit the cinemas sometime around 2005! It has been advertised in the Warner Roadshow multiplexes in Greece for over a year now! ;)
Info on the web is very limited though! I read somewhere that they keep it under wraps, or did so until LotR was over(you know, for publicity reasons!) :rolleyes: ! I had found some pics of Lyra nad Will somewhere when I was searching...
:legolas:

[Enyd]

The Golden Compass(the original title Pullman intended for the first part of his trilogy)

Wait... what do you mean the original title he intended? That is the title, isn't it?

[Vorneniel]

appearently he also used the name "The Northern Lights" but wow, we haven't heard much, if anything in America about it lol

[Enyd]

lol wow, no nothing at all lol Go figure. Why woud he use a title other than the one he wanted?

[Vorneniel]

*points to top of page* i will not try to pretend to understans the reasonong lol

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

I read it as Northern Lights...I believe The Golden Compass is the American title-and theoriginal title Pullman intended, though he changed it eventually! ;)

As for the reasoning, dear Vorn, I won't say I quite get it either, I just wrote what I had read in the Greek CINEMA magazine lol lol ! It's quite simple really: the production company didn't want two trilogies of the same magnitude hitting the cinemas at the same time, so they kept His Dark Materials under wraps till LotR was over... ;) I hope it comes out soon now!! I'm so anxious to see it!!!! :cool: :cool:

[Enyd]

*points to top of page* i will not try to pretend to understans the reasonong lol

Ironically that is the top of the page. :p lol

Hmm... Well whatever the reason it really doesn't matter I guess. It'll still be a good movie, I hope.

[Vorneniel]

*joins Enyd in feverently hoping* so... who do you think is the absolute best character? so far Serifina is in the lead lol

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

*joins Enyd in feverently hoping* so... who do you think is the absolute best character? so far Serifina is in the lead lol

Personally, I'm anxious to see all of them... :) :cool:

[Vorneniel]

don't get me wrong, i love them all as well lol :p wow... even my dad is excited about this lol :p ;)

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

I know what you mean!! I started re-reading the trilogy yesterday!!! :grin:

[Vorneniel]

*Vorn really ought to start re-reading the books as well*

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

*Vorn really ought to start re-reading the books as well*

lol lol Good idea...get to it!!! lol lol

I read pretty fast, so I started yesterday and today...I'm starting with The Subtle Knife again, having already read Northern Lights!! ;) :grin:

[Vorneniel]

i'm a fairly quick reader as well *pulls out the books* i think i'll just skip to Amber Spy Glass, since i've reda the other two at least 5 times each...

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

I konw, I just finished it again!! ;)

[Undomiel]

i love these books so much. I re-read them again this summer and the ending still has me in tears every time. Thing is i actually dont want to see a film version of it. Unlike Lord of the Rings, i have a very strong idea in my head of what all the characters should be like. I didnt mind LOTR being made into a film but somehow i just dont want to have these books changed for me. I love them so much. Unlike LOTR i can't see how a film version of this would work. How could they cover all the material in the books without seriously offending many people-it is afterall extremely atheist. I'm scared they will water it down to make it less offensive to religious people which would totally undo the power of the books. I'm not going to see the films if they do come out-i love the characters in my head too much to let someone else's interpretation of them be pushed upon me.
Another reason for this worry is that a relative of mine went to see the play and told me that they changed the ending which i just find awful!!!

[Eledhwen]

I'm re-reading them again too. It seems that each time I read I come across something I hadn't noticed before.

I don't know if you've already seen this, but today I came across this interview (http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=weitzinterview) with Chris Weitz the director of the films. ... enjoy ... :grin:

[Melathwen]

Wow. He has such enthusiasm for this book, I think that he may make a reasonable adaptation, if such a thing is possible. I love these books too, and I first read them in Canada when I ran out of other books. I was hooked from the first sentece, and I think they take Lyra on a fantastic journey. I must reread them soon, along with the other half a million books on my shelf!

[Rhianon]

:read: I am just starting to read HIS DARK MATERIALS. I am currently read the first three chapters and have been unable to finish it because of school and work.

[Friend of Maglor]

Ech........I really disliked these books, altho I have to say that the author's comments concerning C.S.Lewis' Chronicles of NArnia (he called it "hideous lies" and some other very painful-to-repeat things) prejudiced me a little. I dislike the world he creates very much, because I hold to Tolkien's beleif that there is a little bit of all of the Truth of Reality in Fantasy. I found it a parallel to Paradise Lost, only his "hero" (Milton's "hero" as far as Greek epic tradition was Satan) is justified rather than evil.

and no it isn't because I am religious!! If fact, I do not think, udomiel, that the books are atheistic. I think they present the somewhat bitter view of someone who wishes they could be a nihilist. And by that I mean....Pullman does not by any means deny the permeating prescence of the (smart man) but presents what I consider a harmful view of "Authority." It would work if he was ayn Rand writing Anthem but he isn't!!

and anyways he dissed CS........lol........ anyone who says Narnia is "poisonous" is no champion of Fantasy.

[Eledhwen]

These are interesting comments FoM. I actually really like the books because they are that different from the more traditional fantasy base. (Pullman doesn't like LOTR either btw. He says the characters are too psychologically shallow.) I don't know that I'd peg him as a nihilist, though. There's a very beautiful moment (which I'm sure I'm not remembering correctly, please correct if necessary) where there is this "realization" that when one dies, one becomes part of everything else, the flowers, the trees. I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but I remember being struck by the beauty of that sentiment. That's not really a nihilist thought. But he does have issues with traditional authority, that's for sure. ;)

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the direction of the third book, simply because I felt like there wasn't enough explanation of Dust or its significance. And I felt that the crux of the story was derailed somehow by the Point he was trying to make. Again, I haven't read this one in quite a while, so my memory is probably off somewhat. It's a great lead to scientific concepts like Dark Matter and dimensional theories.

I also agree with you on his comments about Narnia (or LOTR). I don't like them at all but still, I think he's a brilliant writer. I guess in the same spirit that I find quite a bit of the Narnia books offensive (the only people of colour are cruel and dirty and worship an evil bird-headed deity), but I still love the stories and the work of Lewis overall.

[Túrinqualië]

I found it a parallel to Paradise Lost, only his "hero" (Milton's "hero" as far as Greek epic tradition was Satan) is justified rather than evil.

The reason you found it parrallel is because Pullman has said he was influenced by it heavily when writting it. I have to say i absolutely love these books because theyre so well written. I dont care if he does think that Narnia & Lord of the Rings aren't very good because he like all the rest of us is entiled to his own opinion of them. I love both of these books but i understand if someone else doesnt - my cousin wont read lotr cos she didnt like the films but she likes alot of other fantasy fiction (pullman included) shes told me that she also wants to wait for the hype surrounding the books and films to dull down a bit before she attempts them. I think she does have a point in saying that for what they are they are over hyped considering there are many other book of just as good if not better quality out there that get hardly any press coverage. Anyway i think my point is that just because the author doesnt like one of your favourite books dont hold it against him when reading his work - he has other influences from else where that are probably of the same standard & it doesnt make him a bad writer - our opinions are what make us individual! :grin:

[Arwen_Evenstar]

I haven't read these books, but I want too. I have them, so i guess I had better, :).

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

You MUST read them, Arwen! I know you are going to like them!! ;)

[Arwen_Evenstar]

Well, I just started them, and it is good so far, but I guess it needs to pick-up. :)

[Ithildiel Noldoran]

It will pick up, don't you worry! ;) I thought it was a bit boring at first, but then...everything changed! :grin:

[Vorneniel]

i'm reading them... AGAIN roflmao

ye gads, how i love Sarifina! witches rule, am i right? ;)

[Undomiel]

The reason you found it parrallel is because Pullman has said he was influenced by it heavily when writting it. I have to say i absolutely love these books because theyre so well written. I dont care if he does think that Narnia & Lord of the Rings aren't very good because he like all the rest of us is entiled to his own opinion of them.

I most definitely agree with that. In fact, the reason the Trilogy is called "His Dark Materials" is because that is a direst quote from Milton's Paradise Lost. The quote is at the beginning of the first book:
"Into this wild abyss; The womb of nature and perhaps her grave; Of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire; But all these in their pregnant pauses mixed, Confusedly, and which thus might ever fight; Unless almighty maker them ordain, His Dark Materials to create more worlds; Into this abyss the wary fiend, Stood on the brink of hell and looked awhile; Pondering his voyage..."

I wouldnt call Pullman a nihilist. Nor is his view bleak. There is so much good in these books. I realise that not everyone will like them, but personally i cant fault pullman's writing or his amazing imagination. Plus his use of physics concepts always amazes me. That he manages to include them and make them comprehensible. I'm studying physics at uni and thanks to these books i knew what quantum entanglement was, well before i was taught it.

Pullman's opinion of CS Lewis is perhaps a little dramatic but he's allowed an opinion. I find Lewis' work a little too religious for my taste, but i still love The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Anyway no one can change my opinion on these books. They include so much i can relate to and yet they have whole new worlds to escape to. It's fantasy but not in the same sense as Tolkien. Tolkien's fantasy is all enveloping-there is a different world to enter. Pullman's worlds are far more connected to ours and so you see them differently. I love the fact that i can go and visit the places he describes when i'm living in oxford-as i do for half the year-i've even been to the bench in the Botanic Gardens lol