Philip Pullman: His Dark Materials

Idril Silmaure said:

I saw the plays in the National Theatre and they were suprisingly admirable and impressive. I don't know about the films that are proposed though...apparently they're going to take out the entire religious aspect of the story - leaving, basically, a hollow fantasy plot with no real philosophy or meaning, which seems ridiculous to me. I know there are other ideas and meanings in it besides the religious aspect, but I see this as such a vital aspect that, whether it offends people or not, it should be left in or the films can't come close to reinventing the books.

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I agree. I saw the plays last Easter and they were really impressive. At the time they were already talking about films but without giving many details and I thought it would be great if they based them on the plays with all technical advantages (for demons, for example) of films. But I suppose it was silly to expect anything like that. I will be just one more inane children's film, no polemic issues on it.

Yeah, the idea of film versions is great - something similar to the plays but with the advantages of movies to make it look really amazing, but there's no point in that if they make it a hollow, meaningless story.

I read the trilogy a few years back so I can't remember the plot that well, but I do remember that I really enjoyed them. They are still among the top of my list of favourite books. My favourite of the series was Northern Lights, although I really did like the third one also. Great series, Pullman is a top-notch author

~MonkeyCatcher~

I've recently bought the first book of this series for my eldest daughter, she's 11 & I'm trying to find books other then the HP series, Sleepover Club & Jaqui Wilson books for her to enjoy.

Neither of us have read this as yet though, certainly has excellent feedback from everywhere I've looked though.

His Dark Materials. People, this trilogy absolutely rocks...

Ave, brothers and sisters, vene vidi vici...
Well, came, i saw, i read, and i enjoyed, His Drak materials. This trilogy just rocks. i opened this thread for people who adore Lyra and Will and Pantalaimon, Iorek, the Gallivespians, Lord Asriel, Mary Malone etc...as much as i do...
The main question: people who read the three books, how did you find the end? i mean, i spent all the last chapter crying my heart out, but even though it was absolutely sorrowful, the end of this fantastic trilogy till is as beautiufl as the rest of all the three other books.
So, two auestion:
How did you like the end?
and
Who's your favorite character...
oh, and if you want to talk endlessly about His Dark Materials, email me. i love emails as much as i love Lord Asriel and Johnny Depp.

Yours in terrible honesty and perfect insanity,

Dame Checkmate.

PHILJ76 said:

I couldn't agree more. This is the first I've known about a movie, but I would be extremely disappointed if they took out the religous aspect. That's what gives the books meaning. I don't know why pullman would agree to that. Surely he has imput.

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Actually he signed away his rights after the first draft of the script was written.

Love your name, panserbjorne. What a great series this was. From the opening scenes of Lyra in the closet, through her experiences with the Gyptians, and learning the aletheiometer - oh and meeting her parents, Lee Scoresby, and so on, this book just had me snared immediately.

I did mention in another thread of my disappointment with the final book on first reading, but second reading did the trick. Began to feel it as a solid edifice, whereas, I had at first expected pure thrills throughout. I mean, he left her hanging off a cliff to end the second book, for god's sake.

I read this series a pretty long time ago, but I still remember it being the first book that made me cry...when Lyre and Pan had to seperate...completely tore at my heart strings...I love this series-so dark and deep with so many little things that even though, like I said, I haven't read in a long time a still remember...

I adore these books. I read them awhile ago so I can't really remember the details but they were beautiful and had fantasnic new ideas that were nowhere else in the fantasy genre. I recently got my mother to read the 1st one and she loves it as much as I do. Time for me to reread these books me thinks.

Book 1: The Golden Compass

Hi, All,

I've just finished the first book and enjoyed it immensely - I rarely read fantasy novels, you see, being more of a fan of Hard SF and other genres.

I was surprised to find that it tugged at the heart-strings, throughout, and found Lyra's daemon, Pantalaimon, to be the cutest creature ever created.

Philip Pullman is a great storyteller.

Must rush down to Pets 'R' Us to see if they have any daemons left....

I read the first one when it was popular book and much talked about. It never left an impression. Now at the age of 17 I have decided to read the 2nd book, it is better, but also I think being older I am seeing different parts from the story. Must say the 2nd is keeping me reading it while the first I had to force myself to finish...