Books by Philip Pullman incl. "His Dark Materials"

[KTS]

I've just completed the "His Dark Materials Trilogy" "Northern Lights - Book 1", "The Subtle Knife - Book 2", and "The Amber Spyglass - Book 3".

What can I say? Fantastic! Dark theological mysteries, much better than Harry Potter and arguably better (in my opinion) than Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings".

Philip Pullman seems to have lots of other kids (read adults, really) books out there, but most of them look crap.

Can anyone recommend some of his other books, that are as good as - or nearly - "His Dark Materials" Trilogy?

KTS

[KTS]

Just finished reading the first of his Sally Lockhart books, "The Ruby in the Smoke". Excellent! I can't believe there's such an amazing author writing these books that could be for either adults OR kids. Move over J.K Rowling ...

[amnesiac]

He is one of the few livign authors to have made it to the Final 21 of the BBC's Big Read Competition (www.bbc.co.uk/bigread) I might check him out.

[Slayer]

I've just started Northern Lights. Really liking it so far.

[KTS]

quoteOriginally posted by amnesiac
He is one of the few livign authors to have made it to the Final 21 of the BBC's Big Read Competition (www.bbc.co.uk/bigread) I might check him out.



Yes I was very impressed that 3 of his books ("Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", and "The Amber Spyglass" - the books that make up the "His Dark Materials" Trilogy) made it into the top 21, when only the first of Rowling's Harry Potter's went it. Move over J.K.!

[KTS]

Today "Lyra's Oxford" has been released. It is a beautiful little hardback priced between €9.99 and €12.99 (depending on the bookshop) containing a short story "Lyra and the Birds" which takes place just after the end of the events in the "The Amber Spyglass", and lots of interesting little bits and pieces. What could have been a sales gimmick manages to be a truly beautiful (if a tad pricey) tiny collection for any Pullman fan.

This is from Amazon.co.uk/.com


Attention all serious book collectors and fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. This undoubtedly beautiful package, cloth-bound in a classy red and adorned by numerous illustrations by master engraver and illustrator John Lawrence, is sure to be a must-purchase. A pint-sized pocket volume, Lyra's Oxford packages together a short story set in the same universe as his famous trilogy, a fold-out map of the alternate-reality city of Oxford which Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon inhabit, a short brochure for a cruise to The Levant aboard the SS Zenobia and a postcard from the inventor of the amber spyglass, Mary Malone.

Pullman, in his introduction, suggests that the peripheral items within "might be connected with the story, or they might not; they might be connected to stories that haven't appeared yet. It's difficult to tell."

The story, "Lyra and the Birds", begins when Lyra and Pantalaimon spot a witch's daemon called Ragi being pursued over the rooftops of Oxford by a frenzied pack of birds. The daemon heads straight for Lyra and is given shelter. The creature was given Lyra's name as somebody who might help. The daemon is seeking one Sebastian Makepeace--an alchemist living in a part of Oxford known as Jericho. Together Lyra and Pan try to guide the daemon to the home of this man, but it is a journey fraught with more danger than they had at first anticipated.

Somehow, this is a book that puzzles and fascinates all at the same time. It's very sumptuous and lovingly crafted but tantalising brief. The fourth volume in Pullman's award-winning sequence is The Book of Dust and despite the author's reputation for taking his time in writing each of his longer works, it is now just too far away in the future to be funny anymore. -- by John McLay
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There were rumours going around that "His Dark Materials" was to become a quartet with the release of a fourth book, "The Book of Dust". However it looks like it may just be a companion book of sorts, not a sequel. I found the below on the web and it gives info about it and also "Lyra's Oxford"

The Book of Dust
What happened after the end of The Amber Spyglass? Sadly, our beloved Philip Pullman has said there will be no more sequels Lyra and Will's story is over. But hope remains

Philip Pullman is working on a sort of companion novel to His Dark Materials, entitled "The Book of Dust." The Book of Dust" will contain short stories about many of the secondary characters such as Lee Scoresby and Serafina Pekkala. There may also be information about Dust, the Alethiometer, the Subtle Knife, and dæmons. Basically, all the things we wondered about, but weren't important enough to put into the books themselves. There is no date listed (not that I could find, anyway) about when "The Book of Dust" will be released, but we can all hope that it is soon. When we get more info, it will be posted here, so check back often. Also, if you know anything about "The Book of Dust" or the movie, please e-mail us.


Here's a few things that Pullman has said will probably be in TBOD

-How Lee and Iorek met
-How Farder Coram and Serafina Pekkala fell in love
-Lyra 4 years after TAS (no mention of Will, though) Now not going to be included - see below

-Possibly the story of how Coulter and Asriel met

On April 4th, Times Online reported that Pullman was going to release a continuation to the His Dark Materials trilogy, entitled Lyra's Oxford. This is to be a separate work from The Book of Dust. Pullman was working on the short story about Lyra 4 years after TAS for The Book of Dust, when he decided he had enough material for an entire book on its own. He probably didn't want Lyra's story to dominate The Book of Dust- instead, why not create a separate book to expand even further on her story, while keeping TBOD focused on the minor characters and background stories of HDM. Besides, this is a great idea for the publishers- two books instead of one would greatly increase profits. That's our theory anyway )

[damien]

Finished the Trilogy last weekend. Great set of Books are the Dark Materials. I loved Iorek the Bear and John Parry.

[KTS]

Oh my god, I've just found out that Pullman is signing copies of "Lyra's Oxford" in the Waterstones in Oxford next week! I have to see if I can get my hands on a copy somehow, altho I've already spent a tenner buying a copy already which I can't leave back cos I've written my name in it [8-|] Ah well, two copies will have to sit on my shelf - one signed, one unsigned.

By the way my favourite character in the trilogy is Serafina Pekkala ... and Lyra & Will, of course. Quite liked the two gay angels (I'm serious!) in "The Amber Spyglass" too.

[damien]

quoteOriginally posted by KTS
altho I've already spent a tenner buying a copy already which I can't leave back cos I've written my name in it

quoteAh well, two copies will have to sit on my shelf - one signed, one unsigned.

Both are signed no ? One is your name though.

By the way I abhor people that write on books. I feel books should be cherished and respected and writing even your own name on them ruins their power.

[amnesiac]

Do you sign the boudn and photocopied ones though? ;)
BTW, PM me if you know where in town is the cheapest for breaking all those copyright laws ;)

[KTS]

I've always had a habit of writing my name and date on the inside page of a book since I was a kid, I cherish my books and never plan on selling them so my own name in a book doesn't bother me, and it's kinda cool to see when u bought a book and how long ago it was.

What do u mean about copyright laws, Amnesiac?

[damien]

I like to loan my books out and share them with people and I feel the experience would be diluted if they saw someone elses writing on the book. Its just one of those quirks of mine.

The place across from burgerland on washington street is great for copying books.

[amnesiac]

I am very reluctant to share books and CDs with my friends. I just hate it when they forget to give them back and I don't feel comfortable reminding them. That said the CD Fairy has stolen quite a few albums from me lately... where they go I'll never know.

[KTS]

I used to lend out DVDs, videos, CDs, books to all my friends ... but now I only lend them to a small group of people I trust, who take care of them and return them. I've lost way too much stuff, most of which I had to buy again, so I learned the hard way.

[damien]

But losing a book to someone is good if the book is one of those books you feel is important. What greater good can you do than to give someone a book that makes them open their eyes or change their views on things or entertains them in a way they've never been entertained before.

Loaning books and dvds to people on the off-chance that something like that happens is worth it in my opinion, and if you keep a list you'll know who has what.

[amnesiac]

Ohoh, I'm on the list next to "Fight Club" (Book).

[damien]

That wasn't a loan. [)]

[KTS]

What's happened to this thread? It used to be two pages long, where are all the other posts?

[redbulljunkie]

Might have been archived or something. Strange things happened to the "counselling" thread as well.

[KTS]

Thankfully all is back working now!

[redbulljunkie]

Just finished reading "his dark materials trilogy" myself. Great books, really loved the characters, will probably get any follow-up books that come out.

There's a book out about the science of "his dark materials". Might get that, it impressed me how everything was so off the wall and yet possible according to some more advanced scientific reasoning. Like the lodestone which allowed people to communicate with people anywhere else in the universe using quantum entanglement, a concept that sounds totally like magic, but is in fact a real phenonomen.

Things I liked
Spectres (and their connection to the knife)
The land of the dead
Citazzette - would love to see this city if they make the trilogy into film
Daemons
Mrs. Coulter
Will

Things I didn't like (very small in comparison to what I did like about the books)
Mulefa - "we do nothing but ride around getting high off wheels and cultivating wheels all day". fucking stoners. You can tell they were the leeches in the great system of dust-sharing.

[falcon]

Oh my god I love his dark materials...as in I am obsessed :O I recently had a long discussion with a girl doing her masters in trinity college on the trilogy!! What did I love about the books?

Barach & Balthamus
the religous theme..I.E the death of the creator, metatron and the idea of the chariot
daemons
Lyra and will
Iorek Byrnison
The Deaths
The althiometer
The gyptians and Farder Coram
Kaisa & Serfina Pekkila

But mainly the angels Barach and Balthamus..I can relate to Barach

And I can also relate to the feelings experienced when lyra is seperated from Pantalaimon[:'']

I A-fucking-dore these books[@};-]

[Bootyzilla]

Have you read the Sally Lockheart ones as well? Besides the fourth one, "The Tin Princess", which by itself is alright, but doesn't really work as a continuation of the series, the other three are OUTSTANDING!!!

Now, I loved the Dark Materials, but in all honestly I think I preferred the Sally Lockheart ones. Nothing like a good Victorian penny dreadful to keep you up nights :-)

[PeterMcK]

He is a very very good author, and a great speaker too I understand (my father saw him receiving an Honourary Degree after which he gave a great encomium to the importance of Imagination - very moving apparently).

The best I've encountered are the later Sally Lockhart books - especially Shadow in the North (is that the title???) - and the first two of His Dark Materials. I have to say that Amber Spyglass disappointed me - like the end of Narnia, the theology becomes too heavy-handed, and like the later HPs it was in need of a good hard edit. But then I'm a natural whinger - he's still brilliant anyway.

I also like his answer when asked why he was happy to allow Hollywood to make versions of HDM - he basically said that they'd offered him an enormous sack of money, what the fuck did people think he'd do? [:-))]

[falcon]

He is a very very good author, and a great speaker too I understand (my father saw him receiving an Honourary Degree after which he gave a great encomium to the importance of Imagination - very moving apparently).

The best I've encountered are the later Sally Lockhart books - especially Shadow in the North (is that the title???) - and the first two of His Dark Materials. I have to say that Amber Spyglass disappointed me - like the end of Narnia, the theology becomes too heavy-handed, and like the later HPs it was in need of a good hard edit. But then I'm a natural whinger - he's still brilliant anyway.

I also like his answer when asked why he was happy to allow Hollywood to make versions of HDM - he basically said that they'd offered him an enormous sack of money, what the fuck did people think he'd do? [:-))]


Unfortunately, I have to agree that the Mulefa where just a heavy handed attempt at tying it all together...HOWEVER..other than that side story, I love the amber spyglass..the underworld,Metatron(especially that bit)& god..I just loved the religuos undertones..and I HATE religeon!

edit..My dad has been reading it on the sly for the last 2 days...I told him to read it one day but he said it would be for kids and not his taste hahaha..caught rotten :D same thing happened with harry potter cept we knew he was reading them on the sly too so we hid book 7 until he cracked and asked where it was :P