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His Dark Materials

Has anyone read His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman? The epic trilogy includes The Golden Compass (Northern Lights), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. I am only into a quarter of the second book and have found it very entertaining. I have read the Harry Potter series and other epic tales, but I find this both heart-pounding and scary (in a fun, my-eyes-can't-read-fast-enough way). I love how he, Pullman, portrays the church as bad and how organized religion is illogical and dangerous.

I wonder how many of you have read these, and if you have not, please give them a shot. I appreciate how Pullman includes physics (and the study of dark matter), philosophy, theology, logic, and scifi/fantasy! I can't wait to finish The Subtle Knife and go on to The Amber Spyglass!! These books need more attention. I wish I had had something like this to read as a child. I will begin reading them to my sons very soon. Phillip Pullman wrote these as a sort of rebuttal to C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, a very xtn. theme based book.

Any thoughts?

Tags: His Dark Materials, Phillip, Pullman

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Permalink Reply by Dan Gilbert on September 21, 2009 at 12:27pm

Wonderful series of books! I got them before knowing anything about their supposed anti-religious tilt and loved them. Knowing more about them now just makes them so much more delightful. ;-)

Pullman calls them "anti-authoritarian" and not as much "anti-religious."

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Permalink Reply by Leslee Love on September 22, 2009 at 8:35am

I love how he's anti-authoritarian.....

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Permalink Reply by Kaimana on September 21, 2009 at 2:32pm

I haven't read them since I was about 8, when my mom read them TO me. I don't remember the Golden Compass that well, but I remember the Amber Spyglass fairly well. Definitely great books.

I also read through the Chronicles of Narnia and loved them. Sure, they were religious themed, but... that does make for interesting fiction, especially when you're about 9 or 10, which is probably how old I was. Obviously it didn't indoctrinate me into Christianity.

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Permalink Reply by Leslee Love on September 22, 2009 at 8:46am

I think I will start reading them to my boys...
The Golden Compass, I must admit, I didn't get into at first...and then when I got about 3/4 of the way through, I had trouble putting it down. The Subtle Knife I read in about a day. I am now on the third book....which I'm slowly reading...and having difficulty picking up because I don't want to finish it..I don't want it to end.

The Chronicles of Narnia....I read only The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as a child...and honestly, I didn't see the christian aspect of it. I only saw the fun, fantastical aspect!! It wasn't until I was older and heard it had christian allegory that I realized its meaning. For me though, it is just fantasy...nothing more (just like the stories in the bible!).
With Pullman's work, there is truth and logic, metaphysical speculation, physics, science....and opposing the Church and The Authority! I love it!