His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
I’ve not updated this blog for a while, but I’ve been busy organising myself to go back to the States to stay with my parents over the summer.
But I’ll save that for another time. Recently, I think two days ago, I finally finished Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I know I’m a few years behind the times in reading it, but at least I have now.
Well, what to say about it? Through all three novels, Pullman creates imaginative and plausible worlds, with a surprisingly mature theme revolving around religion and consciousness. Having seen the film of The Golden Compass, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the story, but it can very easily be said that the books are much better than their cinematic adaptations.
One of the most endearing things about these books is the entire concept of daemons. In one of the many worlds described in the trilogy, souls live on the outside of the body in the form of animals. This idea appeals to all readers, since it makes them wonder what form their own daemon would take.
Pullman does a very good job at explaining his complex ideas surrounding consciousness, souls and death. He comes up with some clever concepts that are entirely plausible, with such things simply being invisible to the eyes of most people.
One criticism that I can make about this book is the link between the first and second book. Having read the first book, it seems that the storyline is a little weak and insignificant, especially compared to the more epic and groundbreaking second and third books. However, it does introduce the main ideas gently, developing them in a way that most readers, even children (which we must remember is the chief audience), can understand. The problem with the first book is that it’s not particularly engaging. I personally found the main character, Lyra, irritating to read about, and I had little sympathy with her. I just continued to read the book to find out more about the major concepts that Pullman hints at.
I was certainly not disappointed. With The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, these concepts take on a huge significance to storyline, and this is the most appealing thing about the trilogy. It can be enjoyed by anybody; the characters and daemons will appeal to children, and the complex ideology embedded throughout will interest most adults in a similar way to The Da Vinci Code.
It is fair to say that the second and third books are much more exciting than Northern Lights (The Golden Compass, as it’s called in the USA). That isn’t to say that Northern Lights isn’t exciting, but the significance of the events that take place is not immediately obvious. Readers must read on through the trilogy to find out what they mean, which creates a fun sense of discovery.
The novels are thought-provoking, emotion-inducing, and mostly fun to read. The legendarium provides readers with plenty of things to discuss since there are many instances where events are open to interpretation. I can definitely recommend this book to readers of all ages, since it will make anybody think about the world and humanity in an entirely different way. I would rate the trilogy as a whole as a 5/5.
