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His Dark Materials Trilogy

post #1 of 11
8/9/10 at 5:36am
Thread Starter 
Goddamn.

I've always been averse to reading Pullman's trilogy, FANTASY and CHILDREN'S LITERATURE generally being descriptions that bring a certain level of scrutiny for me, but these books surprised me. Especially the rocket launch of quality after the first book. Protaganists I can actually give a damn about, a vivid and much appreciated level of creativity (no Tolkein fetisichism here!), philosophical seriousness, and most importantly, genuine heart. The end of the second book, pretty much all of the third one, feature real human emotional titanics, stuff that is thoroughly earned and makes you feel its lack in its genre brethren. Love it.
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post #2 of 11
8/10/10 at 1:44pm
Fantastic series. I'm not an aethiest but i found the series surprisingly emotional and deeply sad towards the end. The entire sections in the underworld in the third book are particular highlights. I can't remember if it was actually called the underworld but people who read the books know what I'm talking about.
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post #3 of 11
8/12/10 at 3:22pm
Wonderful, wonderful series, I actually cried during the last book.

It took me awhile to get into The Golden Compass initially, and I ended up listening to it on audio--which was a wonderful and magical experience all on it's own, featuring a large cast of British stage actors and Pullman himself narrating--but it really comes into it's own halfway through, and The Subtle Knife was probably one of the best written fantasy novels I've ever read.

If you ever get a chance to revisit the series, think about getting the audiobooks from your library.
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post #4 of 11
8/12/10 at 3:30pm
The first two books are great. The third is a disaster.
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post #5 of 11
8/12/10 at 6:51pm
I have to agree with Agent. I love the first one (Before the film, I taught it to my high school freshman; after the film, because of the publicity of the last book, I can't). The second one irritated me on the first read, but on a second read, played much better. But that third one... off the rails. I am not an atheist, and didn't have a problem with the Authority, but the first two novels in no way prepared me for the hijinks in the third.
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post #6 of 11
8/12/10 at 7:05pm
Oh man I also thought the third one was weak. I especially hated the love story.
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post #7 of 11
8/13/10 at 12:03am
I absolutely loved the series.
I think the first book is by far the best. There's some great world-building that Pullman does, making you really buy into this world where cowboys, gypsies, witches and polar bears exist side by side. It could have easily been ridiculous.
The third has its weak spots but when it counts I think its amazing. Subversive but positive. The love story was great.

Cocoa, you're right, the audiobooks are a treat. Really worth checking out.

I'm sad that the film failed. Hoping for the sequel, I clung to the fact that it performed really well overseas for far too long.
I still think if they had kept in the cliffhanger ending, really playing up the character reversal, the death and the new world reveal, perceptions would have changed.
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post #8 of 11
8/13/10 at 12:07am
Are the audiobooks abridged or do they cover everything the books do?

This trilogy is easily one of the best I've read.
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post #9 of 11
8/13/10 at 12:44am
They're unabridged. So it's like 9 or 10 CDs long.
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post #10 of 11
8/13/10 at 2:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicholas View Post
They're unabridged. So it's like 9 or 10 CDs long.
Want.

ETA: Just so I know what I'm tracking down, can I confirm that this is the one you guys are talking about?
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post #11 of 11
8/13/10 at 12:40pm
Regarding the failures of THE AMBER SPYGLASS, I think Alan Jacob's review provides an almost definitive analysis (excluding his ragging on the name "Metatron," a criticism Jacobs later retracted, conceding that he wasn't up on his Angelology).
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