Enter the realm of His Dark Materials-soon to be a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
After exploring the worlds of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Narnia, David Colbert turns to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. From the philosophy of William Blake and John Milton's poem Paradise Lost to quantum physics and the Bible, this book reveals the complex origins and controversial themes that make Pullman's trilogy a modern marvel in literature.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Illuminating, but hardly inspiring, look at Pullman's trilogy:
This book explains some of the inspiration for the "His Dark Materials" series (including the reason behind the American title, for the Brits who get so annoyed by the American title-it has nothing to do the alethiometer-of course, this made the movie that much more agrivating to watch). Colbert doesn't stop with the obvious influences (though he does a good job of making them accessible)-of Blake and Milton. He explains the poetry, lives, and evolution of the characters and their creator. As with so much... more info
Great as an overview, as a reference...eh.:
I'm writing a college thesis on Pullman's His Dark Materials, so I was excited to find this book. However, I was slightly disappointed when it arrived. It's well written and a great overview, but if you've already started doing some looking and thinking on your own it doesn't give you much that's new. This book is a great starting point, and great for a fun read. I don't so much reccomend it as a primary reference, but as a helpful guide it's very well done.
Wonderfully informative without being overwhelming:
Philip Pullman's _His Dark Materials_ trilogy is so full of references and allusions to subjects and works of literature that the average adult, never mind the average teenager, knows nothing about, that I was afraid this book would be either absurdly simplified or overwhelming in its scope. Happily, David Colbert seems to strike a near-perfect balance between making his subject matter understandable and doing justice to it at least in an introductory way, which is no more than he aims to do. I'm sure that... more info
