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One piece of news: I've got a new email address specifically for the site, so if you want to write to me about anything, the address to use now is BartcopBooks@onetel.net.uk - send all your comments, reviews, recommendations, promises of money etc to that address.As I write this colum my thoughts are full of sun, beaches, beer and other generally relaxing things, all of which are about twenty four hours away right now. Yes, by the time you read this, I'll probably be sunning myself on the island of Fuerteventura (no relation to Jesse) which means this is the last you'll hear from me for about three weeks. But fear not, this week I'm recommending three books, which on top of the seven from last week, should give you enough to be going on with.
So, let's get cracking, shall we?
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(Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman |
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(A quick note to begin with. For those of you looking at the titles above and thinking 'Hey! He's got it wrong! The first book's called The Golden Compass!' you're right, if you're in America. In Britain, the first book in the series is called Northern Lights, which I believe is Pullman's chosen title for it, so that's how I'm referring to it. I've no idea for the reasoning behind the change, but it does seem common in publishing: the first Harry Potter book (and film) changes from Philosopher's Stone to Sorceror's Stone somewhere in the mid-Atlantic.)His Dark Materials is a trilogy of books, taking their overall title and indeed, some of their story, from Milton's Paradise Lost. William Blake noted that Satan is by far the most interesting character in Paradise Lost because Milton 'was of the devil's party without knowing it.' Pullman takes this idea and runs with it, creating a story that roams across a multiverse of worlds, through heaven and hell with a cast of hundreds, rewriting the story of the Fall as one of human triumph over the iniquitous influence of the supernatural, a triumph of knowledge and reason over ignorance and superstition. Which is not bad for what's supposedly a children's book.
Northern Lights is a dramatic introduction to Pullman's vision. In the very first sentence we're introduced to the concept of daemons, a kind of spirit-animal or familiar that everyone in this parallel world has, a representation of their spirit, fluctutating between forms in childhood before finally becoming fixed in adulthood. We also meet Pullman's heroine, Lyra Belacqua, the 'feral child' raised by the scholars of Oxford's Jordan College, unaware of her destiny. Lyra, and her daemon Pantalaimon, goes on a quest to find her friend Roger after he is abducted by the mysterious 'Gobblers', a quest that will take her and us across this strange new world and allowing Pullman's imagination to create a fantastical universe of characters from the seemingly evil Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter to the Gyptian boat-people, witches, and Iorek Byrnison, exiled King of the armoured bears of the North, leading to a final revelation and discovery under the titular aurora.
The Subtle Knife begins in our world as the tale of a scared boy named Will Parry who has to go on the run after killing a man to protect his mother. Before long, he finds himself in a world unlike both his and Lyra's in the streets of Citagazze. He and Lyra find themselves at the focal point of a battle between the forces of good and evil, where Lord Asriel is forming an army to wage war on Heaven, but the question of which side is good and which is evil in this battle is rather ambiguous.
Finally, the series concludes with the epic The Amber Spyglass as the battle comes to a head and Will and Lyra find themselves on a trip to the depths of the afterlife and the heights of heaven as the final battles come to a head and a series of revelations shows them their greater place in the worlds.
Those of you who've read the books will know that I've only given the barest summary of the events of the books, but out of consideration for those who are yet to read them, I've tried not to give too much away in fear of spoiling the story. What has made these books so successful, popular and critically acclaimed has been Pullman's skill as a stroyteller. The books do have a strong metaphysical theme, but that is never allowed to dominate the simple telling of the tale. Pullman creates unforgettable and unique characters and they draw you into an epic tale about the eternal conflict of good and evil, free will and destiny. He has an ability to draw the reader into his universe, gradually widening the picture, making you aware of the stakes that are being played for in this battle and the size of the battlefield it's being fought on.
Like many great works, His Dark Materials has aroused its own fair share of controversy. Pullman makes no secret of the fact that he's a Humanist (indeed, he's a leading member of the British Humanist Association) and has talked of the series as being an atheistic response to the Christianity of CS Lewis' Narnia books. If you are a devout Christian your response to these books is likely to be similar to that of a Muslim to The Satanic Verses - for instance, the Catholic Herald newspaper described the series as being 'worthy of the bonfire' and you can find similar Christian responses by clicking here or clicking here. The Harry Potter series has already attracted the wrath of the fundamentalists and it seems that they may now be turning their attention towards Pullman, but that seems to be a battle he's ready, almost eager, to fight with them.
As with other books I've recommended through this column, I've already given copies of this book to various friends and family and found that they've all loved it. The one warning I would give is that even though this is recommended as a children's or 'young adult' book, you might want to read it yourself first before deciding on whether to give it to someone under thirteen or so. Not that I necessarily think they shouldn't read it, but it'll help prepare you for the barrage of questions they'll be asking while they read it.
OK, that's about it, and it's time for me to go an pack for my holidays. One other interesting piece of information about the series is that New Line Cinema (the company behind The Lord Of The Rings) has bought the film rights for the series. Given the success he's had adapting that, I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping this will be Peter Jackson's next project.I'd like to have gone into more detail on the Christian response to His Dark Materials, but pressures of work and holiday preparation mean I haven't had the time to do the research on it. If anyone out there is interested in writing about, then please get in touch.
Nick
