XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: hayesmstw@hotmail.com   
      
   On Wed, 7 Jan 2004 13:58:29 -0000, "~ Q ~"  wrote:   
      
   >Steve Hayes - typed:   
   >> On Tue, 06 Jan 2004 06:27:17 GMT, "A Tsar Is Born"   
   >>  wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> Someone who knows my taste for Tolkien and Lewis recommends these.   
   >>>   
   >>> Anyone have any comments -- pro or con?   
   >>>   
   >>> Titles recommended or deplored?   
   >>   
   >> The "His dark materials" trilogy is OK:   
   >>   
   >> * Northern lights   
   >> * The sublte knife   
   >> * The amber spyglass   
   >>   
   >> Unfortunately the third one is greatly inferior to the first two, so   
   >> the series winds down to an anticlimax.   
   >   
   >The physiology of the "wheeled" creatures in TASG did rather stretch   
   >mine (& a few others) credulity somewhat & my niece agreed that the   
   >ending overdid the pathos. NLs (or TGC), has the most stunning opening   
   >of any novel I've read but as soon as they got towards the pole, I was   
   >less enthralled. My favourite was TSK which also has the best title.   
      
   I thought the wheeled creatures were the best part of the book; the least   
   boring.   
      
   >Having also read one of the Sally Lockhart (TTITW) novels as well which   
   >I feel was better but far less ambitious, I personally think Pullman's   
   >writing is just too flawed in the HDMs series. Pullman rightly desires   
   >to stretch his reader's ideas of morality & has the courage to pose   
   >questions or create situations that many children's novelists avoid. To   
   >me, what let the trilogy down the most was a distinct lack of humour   
   >that left me thinking that Pullman sermonises far too much for my   
   >liking. I do think HDM is probably still a classic, albeit a flawed one.   
   >He's even written at least one adult novel which sell for a small   
   >fortune. Pullman, IMO is just too unsubtle in the way he handles   
   >atheism; the subject needs a surgeon's blade & not a mace.   
   >   
   >Pullman gave a talk at one of the Hay festivals back in 2002 which was   
   >available on the BBC site for a while after. It was most interesting. He   
   >was reasonably diplomatic towards Harry Potter but far less so regarding   
   >CS Lewis & Narnia - hardly surprising. I have read some very harsh words   
   >against CS Lewis's brand of Christianity/Narnia & is considered to be   
   >revoltingly sexist in many quarters. I'll have to brush off the dust   
   >from my much prized Puffin boxed set of Narnia & dip in. I did read That   
   >Hideous Strength more recently than Narnia & found the morality to be   
   >very suspect. I've not dug out Tolkien's Letters to read any   
   >correspondence between the 2 but if memory serves me well - they didn't   
   >see eye to eye on religion!   
      
   The morality being suspect might depend on your moral assumptions, which might   
   also determine what you see.   
      
   One of the weakest things about HDM for me was that after all his rants   
   against the ideas behind Christian monasticism, Pullman has Will and Lyra   
   finally decide to operate on the same assumptions.   
      
      
      
   >   
   >If one likes the Pullman HDMs genre, I would highly recommend Chris   
   >Wooding's The Haunting of Elaizabel Cray - beautifully written, highly   
   >menacing, brilliantly imaginative & covers any flaws with stardust! I   
   >find it saddening that works of this calibre aren't widely read - to me   
   >it's a major work of children's storytelling.   
   >--   
   >The map is not the territory   
   >   
   >   
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   E-mail: hayesmstw@hotmail.com   
   Web: http://www.geocities.com/hayesstw/stevesig.htm   
        http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/books.htm   
      
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