#ArtOfTheDay: 'The Subtle Knife' by Rovina Cai

'The Subtle Knife' by Rovina Cai.

Cover art for the US paperback edition of the novel, 'The Subtle Knife', book 2 in the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy written by Philip Pullman, published by Penguin Random House.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'The Golden Compass' by Rovina Cai

'The Golden Compass' by Rovina Cai.

Cover art for the US paperback edition of the novel, 'The Golden Compass', book 1 in the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy written by Philip Pullman, published by Penguin Random House.

#CoolArt: Japanese 'His Dark Materials' / 'The Book Of Dust' Cover Art by Takumi

'The Amber Spyglass' & 'La Belle Sauvage' by Takumi.

Cover art for the Japanese editions of book 3 of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, and book 1 of 'The Book Of Dust' trilogy written by Philip Pullman.

(You can see the cover art for books 1 & 2 of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy here)

Quickie Review: 'His Dark Materials' Season 3

Fantastic!

Just finished binge watching the third series of the 'His Dark Materials' TV series on BBC iPlayer and loved it!

The trilogy is one of my favourite book series, as I've got them in many formats including; ebook, paperback, hardcover illustrated editions, currently listening to the full cast audiobooks through Audible, and even have a hardcover first edition of book 3 in the trilogy; 'The Amber Spyglass'.

I'm always a bit apprehensive when it comes to page-to-screen adaptations; how true to the original source material will be, what will be left out, what will be added etc, but there was no such worries in the end with HDM. It's a very well produced series that brought the books to vivid life that definitely stuck the landing (in the Botanical Garden), with a top cast that included Dafne Keen as Lyra Silvertongue, Amir Wilson as Will Parry, James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scorsby and many more, and even bringing the book's author Philip Pullman in as Executive Producer (although no idea how big his role was in the production). And the end is just as heartbreaking as it was in the books 😭

I don't usually repeat watch or buy TV series boxsets, but when they release the complete series as a bluray boxset in February 2023, I'll be snapping that up!

Definitely recommended viewing, especially if you love the books!

#CoolArt: Japanese 'His Dark Materials' Cover Art by Takumi

'The Golden Compass' & 'The Subtle Knife' by Takumi.

Cover art for the Japanese editions of books 1 & 2 of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy written by Philip Pullman.

Book Review: 'The Book Of Dust: Volume Two - The Secret Commonwealth' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

The second book in 'The Book Of Dust' trilogy, and the fifth book (or seventh if you include the short stories 'Once Upon A Time In The North' and 'Lyra's Oxford') in Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series.

Where 'La Belle Sauvage' saw Lyra as a baby,' The Secret Commonwealth' jumps forward a few years, and Lyra is now a twenty year old under graduate. But the events of 'The Amber Spyglass' and the intervening years afterwards have taken their toll on both Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon and their relationship is becoming strained. But when Pantalaimon witnesses a murder, and leaves Lyra in the middle of the night, it's up to Lyra to find her missing daemon and to find the city haunted by daemons in a desert far away, as well as stay out of danger from the powerful forces pursuing them.

It was great to return to Pullman's alternative universe again, and to see how things have changed so many years later. The tone of the book is very different to any of the previous books, and feels like the series has grown up along with Lyra, and has become much more adult as a result; especially with some of the language used, violence, themes, and in particularly a horrifically brutal scene involving Lyra and some soldiers on a train towards the end (trigger warnings in advance). Even though there were elements of the fantastical and magical, with hints of folklore, there was a much more real world feel to the story, and at times, read like a classic spy thriller, which kept me hooked to find out what was going to happen next.

This isn't so much the bullish younger Lyra of 'His Dark Materials', although there is still some element of that still in her. She's an intelligent young woman still trying to find her place in an angry and sometimes polarised world. But when her comfort zone is abruptly turned upside down, she is forced to venture out on a challenging road trip where she also treads the path of self discovery. As a result, this is the most three dimensional characterization of Lyra so far. By the end, she's become a fully fleshed out person, with all the very human flaws and insecurities, as well as the strong personality and inner strength that we know and loved her for. You can't help but love her as she keeps pushing forward on her journey.

Some of themes of political intrigue, populism, radicalism and religious fanaticism, refugee crises and prejudice that the book treads upon really put the book in our current times, and really drew me into the story all the more, as events going on within the pages seemed to mirror events happening out in the real world at times. Sometimes, uncomfortably so. There were a few carefully crafted callbacks from the previous books as well, including the shorts - so fans of the series, keep a look out, which all added to a more complex and relatable world with a richness in depth as we join Lyra, Pan, Malcolm, Olivier and the rest on their journey.

I listened to the audiobook edition, narrated by Michael Sheen, who also narrated 'La Belle Sauvage'. Wow! What a performance! Michael captured each of the characters really well, breathing life into them so vividly, and his narration style was superb as well, ramping up the tension when it was needed and being calmer and quieter when that was warranted for as well. It brought a whole new dimension to Pullman's storytelling, a great combination!

'His Dark Materials' is one of my favourite series and both entries in 'The Book Of Dust' series push the full story and lore further, with 'The Secret Commonwealth' heading down the more mature and adult route, so if you're expecting more of what you read in HDM you might be a bit disappointed. That said though, it does very much feel like a middle book of a trilogy, much like 'The Subtle Knife' did in the original HDM trilogy, but with the pieces falling into place and building up for the finish,  I can't to find out how this story and trilogy concludes. Recommended!

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Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 3.5 - Lyra's Oxford' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by John Lawrence

A really enjoyable short story in a companion book to Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series that completes my re-read of the entire series before the new 'The Book Of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth' book and 'His Dark Materials' TV series are released.

Set a couple of years after the end of 'The Amber Spyglass', the short story sees Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, saving a witch's daemon from a flock of birds and are entrusted to help it find the home of an alchemist in Oxford. But what she thought was a simple task becomes a whole lot more dangerous than Lyra bargained for.

A short and quick adventure for Lyra and Pantalaimon, with a message of sorts that runs through the story; "Everything means something . . . We just have to find out how to read it." Is Pullman hinting at what's to come? If so, it would be interesting to see if 'Lyra's Oxford' has any bearing on Pullman's new 'The Book Of Dust' trilogy, maybe as a kind of prequel perhaps? As I get a distinct impression that it could be setting things up for possible future events. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it? Time will tell. 

It was good to revisit Lyra's alternative Oxford once again, and get reacquainted with Lyra and Pan (in his final form) again too. We also get a cameo appearance by a certain young Dr Polstead, whom we first meet as young boy in the first volume of 'The Book of Dust' trilogy, 'La Belle Sauvage', which was pretty cool to see, although he has no bearing on this story.

An all too brief, yet still enjoyable read and welcome return to Pullman's alternative Oxford. The book also has bonus extras like maps, postcards and more, that will delight fans of the 'His Dark Materials' / 'The Book Of Dust' series. A lovely addition to the series.

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Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 3 - The Amber Spyglass' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

An excellent read and conclusion to Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series.

After the cliffhanger ending from the previous book, 'The Amber Spyglass' picks up the pieces with Mrs Coulter holed up in a cave 'looking after' a sedated Lyra, and Will, still smarting from the death of his father and the disappearance of Lyra, is now accompanied by a pair of angels in his search for her, and with the Subtle Knife still in his possession, Will must travel through other worlds in order to rescue Lyra before the Magisterium can get to her. 

As Pullman's trilogy has progressed, so the tone of the story has gotten that little bit darker with each subsequent book (Not least because we visit the land of the dead here, which also happened to be one of my favourite sequences in the book), but so much so, that 'The Amber Spyglass' feels so far removed and more sedate than the beginning of Lyra's journey in the more action packed and faster paced 'Northern Lights / The Golden Compass'. The pace here was a lot slower and as a result I felt the story was given more time to grow and flesh out the details more. As such, it felt like the story matured alongside Lyra as she became of age. The slower momentum of the story isn't a complaint, far from it, but just an observation, as it certainly drew me more into narrative and into the characters of Will and Lyra.

We also meet some familiar faces that we've gotten to know over the course of the trilogy, which was very welcome, as well as some new ones too. Pullman gives his characters very human qualities, not completely black and white, good or bad, but somewhere in between that it sometimes twists your expectations of what to expect from certain characters, adding many layers of depth to his characterizations. Even with Will and Lyra, the 'young and innocent' protagonists, they have to do what it takes to fulfil their quest, even if it means lying, threaten and even kill!

There is also more of Pullman's theological exploration, as Lord Asriel's war on the Magisterium and The Authority gathers pace to its conclusion. Although I lean towards the atheist aspect, and agree with Lord Asriel's point of view of enlightenment over blind obedience, he still comes across as a most unlikeable character, very cold and calculated, even towards his wife and daughter. Whereas my assumptions of Marisa Coulter were turned on it's head completely and I had more empathy for her by the end. A mother doing what she must to protect her daughter. 

And the ending is such a bittersweet one. After all that Lyra and Will have gone through, and with it being classed as a younger readers book, you might have at least expected some kind of happy ever after. Almost but not quite, as what we got was heartbreaking. I closed the book glassy eyed but still with a smile on my face, as two of my favourite book characters, Lyra Balacqua and Will Parry, came to the end of their quest on that park bench in Oxford's Botanical Gardens.

All credit to Philip Pullman for a wonderfully written journey, with such memorable characters. And with his new 'The Book Of Dust' trilogy, we get to see Lyra and revisit this world again. I can't wait.

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Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 2 - The Subtle Knife' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

Re-reading the entire series before the new book (The Secret Commonwealth) and BBC - HBO series come out. Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series continues with book 2, 'The Subtle Knife', with Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon on the search for her father.

It very much feels like the middle book of a series, building upon what happened in 'Northern Lights' and still taking the series forward, which is does really well, but with a noticeable shift in tone too, a sense of darker maturity that almost feels separate from the previous book. Pullman explores the nature of religion here a bit more than what was hinted at in the first book, and doesn't hold back with not so much an attack on religion itself, but more on an exaggerated authority that does seem familiar. There wasn't as much of the action or fast pacing of the first book, as it seemed more of a case of setting up the pieces on the board and getting to where the story needed to be for the conclusion in the next book. But even with that, there was still enough goings on to propel the narrative and keep things interesting, which says a lot about Pullman's expertise at crafting a story.

As well as expanding the story beyond one setting and into travelling to different worlds, the story also moves away from the Lyra centric viewpoint of the first book (which probably also explains the shift in tone), with POVs most notably from Serafina Pekkala, Lee Scoresby, as well as Will Parry, a new protagonist from 'our' world, who we're introduced to straight away, who helps Lyra on her quest. Initially wary of each other when they first meet, they soon develop a friendship and soon their futures become entwined as the beginnings of a rebellion starts to take seed and bloom around them. The introduction of Will, does take away the narrative from Lyra in this book as it's mostly his arc throughout, so if you enjoyed Lyra from the first book and expected more of the same, you might be a bit disappointed with her lack of 'screen time'. We're also introduced to Dr Mary Malone, a scientist who helps Lyra, but it's only a cameo appearance of sorts as she will play a larger role in the next book. 

The book is a more slower paced adventure story full of danger, intrigue, a macguffin - the Subtle Knife of the title; a knife so sharp that it can cut through anything including slicing open portals in between worlds, memorable characters and brilliant world building. It has a bit of a cliffhanger ending but sets things up for the conclusion in the next book nicely, and I can't wait to read how the trilogy ends!

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Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 1 - Northern Lights' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

'Northern Lights' (aka 'The Golden Compass' in North America), book one of Philip Pullman's highly rated 'His Dark Materials' series, and I'm re-reading the entire series in anticipation of the new book release and before the new BBC / HBO TV series airs.

It's the story of Lyra Balacqua, a young girl who has been growing up in the care of the professors at Jordan College with her daemon Pantalaimon, a shape-shifting creature that is sort of spirit animal and the representation of a person's soul. They learn about 'Dust' and become involved in a plot with disappearing children and the Magisterium / Church, so set off to the frozen north on a rescue mission. Along the way, they meet the gyptians (a wandering band of gypsies), witches, a Texan balloonist and a kingdom of armoured polar bears, and discover a revelation or two about Lyra's parents and more.

As the main protagonist, Lyra is certainly feisty, questions everything and stands up for what she thinks is right, even in the face of danger, of which she has to confront time and time again on her travels north. But every time she does, she faces down her fears and comes through, adding strength to her character. I liked her character very much.

The other characters we meet that help Lyra; John Faa, Farder Coram, Iorek Byrnison and Serafina Pekkala are all very likeable as well and the antagonist Mrs Coulter, serves as excellent foil to the hardy Lyra.

The comments I've been seeing about this book, and series, is that it has very distinct views on religion and the church. Although for me, it's not too heavy handed for the main part of the book, although there are points on the Magisterium / Church having views on original sin and their secret agenda. But as I got to the end, the views got a bit more stronger and through Lord Asriel as he explains his motivations, more anti church. Not being religious myself though, it didn't bother me at all.

It's an engrossing and fast paced story in an alternate world full of wonderful characters and magic. I'd also recommend the audiobook, which was pretty good, and was narrated by the author, Philip Pullman and features a full cast performing the characters. I'm looking forward to continuing the story about Lyra and Pantalaimon's adventures in book 2, 'The Subtle Knife'.

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Book Review: 'The Book Of Dust: Volume One - La Belle Sauvage' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

I'm re-reading Philip Pullman's wonderful 'His Dark Materials' / 'Book Of Dust' series, in chronological order, before the new book, 'The Secret Commonwealth', comes out, and with 'La Belle Sauvage' serving as a prequel to the other books in the series, it makes for a very welcome return to Pullman's alternate Britain.

The book follows Malcolm Polstead, a young lad who helps out his parents after school at The Trout, a village pub that they run, as well as helping out the nuns with chores at a local priory. But when Malcolm finds a mysterious object one day, and meets the new visitor at the priory, a baby called Lyra, his previously mundane life will change forever.

The book is excellently paced. It starts with a slow burn, the early parts of the book setting the foundations of the world building and plants the seeds of the character development in this parallel world, making this an excellent introduction to Pullman's world if you've not visited before. A few characters that appear in the 'His Dark Materials' books are also introduced here too. If you've never read the other books, then their significance won't mean too much here, as they are only cameo appearances. But if you have read the other books, then the mere mention of them will mean something, laying the seeds for what's to come. It was good to meet them again, albeit briefly. 

As the story progresses, things start to pick up, as the area succumbs to a devastating flood of near biblical proportions! Malcolm, Alice, a girl who also does jobs at Malcolm's pub, and their daemons, save Lyra from a would be abductor at the priory and escape down the river in Malcolm's canoe, La Belle Sauvage. But that is only the start of their adventure! As they flee from their pursuers they encounter all manner of strangeness, a secret commonwealth as the gyptians, the gypsy like river folk, call it.

Thanks to the slow build up and getting to know our characters properly, I found myself really latching onto Malcolm and Alice, as they overcome obstacles and do what they can to protect little Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon. The way Pullman writes them is really engaging and makes you feel for them when things don't go their way and cheer for when it does.

The gradual pacing also really helped with getting invested emotionally with the story, the characters and the world, and as the flow of the story quickened in the second half of the book, I was hooked! Having read the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy before, it was also a delight to pick up on some of the details and hints that foreshadow what's to come too. An excellent and enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

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