1 of 5

Write now Article Tools

Page 4 of 6

not have a spine and are instead build in a diamond formation. I also enjoyed the creation of dmons and know that anyone who has read the books has at some point debated what animal form theirs would take. With the release of the film there is a website that can tell you what your adult dmon would be; mine was a fox. There was one thing that made me a little bit disappointed. In an interview on television the actress who plays Lyra in the film adaptation had asked Phillip Pullman if dmons eat and drink. He apparently replied that he does not know, he has never has to write about that'. For me personally feel that if you have created a fantasy world then you should know everything about it, after all it is a creation that no one else can ever claim. Most of the enjoyment of reading fantasy is indulging in a new world, a fictional creation about which you want to know everything about. To find out that the author is maybe not interested in going into detail about his creation was a little deflating.

The books were rich in character detail. Although they changed throughout the books, the main characters Lyra and Will both had very clearly mapped out personas. At the beginning of the trilogy Lyra was rebellious and disrespectful while Will started off as very closed-off and suspecting. Although I did enjoy the change they underwent I do not feel like I could relate to either of them. In the first book particularly I felt Lyra was not a very likeable character being stubborn and at some times selfish. As a book with a lot of character some of them were difficult to understand. Lyra's parents were particularly difficult to work out in my head as they were sometimes good and sometimes evil. Far from trying to suggest the books should be a simple tale of good versus evil I am simply suggesting that I could not understand some of their motivations. The supporting characters however I felt were easier to relate to and enjoy. Lee Scoresby for example was fun and upbeat. I could understand his motivations because his attitudes and personality were so well mapped out.

Overall I was glad to read the books and I did enjoy them. However I am not raving about. I think what would have made me enjoy them more would have been a more comprehensive background story. The most interesting aspects involved the different factions of the Church, such as the Magisterium, the Consistitorial Court and the General Oblation Board, and the corruption within them. I found the regimes of the

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Book Reviews: His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman?
We want to hear your view. Write now!