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Thursday, April 16th, 2009
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3:22 pm - It's Quiet
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| Sunday, December 9th, 2007
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3:00 pm - new community: midsummeroath for will/lyra shipping
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| Thursday, November 1st, 2007
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5:28 pm - Final Extended Trailer
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| Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
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1:35 am
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kaptainsarcasm
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Hi everyone, I'm brand new here. I only just finished reading the books for the first time, and I'm very depressed to have lost the constant entertainment of these novels.
As such, I'm currently scouring for any good fanfiction that anyone might know of. If you've ever read a really great HDM fanfic, I want to read it too. So if anyone could point me in the right direction, I would love that.
Sorry if this isn't allowed. I just figured that you guys seemed to really like these books as much as I did and would know the best of what's out there.
Now I'm going to go through and read all the old posts and essays and stuff in this community. :)
Jonas
current mood:  sleepy
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, June 17th, 2007
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2:06 am - I know it was a looong time ago
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harbs
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... but I miss the days when I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Amber Spyglass at my local Waterstones
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, February 25th, 2006
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1:25 pm - my book about "His Dark Materials"
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magicalworlds
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My first LiveJournal post ever...
I've just finished a book about "His Dark Materials" that's coming out next month, and my publisher has set aside some copies for dedicated Pullman fans. Would anyone in this community like a copy?
Pullman helped with it by answering questions and clarifying his ideas. He liked the final result, and even offered a very generous blurb for the cover that I'm too embarrassed to repeat here.
It's along the lines of my earlier books about Harry Potter, "The Lord of the Rings" and Narnia, though in keeping with Pullman's ideas it's probably a little deeper. I can't guarantee a lot of surprises for Pullman experts, but it should be a good read.
I'm supposed to give my publisher the mailing list by next Friday, March 3. If you'd like to see the book, let me know at my address below. Be sure to send me your name and snailmail address. I'm a newbie at this and the deadline is tight, so I'm just writing to a few communities and people who have listed Pullman as an interest, and hoping for the best. If anyone has a helpful tip, feel free to pass it along.
David Colbert
author, "The Magical Worlds of Philip Pullman"
magicalworlds@aol.com
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, February 3rd, 2006
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4:45 pm - intro post
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beanilika
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hi! i'm lauren and i just joined this community. ive read hdm probably a total of about 20 times through, and I love these books! so... i don't really have anything else to say, but I just wanted to introduce myself. :-D
~L
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Thursday, January 12th, 2006
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2:26 pm - greetings.
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dreadpiraterika
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I just joined this community as of two seconds ago, so I wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I first began my torrid love affair with His Dark Materials about five years ago and have been actively drawing as many people to our camp as possible. I wrote my senior thesis (Falling into Experience: Growing up in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials) about the themes of innocence and experience in the books, so I guess you could say I've devoted a lot of time to them.
Anyways, just wanted to say hello and all that :)
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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11:38 am - The Golden Monkey
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| Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
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12:16 am - Amazon comments
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twistedmoosie
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I'm writing a dissertation on HDM at the moment (Representations of Christianity in the books) and wanted to share something I found interesting.
Has anyone read the comments American reviewers have left on Amazon.com? Go there, select the reviews under the paperback copy of Northern Lights, and select the 1-starred entries. It makes some entertaining reading - my personal favourite quote being 'I would not give this book to any child or teen you want to have a tolerant attitude toward other's beliefs'. 'Beliefs' are naturally unspecified, but I'm pretty sure Pullman levels many of his comments at organised religion, which in itself isn't tolerant - the irony astounds.
Of course, you could then go and compare this to the British and otherwise reviews on Amazon.co.uk, where the religious controversy takes a backseat to concerns about the quality of narrative. Intriguing.
Also, I can't recommend enough the new edition of Milton's Paradise Lost edited by Pullman. It's only just come out in lovely hardback form, and everyone should buy it :)
current mood:  contemplative
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(8 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, December 28th, 2005
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2:58 pm - Hare Symbolism
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| Wednesday, December 7th, 2005
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1:45 pm - Animal Symbolism in HDM
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| Sunday, November 13th, 2005
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8:27 pm - Newbie
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crystallinevine
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I had heard about the HDM trilogy quite a while back, but I never got around to reading them. I just finished the Amber Spyglass last night, and ofcourse, loved the entire serie. The story was incredibly well carried out and the places and characters were so original. I think Northern Lights is my favourite, though it may also be The Amber Spyglass. Either way, I definately surpassed my expectations, and this trilogy has become one of my favourite fantasy series! The subjects explored throughout the serie were quite complex, but everything added up in the end; and it was very heartbreaking, yet wonderfully written. Lyra, Serafina and Iorek are probably my favourite characters, but there are so many more. Marisa Coulter was also a very interesting character; and even though we weren't exactly sure which side she was on most of the time, it was terribly sad when she and Asriel sacrificed themselves. Overall, a magnificent serie, are there any other books you could recommend me by Philip Pullman? I know he has a few other books, but are they another serie, or just individual books?
Now, I just cant imagine this serie (and a few select others) being made into a movie. It would ruin it. Some books are meant to stay books, because once transformed into movies they will never be able to get across such depth, emotion and subtletyas this serie does. And ofcourse, I doubt anyone would be able to find children to be Will and Lyra who could do them justice. I'm also a fan of Harry Potter, but I really dislike the movies because they lack the quality of the books. However, they still have managed to turn it into quite successful movies (and spoilt it) but I couldn't bear to see this trilogy chopped up into three 2-hour movies. How would they be able to mirror the books? For example, I don't think any sound effects or sets can give the feeling of emptiness and eternal despair which lingered in the world of the dead, or any actors to show the emotion Will and Lyra do when they figure out that they will have to live in seperate worlds for the rest of their lives. I really hope the project, however far they are into it, will be given up on. Because no matter how hard they try, they will not be able to make the audience understand, appreciate, and feel such deep emotion as the books enable the reader to.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, September 20th, 2005
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2:34 pm - "Navigating the Golden Compass: Religion, Science and Daemonology in HDM"
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smartpopbooks
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Hello all,
I'm an editor at BenBella Books, an independent press located in Dallas, Texas. We just came out with a book about the His Dark Materials series (one that was a pleasure to copyedit!!!) and I wanted to bring it to your attention. For those of you (like myself) who are impatient for Pullman to finish The Book of Dust, this is a great tide-me-over. The anthology consists of several essays by science fiction and fantasy authors who examine things such as
HDM's merits (and failures) as a traditional fantasy
The history of daemon-like creatures in mythology
The death of God
The virtues of Mrs. Coulter
Temptation and Sin in HDM
Obviously I've got a vested interest in this thing, but let me assure you: it really is a good read. I'm hoping to find some folks online who have read it so I can create a LJ discussion about the contents. You can find the book here or here.
Also!
If you're looking for something to read as you surf the web you should also check out our website, www.smartpopbooks.com -- there's a free e-book with ten essays on such topics as Buffy, Narnia, Alias, Charmed, King Kong, Firefly and The Matrix.
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(comment on this)
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| Friday, July 1st, 2005
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4:32 pm
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ladyvivien
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I've been a fan of Phillip Pullman's for nearly a decade now. Whilst I love His Dark Materials, I have to confess that they're not my favourites. Even then, I love the first book the best. But the success of HDM, for me, is highlighted by the fact that some of his best books are now back in print. Yes, I'm talking about the Sally Lockhart mysteries. I first read The Shadow in the North when I was 13 (I'm 22 now and NOT too old for them no matter what my sister says...), then a few years later I stumbled across The Ruby in the Smoke in a second-hand bookshop. I could never get into The Tin Princess, but I think I'll give it a go.I just bought The Tiger in the Well, and I'm halfway through. This one might be my favourite yet. Sally Lockhart is up there with my favourite literary heroine of young adult fiction ever - Arthur Ransome's Nancy Blackett, pirate, explorer, Amazon and schoolgirl extraordinaire. She's a financial consultant in the mid-19th century, just before the Married Women's Propety Act came into being, who runs her own business after the death of her father which, of course, leads to a mystery that needs solving. The Tiger in the Well is wonderfully done, and the plot hinges around a man she's never met suing her for divorce. Anything else would give away major plot spoilers for the ending of the previous book, The Shadow in the North.
Go. Read. Enjoy. And if anyone wanted to make me a Sally Lockhart icon...well, I wouldn't say no!
When I grow up, I want to be a Victorian financial consultant/detective.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, June 4th, 2005
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11:36 pm - HDM RPG?
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caitlin45
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Hi All!
I've been a member of several HDM communities for awhile, but never posted to introduce myself or anything yet. I'm Caitlin, and I read these books this year, in ninth grade. I actually heard about the books when I was in, like, fourth grade, but didn't get around to reading them until then. I absolutely adore them, and have read each three times so far. Three out of three of my closest pals from school are also hooked on HDM.
Now, I'm not really into RPG's, but I think it might be fun to start one on LJ for hDM. Is there already one, and, if there isn't, how many of you would be interested in my making a community for it? The members could comment with the character they wanted, and I would okay it. Then they could make a journal for that character, add the other characters, and all that stuff. Then, like, every two weeks we could write a chapter from our character's point of view, in installments or whatever. It'd be lots of fun, I think!
Let me know what you think...Thanks a lot!
Cheers,
Caitlin
XPosted
current mood:  cheerful
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(comment on this)
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| Friday, April 1st, 2005
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4:49 am
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x_lyra_x
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Hi I just joined this community. I've loved His Dark Materials for ages! They are my favourite books ever. Did anyone else cry at the end? I just couldn't hold back the tears.
About the film, just wanna have a little outburst here. The bastards are going to fuck it up!!! I've heard they're cutting out the authority, god, and here's me thinking that was a huge part of the story! Anyone else pissed off about this?
Hmm, probably not the best first post I could have made but I just had to get it all out. I've heard so many rumours about it and it's been really bugging me!
Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself! ^-^;
current mood:  pissed off
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(15 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, December 24th, 2004
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10:02 pm
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| Saturday, December 11th, 2004
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8:33 am - Don't Blame Philip Pullman
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angelxaphania
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I've loved the His Dark Materials trilogy for a long time, and I've been a long-time lurker in this community, but this is the first time I've posted.
With regards to the last comment posted, it's sad, but I'm not surprised that they've decided to rename the Authority in the movies. I just don't want people to blame Philip Pullman for accepting this.
I watched Philip Pullman speak a couple of weeks ago at the Oxford Union, and when asked about the film version, he said that he'd sold the rights to the film, and as much as he loved his story, he had given away his full control. It seemed like he was trying to be indifferent to the film, and he said he wasn't making any decisions in the making of the film because he realised it would take up too much of his time and be too difficult. It sounded as if he was adopting a policy of mildly agreeing with whatever the film makers said, if he was willing to have any input at all.
I agree with him - it must be difficult for an author to watch their book be manipulated into something that is suitable for cinema, but when you have little or no experience in film making, it's far more feasible to take the back seat. Cinema is a far costlier investment than writing a book and I guess it's inevitable that they would wish to make such a high cost project into something suitable for the mass market. I guess Philip Pullman has to make some sacrifices, especially if the studio executives had decided already, and it would only seem derogatory to the film if there was some disagreement between an author who had signed away all his rights and the studio.
Basically, I expect New Line to fuck up the books because it's all too controvertial and they need mass market approval. Philip Pullman may approve or accept whatever they're doing, but he's agreed to have no input. If the film is fucked up, then blame New Line, not Philip Pullman.
There's this interesting comment in the Times, which paints a pretty grim picture, but oh well, it's what happens to films.
On another note, I really hope it'll be filmed in Oxford. I live here so I could easily lurk around in Worcester College. Enough filmmaking occurs here already anyway so there wouldn't be too large a crowd. Jordan College is actually the Bodleian Library main building though (As illustrated on Lyra's Oxford - I'm glad he didn't choose an actually Oxford College to be Jordan College). I really wish they'd film there because that's right opposite my college. Would make all this lurking a little easier.
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(13 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, December 8th, 2004
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9:57 pm - HDM goes Godless
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cold
aggravated