His Dark Materials - Trilogy by Phillip Pullman

[Camy]

His Dark Materials:

Book 1 - Northern Lights/The Golden Compass

Book 2 - The Subtle Knife

Book 3 - The Amber Spyglass

If you haven't read them then do. For what it's worth I thought they were brilliant. Then I'm a sucker for fantasy :) I loved Lord of the Rings and though I've never actually got through all the books - the poetry sent me into a coma - the films were wonderful.

New Line who produced 'LOTR' has just green lighted the movie for the first book 'The Golden Compass' (in the UK the title was 'Northern Lights').

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5263658.stm

about Phillip Pullman

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/hisdarkma...backstage.shtml

[EleCivil]

I love these books. They aren't the typical "I-wish-I-was-Tolkien" fantasy books. I've heard it compared to Narnia a lot (specifically as "Narnia for atheists"), but it strays from the more traditional fantasy/fairy-tale elements that Narnia had.

I hope they do a good job with the movie. I heard rumors that they were going to cut out references to god/religion to make it more marketable in the US (since it doesn't exactly portray religion in a less-than-evil light).

The film's director is Chris Weitz, who was nominated for a screenplay Oscar for About a Boy in 2003.

This is encouraging, though, because About a Boy was a really good book-to-movie adaptation.

[Tanuki Racoon]

His Dark Materials: If you haven't read them then do. For what it's worth I thought they were brilliant. Then I'm a sucker for fantasy :)

I am also a fantasy sucker and enjoyed these books as well. So add a "me too" to this.

I loved Lord of the Rings and though I've never actually got through all the books - the poetry sent me into a coma - the films were wonderful.

If you haven't slogged your way through LOTR then you simply are not a fan of epic fantasy, just a wannabe. Yes, it's a brutally hard read because Tolkien although a fantastic artist wasn't the best writer, tending towards overstated and pedantic at times. But what a picture he painted. And yes, the films were orgasmic.

've heard it compared to Narnia a lot (specifically as "Narnia for atheists"), but it strays from the more traditional fantasy/fairy-tale elements that Narnia had.

I don't agree on the Narnia comment. It's much better written and that comparison would put people off because Narnia is overtly religious and not subtle at any point on top of being a children's book through-and-through.

'I heard rumors that they were going to cut out references to god/religion to make it more marketable in the US (since it doesn't exactly portray religion in a less-than-evil light).

I've heard this several places, actually.

[EleCivil]

I don't agree on the Narnia comment. It's much better written and that comparison would put people off because Narnia is overtly religious and not subtle at any point on top of being a children's book through-and-through.  

Actually, I agree - it's not a good comparison. It comes up a lot because of the author's often-publicized dislike of the Narnia series - he's written essays and done interviews where he's called the Narnia books "racist", "misogynistic", and "life-hating".

They share a lot of elements - talking animals, parallel worlds, girls hiding in wardrobes, themes about growing up and making moral choices...but they're completely different.

[Tanuki Racoon]

I don't agree on the Narnia comment. It's much better written and that comparison would put people off because Narnia is overtly religious and not subtle at any point on top of being a children's book through-and-through.  

Actually, I agree - it's not a good comparison. It comes up a lot because of the author's often-publicized dislike of the Narnia series - he's written essays and done interviews where he's called the Narnia books "racist", "misogynistic", and "life-hating".

They certainly are misogynistic, but I see no racism in them. They're not life-hating but they do express a strong intolerance of those who are not believers of Aslan (Christian God).

[E.J.]

More info on the movie(s) can be found

HERE or HERE

[ubik]

so it's not "gay related" or is it?

[Camy]

so it's not "gay related" or is it?

No it's not, just a great piece of fiction

[canundra]

They certainly are misogynistic, but I see no racism in them. They're not life-hating but they do express a strong intolerance of those who are not believers of Aslan (Christian God).

Yeah, so I know. A really late reply, but there is a racist element to the Narnia books. While I loved them as a child, I didn't realize all the many...undesirables in his stories. The racism is present in the book A Horse and His Boy. It's been a while since I read it, but the frequent derogatory mentions of Middle Eastern people is a clear indication of the racist tendencies of C.S. Lewis.

[Camy]

The DVD/Blue Ray of 'The Golden Compass' has just been released in the UK. W00T! I say.

Now I have to cozen the piggy bank into playing ball.

Camy