The end of the trilogy
I finished reading Pullman's final book in the His Dark Materials trilogy - The Amber Spyglass. Allow me to say this. Pullman is an excellent writer. His stories are wonderfully told. The characters are engaging, and the plot certianly clips along. He has a powerful imagination.
But he is dealing with very heavy subject matter here to be calling his books "young adult" fiction. I can totally see why organized religion has a problem with his books. (And if I'M saying that, you know it's true. I'm pretty moderate, I think.) Organized religion, in this trilogy, is the enemy/villain. God himself, and his cadre of angels, are the characters that the protagonists fight against (and defeat). While I think these books can be fruitful reads for adults, as they stimulate thought on topics not traditionally entertained (much like Sophie's World, which I really enjoyed), I would not want my, say, 10-year-old kid reading this stuff. It's hard enough trying to teach your child to comprehend the immensity of the world, God, faith, good/evil, without Pullman undoing all you've tried to instill.
Sooooo, if you're interested in theology, and you're over 18, read these books. If you're part of the elementary-school set, though, you might want to talk with your parents about them first.
But he is dealing with very heavy subject matter here to be calling his books "young adult" fiction. I can totally see why organized religion has a problem with his books. (And if I'M saying that, you know it's true. I'm pretty moderate, I think.) Organized religion, in this trilogy, is the enemy/villain. God himself, and his cadre of angels, are the characters that the protagonists fight against (and defeat). While I think these books can be fruitful reads for adults, as they stimulate thought on topics not traditionally entertained (much like Sophie's World, which I really enjoyed), I would not want my, say, 10-year-old kid reading this stuff. It's hard enough trying to teach your child to comprehend the immensity of the world, God, faith, good/evil, without Pullman undoing all you've tried to instill.
Sooooo, if you're interested in theology, and you're over 18, read these books. If you're part of the elementary-school set, though, you might want to talk with your parents about them first.
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