Family members know that I really like Philip Pullman and loved The Golden Compass.....right up to the very end, when I was infuriated by the actions of Lord Asriel. It has taken me a couple years, but I finally "got over it" and read The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Pullman is a wonderful storyteller, with an astounding imagination. There were many vivid and wholly likable or admirable characters - let's vote! Here are my rankings of favorite (well, I included some that would be more accurately characterized as "most vivid") characters:
1. Iorek Bynison
2. Lee Scoresby
3. Serafina Pekkala
4. Will Parry
5. The Golden Monkey (elected "Most Hateful Character in All Literature" six years running!)
Also, apart from the irresistible story, near the end of The Amber Spyglass, I was powerfully affected emotionally by the caring shown by the older, wise advisors, toward the young Lyra and Will.
Well, as I mentioned, I really don't remember all of the characters, but I would have to say:
ReplyDelete1. Iorek Bynison, fierce and loyal
2. Serafina Pekkala, a wild witch who feels the moonlight on her naked skin in the arctic air
3. the Gyptians as a group
4. Lord Asriel ("a tall man with powerful shoulders, a fierce dark face, and eyes that seem to flash and glitter with savage laughter.")
Also, I wonder if Philip Pullman was inspired for Iorek's character by the Socialist metal-working bear in Andrei Platonov's "The Foundation Pit."
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ReplyDeleteI also really liked the Gyptians and wish they had figured more in the last two books. I liked Ma Costa, burly and warmhearted, Carder Foram (isn't he the soothsayer who had been in love with Serafina Pekkala?), and John Faa, the strong but kind leader.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I don't know how I could have overlooked that connection with the Socialist metal-working bear in Andrei Platonov's "The Foundation Pit." !!
Also, I just re-read "Lyra's Oxford", a short piece by Pullman that is set after the conclusion of the Amber Spygalss. I read this originally during my personal Pullman Eclipse, and liked it but was totally puzzled by it - of course, lots of references in the story relate to events in books 2 and 3, so it's no wonder I didn't get it. When you're longing for more "Dark Materials" this is a great little taste, but, Pullman, give us more!
ReplyDeleteI was very engaged in the trilogy when I read it, but in retrospect, I find these don't have nearly the same pull. In particular, there's someone (Eileen?) who liked this series better than HP - which I would disagree with even more now.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I liked HP - a LOT. But mainly because I thought it was endlessly inventive and fun - not because I felt it dealt with any deep topics. I'll see how well Dark Materials ages with me, but it does address deeper questions.
ReplyDeleteMUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!.... anyway....
ReplyDeleteI feel Iorek Bynison has got to be right up there with Lee Scorsby as my favorite.
I agree with whoever thinks these books are a lot better than the Harry Potter series, with the exception of the last one which I remember not liking at all and finding very disappointing, although it's been a while since I read any of them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Noah, it's natural that Lee Scorsby is the coolest one, being from Texas and all.
I do certainly like this series better than HP, because although HP is fun and fantastical, the "dark materials" in rowling's books are very superficial (lord voldemort is scary at best) compared to the thought-provoking and emotionally complex content of golden compass etc
ReplyDeleteGoing back to what Colin said...
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree about the last book being somewhat of a disappointment. A lot of people didn't seem to think the book out of the ordinary, but I think that the last book was the definition of "anticlimactic". The book spends so much time talking about the wheelie elephants and about the whole "Adam and Eve" aspect, which I felt was lacking the excitement of the first two books.
I could go on for ages, but that would bore all, so I'll leave it at that.
Well, although I did like the third book, I do have to admit that the cows with wheels were a bad idea!
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