The Magical Worlds of Philip Pullman

by David Colbert

Enter the realm of His Dark Materials-soon to be a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
After exploring the worlds of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Narnia, David Colbert turns to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. From the philosophy of William Blake and John Milton's poem Paradise Lost to quantum physics and the Bible, this book reveals the complex origins and controversial themes that make Pullman's trilogy a modern marvel in literature.

Genres: Fantasy, Essays, Reference, Philosophy, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2006

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting guide. Even Pullman likes it. Delves into the themes behind the novels but never talks down to the reader. It really helped me flesh out what I learned/was feeling after reading the novels. There is interesting information here about William Blake, John Milton, Paradise Lost, the ideas of heaven and hell, the underworld, and what happens when we die, among others. Definitely recommended to those who liked the trilogy. If you tried Pullman's guide to Harry Potter, don't let that one steer you away from this guide, it's 100% better!

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good source for fans of the His Dark Materials trilogy as it does a nice job of getting you inside the head of the author of that series. It does a nice breakdown of where Pullman got his inspiration from granted it does look more at other novels that Pullman was a fan of and explain what ideas Pullman used from those books. I do like it does talk about the Gnostic influences on the series which is a subject most people do not know about.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

*A beautiful book. Review to be posted soon*

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of Pullman's philosophy and influences for His Dark Materials trilogy. In many ways, it clarifies themes and ideas that are important to Pullman who was raised in a Christian family but now considers himself to be an Atheist. One of the primary ideas that Pullman wants to express in HDM, is the concept of spiritual and physical realms not being separated but, rather, being united. That the physical is not base or less important than the spiritual, and that nature is natural. Pullman also expresses the belief that good and evil are gray--one cannot always clearly classify something as one or the other. Certain behaviors can be good or bad, but this doesn't necessarily put a person into a category. Pullman disagrees strongly with organized religion and its teachings, and uses HDM to explore perspectives that differ from the traditional. If you're curious about Pullman's inspirations and intentions for HDM, Colbert's book is a great place to start.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read which expands on some of the ideas behind His Dark Materials. I was aware of some of it already, such as Paradise Lost, but was not aware that some characters were patterned on 16th century philosophers etc.

Layout of the book is odd, with mini articles inserted on grey paper into the main narrative, though I don't mind the sidebar notes.

For me, the book didn't go far enough as I had a number of problems with HTM such as why should Lyra and Will having a sexual relationship magically cure the leaking Dust problem? So I would have appreciated more explanation of the many things that don't make sense.

[Flint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply written and a fast read (particularly if you are familiar with the material). Obviously a formula book similar to the other "The Magical Worlds" series. Still, it's a decent overview of the many English classical elements that Pullman draw from in "His Dark Materials". This clearly lays out the inspiration Pullman has from Milton, Blake, Byron, Shelley, Plato, Dante, as well as Christianity and Gnosticism.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of tidbits explaining the sources and inspiration of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Much of it was already familiar to me, as I researched this topic myself several years ago, but just as much was new or contained more detail than I had previously known. I really enjoyed this book overall but didn't like how it was organized, with some interlude-like sections on gray pages breaking the flow of the main narrative.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look into Pullman's influences in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I wish I had read directly after reading the series, however, as I know I missed a lot of the parallels. I will definitely read this book again the next time I read the His Dark Materials Trilogy (which I love).

[Laura-Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have not read Philip Pullman at all but I did see the movie the Golden Compass. I am now very interested in reading his "cliff notes" for Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Maybe I will get around to reading some Pullman as well.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. There was so much information in it and it wasn't very long, you can read through it pretty quickly. It was very interesting to see where Philip Pullman got some of his ideas from.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok. Not the most interesting book ever, and it will take a while to read.

[Aaron Ferrucci]

I think I won't finish this one. It provides some interesting insight into Pullman's books, but feels too much like the "young adult fiction" that the His Dark Materials series is labeled as.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty neat little guide on Pullman's famed trilogy, endorsed by Pullman himself. I found it in a used bookstore for cheap, and I thought it would interesting to read this before re-reading "His Dark Materials".

Pullman borrows a lot from what he reads, especially from Milton and Blake. The author Colbert unpacks that in an easy-to-read manner. It's not a work of genius by any means, but it does what it sets out to do.