I am a huge fan of the original trilogy. It still drives me crazy that I could never get my daughters- addicted to Harry Potter and all the YA fantasy series of the last 15 years- to read it.
15
My daughter and I read the Dark Materials series when she was in grade school. Now we share a fascinating secret world that occasionally adds a fun dimension to our conversations. She has used ideas and actual pages from the books in assemblage art. Maybe Mr Pullman's world and Lyra's spunk helped to propel my daughter to a PhD in neuroscience. So happy there is more good story telling to come.
28
Back when I worked at bookstores The Golden Compass, as well as the other two books in His Dark Materials, was the book I hand sold the most copies of head and shoulders above any others. I had customers who would come in afterwards to thank me for turning them onto it.
Easy to sell such a wonderful series of books that I love myself.
15
Reading comparisons of Pullman's books with those of J. K. Rowling -- w/ the Pullman series inevitably coming out on top -- is by now predictable and annoying. Are they really comparable to begin with, and do they have the same target audience? Is Pullman's 'heavier' fiction really qualitatively superior? And isn't Rowling's work -- philosophy cloaked in creativity -- of inestimable value to the kids (f all ages) who read it?
16
My son read the first trilogy and not sure why I never have. Does it make sense to start with this new one, at the beginning chronologically, and then read the original trilogy and then return as the newer "what next" appear? Please advise!
7
Read the original trilogy first, then "Lyra's Oxford", "Once Upon a Time in the North", and "The Collectors". They will be spoiled and confusing if read out of order.
8
"His Dark Materials", the original trilogy was one of the best reads of my life and I read between 30-40 books a year. After reading the review, I was thinking that I wished I'd never read the books so I could read this new one first.
So, perhaps that would be a good way to start. Then you can look forward to the last two novels when they come out. Happy reading!
4
Such a fabulous series of books, I wouldn't put it off one more minute!
6
One of my all-time favorites, now eager to read his expanded storytelling! Phillip Pullman’s fantasy worlds help me make sense in this (increasingly sur-) real one. Visualizing the subtext of our daily script.
7
I very much enjoyed reading this series of books, and I'm anxious to dig into this new one. I was hopeful that Hollywood might do justice to the original trilogy, similar to its efforts on Tolkien and Rowling. Alas, in spite of a talented cast, The Golden Compass movie was a disaster. Perhaps when Pullman finally finishes his epic, someone like a Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, or Peter Jackson will finally come through and tell the story in detail, rather than compromise and water down any possible controversial elements.
12
Cuaron, for sure! I didn't think The Golden Compass was a disaster - from large roles to small, the casting was so inspired that it could not be as bad as that, and the design was superb. Dakota Blue Richards has more recently appeared as a young policewoman in Endeavor, where she's confirmed how good she is. The ending of The Golden Compass, in its shocking departure from the book's closing scenes, was unforgivable. I'm 66, first read TGC in my 50s, and can't wait to immerse myself in Pullman's universe again.
11
I first read the series when I was well over 40 and have been captivated by it ever since. How exciting to know there's more to come!
22