From an FAQ:

Apparently, Pullman's original name for the series was The Golden Compass Says..., and that was the name under which he sent it off to American publishers. He heard nothing from them for months, and in the interim, decided (with his British publisher's full blessing) to rename the series His Dark Materials. Months later, Random House sent a letter to inform him that they would be thrilled to publish The Golden Compass and, when Pullman explained that the name had changed, insisted that the cover artwork was already slated to publicly appear the following month, and it was too late to change the title.

Intruigingly multilayered stuff for something sold as YA. When's the last time you could go into a bookstore and buy something for kids that admits to being partially based on Milton?

As to /m20 - well, I could barely tolerate Tolkien and Rowlings' tweeness. Trying to read dreary Tolkienesque fantasy made me generally loathe the genre until I found authors like Lord Dunsanay or Tim Powers or Michael Swanwick.

And there's a third Borribles book?!? And an omnibus reprinting?!? OMG SQUEE FLaIL EEEEEEE MUSTBUYMUSTBUY!!!!!

Well I liked all three, including The Amber Spyglass, although he perhaps lays it on a bit thick in parts, it's hardly didactic, and it's probably the one I enjoyed the most.

Good call on The Borribles too; I enjoyed those as a teenager and nearly shat myself when I found out they'd finally been republished as an omnibus last year.

Eek! I'd completely forgotten about the Swallows and Amazons books. I absolutely loved them as a kid - maybe that's why I felt at home with Aubrey and Maturin... certainly softened me up for characters talking about bilge and knots and stuff.. (cheers eli)

Sorry. Seem to have strayed off topic. As a remedy, allow me to say that I'm surprised so many people were disappointed with The Amber Spyglass - yeah, the style is a little different, more languid than the first two, but I'd never have thought it was enough to make people lose interest. And TAS makes sense of the philosophy of the whole series - for me, it couldn't be complete without it.

Prompted by all this, I went back and read the ending again this evening - and bugger me if I didn't start crying again. It's getting embarrassing... [grunts, spits, starts talking about football and car mechanics]

Some of us, who loved The Hobbit and Harry Potter, did not care even for the first, let alone the controversial third, of the Pullman series.

I had two problems with it: first, the politics and society of the alternate world seemed less complex and more simplistic than the primary world, and thus lacked credibility; second, the daemons were really, really annoying. Not as annoying as Jar-Jar Binks, perhaps, but even more inescapable.

Your take may differ, but if I hadn't read this book I'd have been quite eager to try it after reading this post, and man would I ever have been annoyed afterwards.

I'm also a bit confused about the name change. The set I have are titled "The Golden Compass", "The Subtle Knife", and "The Amber Spyglass". This is the first I've heard of "The Northern Lights". Is that the original UK title? And if so, why this mad compulsion to rename books when they're brought to the United States? I'm smart enough to know what a "Philosopher's Stone" is, I should damn well be smart enough to know what "The Northern Lights" are.

I enjoyed the first book, I loved the second book, and then I was left cold by the third book. I simply stopped reading it right in the middle, I completely lost interest. I felt like the plot dissolved and took odd directions I wasn't enjoying. I'll be very interested to know if you feel the same way after reading all three.

I was at least as disappointed in the third book as was Glenn Fleishman; whole new plotlines amount to very little, characters who seemed central are written off casually, and the terrific heart-rending sacrifice in the last chapter is prefigured or required by absolutely nothing previous.

Read the first one, and stop - the second one is only good enough to make you want the story resolved, and the third one just bungles the job.

flashboy (/m2) brings up the O'Brien Aubrey-Maturin books. Let
me repeat my recommendation for the Authur Ransome Swallows and
Amazons series, for children's boating.

http://boingboing.net/2002_06_01_archive.html#85177605
http://www.iblist.com/series.php?id=301

I'll also say the audio version of HDM read by Pullman is
well done, to get back on topic.

I loved these books and devoured them in one sitting each, in a kind of reading binge.

The third book ("Amber Spyglass") is a bit preachy and heavy on theology, but it's essentially Pullman's rewrite of Milton's "Paradise Lost" -- a very strange thing to be doing in a book originally marketed to the 10-14 year-old crowd.

"I plan on devouring them."

They're Atkins compatible then?

I read the trilogy a couple years ago and had a similarly enraptured response - particularly to the first book. I like children's books that honor the old fairytale tradition of having a very dark side, and Pullman delivers that (without the campiness of the wonderful Lemony Snicket). The most fun part of the books for me was figuring out the terminology and deducing how the history of Lyra's world evolved so that people say "Skraeling" instead of "Indian," "chocolatl" instead of "chocolate," etc. Nifty stuff.

I read the His Dark Materials trilogy and enjoyed all three, though I do agree with much of the commentary here. I also cried at the end. :) Interestingly, the first book I have is called "The Golden Compass" and I bought it in Texas a couple of years ago. Not sure when/where it got the name change - must check that out.

I was reminded of books I read when I was much younger and enjoyed immensely, the series by Madeline L'Engle - The Murry family novels including "A Wrinkle in Time." I'm going to have to go back and read those again.

don't know where else to post this-

but LOOOOOVE the 'fair and balanced' heading! ^_~ a pox on Fox!

I read all three. The first is transcendently beautiful and original. The second veers into obscure theology and becomes slightly dull. The third loses its edge entirely and becomes practically a parody of itself; its internal consistency disappears along with the charm.

I've never read a series in which I was so sorry to not have stopped at the end of book one.

I love Northern Lights, like Subtle Knife a lot, and quite like Amber Spyglass.

And believe me, Drum, there's plenty of Dust in the Pitt Rivers - my girlfriend works there...

Glad to see someone else discovering the delights of Philip Pullman.

I read the trilogy about six months ago. It has an extra edge for me because I live in Oxford. I have to say that the local details are spot on. The line of hornbeam trees in the second book does, in fact, exist and I find myself looking along them trying to find the gap to the other world when I am waiting in my car at the Banmbury Road roundabout.

The description of the Pitt-Rivers museum is pretty good too and the artifacts he describes are all there (can't see the 'dust' myself, but maybe I'm just too old).

I told my boss about these books when I discovered them (knowing he likes this sort of thing too) and it turns out that he knows Philip Pullman rather well, having been at college with him, and is often round there for drinks.

I asked him to pass on my compliments to the author next time he goes.

ahh, yes the third book does lay it on think, but you know what I DONT CARE.. it is still wonderful and rich. the story continues to be emotional and compelling.

having an agenda actually seems to build a much stronger voice in the book. by the end of it you can feel no doubt that this is a unique author.

i have not heard the audio edition read by the author, but the bbc did a radio dramatisation ealier this year, 3 episodes, each about 2 hours long (therefore abridged) but that was excellent. I so do NOT want to see a film of this trilogy, instead i just re-listen to this radio play (Terrence Stamp plays Lord Azrial)..

The BBC dramatised HDM on Radio 4 last year. This page has the actors involved, and you can hear their voices as a sort of sample.

The CD is available here.

The BBC also have a Links page about the books.

I really liked them too, although the "message" in the third book somewhat overtook the story. The trilogy is still a darn fine read tho'.His earlier books (The Sally Lockhart books -Tiger in the Smoke etc). are fun too if slightly more juvenile. Go read now :-)

I seem to be reading a lot of children's books recently - and feeling a lot better for it. I'm in the middle of Phillip Reeve's Mortal Engines at the moment which is most enjoyable. I'd also thoroughly recommend Kevin Crossley-Holland's Arthur books (The Seeing Stone, At the crossing-places, etc.).

I have to agree that the Borrible Trilogy is *excellent*. I read the first two when I was very young. So many scenes from the book stayed with me (death by catapult, that scene with the spade, etc.). I was so happy when I saw the trilogy in the bookshop - I'd been looking for them for years and I didn't even know there was a volume three. Go read it now if you've not done it already! (Do non-UK people get the whole Rumble/Womble riff?)

I always rejoice when people discover Philip Pullman. More people need to know about his books! His work before the "His Dark Materials" trilogy is more for kids but this stuff is high school and up for sure... I was crying too by the end of it and in fact at numerous points during the series. The sacrifices that Lyra has to make are intense!

The audio version narrated by the author and performed by a talented troupe of vocal actors is well worth the price. It's perfect for long driving trips across country.

I'm thinking this is one fantasy series which would be awfully difficult to film successfully, partly because of the effects, but also because of the sheer number of scenes packed into the three books.

In the Amber Spyglass (one of the winners of the Whitbread Awards two years ago - http://www.literature-awards.com/whitbread_book_awards.htm), I thought the action dragged a little in those parts not featuring the two main characters. Some of the scenes had just been built up beyond the ability of any author to deliver on the reader's expectations, perhaps.

Phillip Pullman is, ironically, God.

For me, The Subtle Knife is the best of the series - mixing in a touch of sci-fi to the fantasy, and a harder (even nastier) edge to much of the action. And yeah, while I see what you mean about The Amber Spyglass being a tad unsubtle, I think it's wonderful that a children's author - hell, any author - has an actual manifesto that he's writing to, has something he so passionately wants to say. And, darn it, the ending made me cry like a great big girl.

One of the best series of novels ever ('ever' in this case meaning 'that I happen to have read', obviously...), coming a close second behind O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin books. And don't get me started on them...

The Subtle Knife is about as good as the Northern Lights (known in the Great White North as The Golden Compass), but The Amber Spyglass lays it on a bit thick with the gnosticism. Very unsubtle.

You wouldn't, perchance, have read the Lemony Snicket series of unfortunate events, would you?