This week on the blog
Northern Lights (#1) by Philip Pullman
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
Adaptations of Northern Lights
Fun Facts About The Subtle Knife
Weekly Wrap Up
12 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in His Dark Materials, Weekly Wrap Up Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, weekly wrap up
Characters in The Subtle Knife
10 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, characters, His Dark Materials, philip pullman, the subtle knife
Many of the characters from Northern Lights make an appearance in The Subtle Knife, but there are many new characters introduced as well. The story focuses a lot on the new characters and the new worlds, but there is a great mixture of existing characters and introduced ones, woven into the story superbly to show off the new world, introduce new faces, as well as continue the story on. Returning characters include Lyra and Pan, Mrs Coulter, Lee Scoresby, and Serafina Pekkala, while the minor character, Lord Boreal, from Northern Lights reappears. Most returning characters have small but important roles, but all work together to move the story on with important details and plot points.
Will Parry
Will is a character that comes from a place that is presumed to be our own world. He lives in England and is the only child to Elaine Parry. Will is a tough kid, he is strong willed and protective. Having had to grow up fast after realising his mother had mental problems, he does everything he can to protect her and himself from any unwanted attention. Wil’s life seems simple but after learning there were men who were after something that belonged to his father, he defends his home and his mother. After being attacked by and accidentally killing home invaders, Will flees his home and finds a window into another world. There he finds Lyra and Pan and becomes the bearer of the Subtle Knife. He is around the same age as Lyra, if not slightly older, but still prepubescent.
Pullman is brief on physical descriptions, but Will is described as having dark hair with straight black eyebrows, with eyes that are noticeably fierce and wide with a jutting jaw and broad cheekbones. Will travels with Lyra through multiple worlds, new ones as well as his own. Will has real world smarts that Lyra lacks, especially as his world is so much different than her own, but they both balance out in intelligence in a range of areas and Lyra knows things he doesn’t, especially regarding Dust. Being from the real world, Will has no daemon, but like people from others worlds, his daemon is on the inside.
John Parry
John Parry is the father of Will Parry, who in Will’s world went missing when he was an infant. In his world John was a famous explorer and during a trip to the Alaska he wandered through a window to another world and couldn’t return. In this new world John changed his name and become an explorer there as well, upon entering Lyra’s world his daemon appeared, an osprey named Sayan Kötör.
Lord Boreal
Lord Carlo Boreal makes an appearance briefly in Northern Lights, but has a bigger role this time around as a main antagonist. Going by a different name and in a new world, he has interests in the Subtle Knife, as well as the alethiometer. He has connections with many characters, Lyra and Will initially, but also Mrs Coulter and Dr Mary Malone. Coming from Lyra’s world he has a daemon which takes the form of a serpent.
Dr. Mary Malone
Dr Mary Malone is a physicist from Will’s world. She is investigating dark matter, the name of Dust in her world. Lyra meets her first, trying to find information about Dust, and with Lyra’s help finds a way to interact with dark matter, much like Lyra and the alethiometer. Mary discovers she has an important role to play in both Will and Lyra’s lives and she embarks on a journey of her own, discovering a new world with strange creatures. She will be the one to construct and utilise the Amber Spyglass.
Balthamos
Balthamos is an angel and part of the rebellion from the Kingdom of Heaven looking to join Lord Asriel’s army. Balthamos plays a larger role in The Amber Spyglass where his mission is to guide the knife bearer (Will) to help Lord Asriel. Angels are described as being luminous and humanlike, barely visible to the human eye. They can transform and are capable of flight though their wings have no corporeal form. Balthamos is cautious and sarcastic, and his relationship with Will has an air of ironic contempt. He also has a same-sex partner, Baruch, another angel who is also part of the rebellion.
Baruch
Baruch is an angel who is part of the rebellion from the Kingdom of Heaven alongside his same-sex partner, Balthamos. Baruch is courageous and often is the one to fix any of Balthamos’ failings. The connection and affection between the pair is evident, they are deeply loyal and in love. Both Baruch and Balthamos are low ranking angels, but they are determined to carry out their mission at all costs. Like Balthamos, Baruch plays a larger role in The Amber Spyglass, but is introduced first towards the end of The Subtle Knife.
Fun Facts about The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
09 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, fun facts, His Dark Materials, philip pullman, the subtle knife, trivia
The Subtle Knife is the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy. It was first published in 1997 by Scholastic Point. Unlike Northern Lights that remains solely in one world, The Subtle Knife begins to explore other parallel worlds, and frequently jumps between three worlds.
The story opens with a new perspective, this time with Will Parry, a young boy from our world. And just like he did with Lyra, Pullman introduces these characters in the middle of a moment and expands the story around them. Will’s life is nothing like Lyra’s, and in our own world a lot more familiar, and after fleeing from his own problems stumbles across a window and finds Lyra, Pan, and a range of new things, both exciting and terrifying. Together Lyra and Will continue on their destined paths and open up a whole other level of Pullman’s creation adding even more depth and complexity to that established in the first book.
Just like Northern Lights, Pullman has included his own mini illustrations. The chapter illustrations are there once more, but Pullman has also thought it would be helpful for the readers to “have unobtrusive running-heads on each page, saying ‘Lyra’s world’ or ‘Will’s world’”, but his editor suggested he do it with little drawings instead; an alethiometer for Lyra’s world, a hornbeam tree for Will’s, a (subtle) knife for Cittàgazze etc. He chose not to explain them because it would be fun for readers to work out themselves that they’re for and what the symbols mean.
The title refers to the dagger found in Cittàgazze by Will and Lyra. Named The Subtle Knife or Æsahættr (pronounced “as-hatter” by the BBC Radio adaptation) meaning “God Destroyer”, it is described as looking like an ordinary dagger but able to cut through any material or substance – lead, flesh, even able to cut through the membrane that separates the worlds from each another. It has also been called “Teleutaia makhaira” which means “the last knife of all”.
The Subtle Knife has won a range of awards. It has won the Parents’ Choice Gold Book Award, American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors’ Choice, Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book, Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, Book Links Best Book of the Year, as well as American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.
Adaptations wise, The Subtle Knife was included in the 2003 His Dark Materials audiobook with Northern Lights, as well as the 2004-5 play, and was also formed part of a radio drama on BBC 4. In terms of film, the details and information of a film adaptation are contradictory and ever changing. Deborah Forte, producer of The Golden Compass, is adamant she’ll finish the trilogy, and originally New Line Cinema said a sequel would only be made if the first film was a success, but despite making twice its budget worldwide, the film did poorly in the USA, making the sequel’s fate unclear. Pullman said in 2011 that because of these poor sales in the USA no sequel would be made, but he has admitted he would still like one. I think The Subtle Knife has slightly less obvious religious controversy that I’ve noticed so it may go down better in some places, but even then it is all about doing the story justice. It’s too important not to.
You can read an extract from The Subtle Knife here.
Adaptations of Northern Lights
08 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, adaptations, His Dark Materials, nothern lights, philip pullman
Since its publication, there have been numerous adaptations of Northern Lights. The 2007 movie is the one everyone is probably most familiar with, but there have also been audiobooks, a video game, and even a play.
Movie: The Golden Compass (2007)
The first discussion about turning Northern Lights into a film came in 2002 following the success of other fantasy epics, but due to significant delays it wasn’t until 2007 that a film was finally made. There are many interesting things about this movie’s production, including Director Chris Weitz being unhappiness about being controlled by the studio and having many scenes cut from the film. Overall the film was popular in some countries, a failure in others, and on average it gets 5/10 stars by reviewers and rating websites.
The film takes the American title of The Golden Compass, and starred Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Dakota Blue Richards as Mrs Coulter, Lord Asriel, and Lyra respectively. During production and before its release there were criticisms by fans and secularist organisations about the dilution of the anti-religious elements. I have to agree there, not because it was bashing the Church exactly, but because of what the books are meant to be telling us, the themes and entire message that Pullman created is based on the anti-Church sentiments. Weitz said the studio ordered changes to the film late in post-production which was a terrible experience.
Anti-religious elements aside, and knowing that film adaptations are not going to be the same as the books, I really did not like this movie. There were some bits that were good, but others, especially that ending, that ruin it. It had such potential to be something wonderful, but it failed and now, just like Tomorrow, When the War Began, we are left with a film adaptation of a first book in a series, ending on a cliff hanger that is never going to be continued. Not only that, but a cliff hanger that cuts out a major event and three chapters of the book. Pullman did state that he supported the cut off ending, saying that “every film has to make changes to the story that the original book tells — not to change the outcome, but to make it fit the dimensions and the medium of film.” Which I understand, but I still say it changed the outcome in a big way. Interestingly enough, there was a script that had a running time of three hours, but this was scrapped in favour of the failed length of less than two hours in order to maximise revenue.
There were some good points, the film won a BAFTA for Special Visual Effects as well as an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and rightly so; bringing daemons to life on screen was wonderfully done. It was also nominated for numerous other awards. Talks of any sequels have been put on hold with many speculating the Catholic Church for putting pressure on the studio.
Play: His Dark Materials (2003)
In 2003-2004 a play entitled His Dark Materials premiered at the Olivier Theatre in London. The play was written by playwright Nicholas Wright and was adapted from the entire trilogy. Because of complications in staging something based on the narrative of three books, the play was performed in two parts in alternative performances. The plot is the same as the books – a coming of age story of the two key characters Lyra and Will, but there are clear differences, the absence of Dr Mary Malone (from The Amber Spyglass) being a major one, her role being reallocated to the witch Serafina Pekkala. The amber spyglass that is typically associated with her is largely absent as well. The play was extremely popular and it sold out its entire four-month run before reviews were even published.
The play won two Laurence Olivier Awards in 2005 for Best Set Design as well as best Lighting Design.
Audiobook: Northern Lights (1996) and His Dark Materials (2003)
There have been two audiobooks made based on Pullman’s trilogy. The first in 1996, was an audiobook of Northern Lights narrated by Natasha Richardson. The second was in 2003 and was an abridged dramatisation of the trilogy by BBC Worldwide. An unabridged version was released by BBC Audiobooks and was narrated by Philip Pullman himself. Cast voices included Joanna Wyatt as Lyra, Alison Dowling as Mrs Coulter, Sean Barret as Lord Asriel and Iorek Byrnison, and Stephen Thorne as the Master and Farder Coram.
Video Game: The Golden Compass (2007)
Based from The Golden Compass film, this game of the same name was released in 2007. The game is an action-adventure/puzzle game, told from a third person point of view and you take the role of Lyra and must travel through the North trying to find her kidnapped friend from the Gobblers.
As you play you solve puzzles as well as do some fighting, as well as use the alethiometer to help progress the story. Pan and the armoured bear Iorek Byrnison travel with you as you explore the land and fight. Pan’s changing ability is a main feature and he helps you explore levels with different abilities from different animal forms, and with alethiometer symbol meanings to uncover, you can use it to work out clues and ask questions.
The game was released on multiple playing platforms by Sega, and is classed as the official videogame of the movie. Having been released before the film, the sequence of events is slightly different, and there are additional scenes and footage not seen in the movie. The music is also entirely original, composer Jamie Christopherson saying that he wrote the entire game’s score in a month, before the movie score had been completed.
Unfortunately the game got predominantly negative reviews, the main criticisms being the confusing plot if you were unfamiliar with the movie or the books. Poor graphics and glitches, as well as poor gameplay and level designs also hindered reviews, and yet funnily enough, it sold rather well.
Northern Lights (#1) by Philip Pullman
07 Jul 2015 2 Comments
in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, fantasy, five stars, His Dark Materials, northern lights, philip pullman, the golden compass
Published: 23rd October 1998
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Pages: 399
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
When Lyra’s friend Roger disappears, she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him.
The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies – and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.
Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her – something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights…
Northern Lights is the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy and it introduces us to Lyra, her dæmon Pantalaimalon, and her world, similar to our own but so different at the same time. In Lyra’s universe people have dæmons, kind of like animal spirits that are a representation of their true self, their soul. The story is a retelling of sorts but with so much more depth and complexity is reads almost as new story. Granted this becomes much more evident in later books, but Northern Lights is a starting point to the greater story being told. In this first book Lyra heads North to rescue her friend Roger and other children that have been kidnapped for terrible experiments, and in doing so is introduced to something much bigger than she ever could imagine. This book leads onto the others and from captivating beginnings drags you deep into the world of Dust, other worlds, and destiny.
Away from the other two books, Northern Lights is a wonderful story on its own. Pullman brings this parallel universe to life absolutely magnificently, and in a world so foreign yet so familiar it is easy to accept Lyra’s world as being possible. What is wonderful about it as well is that it doesn’t read as an introduction book, we join Lyra in the middle of a moment and pick up the rest of the world as we go along, slowly gaining a picture of the world and its people, joining together snippets of information and details as the story goes on.
What is fantastic about Pullman is that he does little obvious explaining for the reader. There are hardly any, if at all, long explanations and expositions that are there for the reader’s understanding. Everything we need to know can be worked out from details and information provided in the narrative, and any explanations that are there have been woven meticulously through the story and provided through Lyra or other characters, and always keeping with the natural flow of the narrative. But Pullman is such a masterful writer that even when things aren’t explained it is easy to comprehend and to gain an understanding about the various levels and elements about the world.
Pullman writes with style and elegance, and with huge ideas, but the story is told so simply, with such passion, that it is easy to lose yourself in the story and imagine yourself beside Lyra as she explores Oxford or travels North. It is easy to become invested in these characters, you fear for them, rejoice with them, and worry for them all at once. From the first to last page you can picture everything that is happening: Lyra hiding in the wardrobe with Pan, armoured bears fighting for a kingdom, and golden monkey’s luring unsuspecting children.
Even with such exquisite description, Pullman also limits the details for his characters. Simple descriptions for many of his characters allow readers to create their own visions, and instead Pullman brings their complexity to life through their character, their personality and their actions. While general physical descriptions are important and still there, a greater understanding of who a character is is much more common. This is where the dæmons play a wonderful role; they help to understand who a character is as well as what they are feeling. While Lyra stands tall and bravely walks into danger, Pan is a mouse in her pocket, or a leopard to show the confidence she is trying to have.
What astounds me most about Northern Lights really is how simple it sounds as a plot, but when you read it, and get into the heart of the narrative it becomes quite clear just how complicated the story truly is, and yet Pullman writes it like it is the simplest thing in the world. It really is a masterpiece.
There is a mixture of light heartedness, danger, magic and mysteries, as well as heartbreak and horror in this book. Despite dealing with things that seem so foreign and incomprehensible, Pullman makes you understand and makes you invest in the characters so that every joyful time or moment of sadness is like your own.
This truly is a phenomenal story; it is one that will stay with you long after you have finished, and not only from wonderment, but also from admiration of the world and story Pullman has developed and more importantly, the intense envy that you too can’t have your own dæmon.
You can purchase Northern Lights via the following
