Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jason E. King (Author)
Key Phrases: armored bear, salvific moment, amber spyglass, Land of the Dead, Lord Asriel, The Amber Spyglass (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Freitas and King believe that Philip Pullman—whom the New Yorker called one of England's most outspoken atheists—is a theologian in spite of himself, and that Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is a religious classic on the order of the Chronicles of Narnia. Here, the authors attempt to show that the Pullman novels are not about killing off God, but rather, annihilating an understanding of God that is antiquated and unimaginative. Analyzing lengthy scenes from the novels, they find Pullman's views pantheistic, rather than atheistic. Pullman resurrects a far more sophisticated divinity and wrestles mightily with theological questions. Freitas and King explore Pullman's beliefs about God, good and evil, and salvation, seeing the novelist as squarely situated within liberation theology and surprisingly Greek, indebted nearly as much to Socrates and Plato as to God the Father and God the Son. Freitas (Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise) and King clearly know their material and have the requisite passion for their topic. Although this is not light reading, the book release's timing to coincide with the motion picture, His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, should give it higher visibility to a popular audience. (Sept. 7)
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Review

Freitas and King believe that Philip Pullman—whom the New Yorker called "one of England’s most outspoken atheists"—is a theologian in spite of himself, and that Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is a religious classic on the order of the Chronicles of Narnia. Here, the authors attempt to show that the Pullman novels are not about killing off God, but rather, annihilating an understanding of God that is antiquated and unimaginative. Analyzing lengthy scenes from the novels, they find Pullman’s views pantheistic, rather than atheistic. Pullman "resurrects a far more sophisticated divinity" and wrestles mightily with theological questions. Freitas and King explore Pullman’s beliefs about God, good and evil, and salvation, seeing the novelist as squarely situated within liberation theology and "surprisingly Greek, indebted nearly as much to Socrates and Plato as to God the Father and God the Son." Freitas (Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise) and King clearly know their material and have the requisite passion for their topic. Although this is not light reading, the book release’s timing to coincide with the motion picture, His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, should give it higher visibility to a popular audience. (Sept. 7) (Publishers Weekly, June 11, 2007)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (September 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787982377
• ISBN-13: 978-0787982379
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #200,135 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Increased my appreciation for His Dark Materials, December 26, 2007

By	Jesse K. Richards (NYC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was skeptical before reading this, but it ended up being great and really enhanced my appreciation for the novels. After a slow start, it picks up and is really good by the end. The book also has short plot summaries of the novels, which were very helpful as I read them 2 years ago now. However, it also has an interview with Gregory Maguire which I thought was pointless. I was also unsure of the authors' "agenda" - are they Christian? Regardless, their views were well-thought-out and riveting. I would recommend buying all 4 books and reading this after the trilogy.