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

Donna Freitas (Author), Jason E. King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2007

Killing the Imposter God explores the complex religious and spiritual dimensions of the best-selling fantasy series. Donna Freitas and Jason King—scholars of religion and popular culture—reveal how humanity's moral and religious issues play out in Pullman’s literary phenomenon, showing that the trilogy—far from preaching atheism, as many have suggested—actually presents a vision of a universe permeated with divinity and rich with the Christian tradition Pullman himself so publicly rejects.  Weaving together critical theory that spans the disciplines of theology, ethics, feminist studies, and philosophy, the authors examine the questions His Dark Materials raises about destruction and salvation, love and redemption, the abuse of power,  and the divine—making the case that Pullman the self-professed atheist has created a Christian classic of our times.

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)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787982377
• ISBN-13: 978-0787982379
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 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)   

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

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully refreshing, September 7, 2011

By 

N. J. Stallman "Nick" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

Freitas and King have created, what I consider to be, the best theological engagement with Pullman's His Dark Materials to date. Whilst the appeal to Liberation theology and feminist theology may not be everyone's cup of tea, the theological analysis is none the less consistent and thorough. This is an insightful analysis of the way in which God has been communicated and envisioned throughout history, culminating in the desire to move beyond restrictive, ancient images of a tyrannical God, as has been accepted from the Middle Ages onwards. Instead, they propose that Liberation and Feminist theology, just like Pullman's text, is challenging these notion of the very way in which we perceive God and communicate our understanding of God to others. They support the idea that Pullman's 'death of the Authority/God' should not be feared or shunned or condemned, but embraced as an opportunity for a new understanding and a new progression forward in contemporary Christianity.