Navigating the Golden Compass: Religion, Science and Daemonology in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

~ (Editor), Sarah Zettel (Collaborator) "Pity those-adventurers, adolescents, authors of young adult fiction-who make their way in the borderland between worlds..." (more)
Key Phrases: general oblation board, subtle knife, amber spyglass, Lord Asriel, Philip Pullman, Mary Malone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

** COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED ** Contributors with backgrounds in philosophy, theology, science fiction, and children's literature bring their expertise to this critical investigation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, and the insights it offers to today's world. The His Dark Materials trilogy is an unusual sort of young adult series: one that appeals to adults as much as to their children thanks to its richly imagined world, rigorously explored cosmology, and unflinching confrontation of the modern answers to life's big questions. Essays from a variety of critical disciplines do justice to the complexity and intrigue of this trilogy, exploring the answers to questions such as: Is His Dark Materials a new antireligious myth, or a failed perversion of Christian truth? and How does the story of the Specters of Cittagazze challenge our modern-day scientific practices?

About the Author

Glenn Yeffeth is the editor of the nonfiction essay anthologies Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix and Seven Seasons of Buffy. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Benbella Books (July 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932100520
• ISBN-13: 978-1932100525
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #923,746 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Illumination but overdone, March 9, 2007

By	Kathleen P. Bingaman "avid reader" (Lilburn, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before reading this book, I had no idea what Phillip Pullman's personal positions on faith and religion were and that was pretty much what this book was about -- variations on the theme of "Phillip Pullman wrote this series as a rebuttal to C.S. Lewis and Christianity". I picked this book up because I had so enjoyed Pullman books and had found the previous "Smart Pop" series books I had read so enlightening and mentally stimulating. Unfortunately, this one did not reach that same level of interest. I found the majority of the essays to be rather simplistic and very little of what I read made me think. It was illuminating to hear the underlying philosophy that Pullman brought to his writing, but I would have liked it if they essayists had not all addressed this same topic but had instead looked at other aspects of the books

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, December 2, 2007

By	M. P. Yates - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great book! I was looking for a book about the topics in Pullman's books. i was impressed! It covers just about everything!