Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy: A Reader's Guide (Continum Contemporaries) (Paperback)

by Claire Squires (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to 30 of the most popular, most acclaimed, and most influential novels of recent years. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. Time Out (London) on January 30, 2001 A brilliant idea--short, perceptive books which tell you what you need to know about some of the most vibrant and challenging writing around today--a bit like having a reading group in your pocket. Ian Rankin The series comes as near to squaring various circles - popular / academic, 'good read' / 'classic Lit', novel / film of the book as any I know. And at best it goes a fair way towards reshuffling those categories and redrawing the boundaries. With the first volume, I was relieved. After two or three, I was hooked. The books are invaluable for gathering out-of-the-way or ephemeral comment from TV and radio interviews and the web as well as from literary reviews. Refreshingly upfront and up-to-date... Highly finished and pleasantly handleable as books in their own right... The Times Higher Education Supplement, May 31, 2002

Product Description
A critical appraisal of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, this text forms part of a series that aims to provide accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to give a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question.The books in the series all follow the same five-part structure: a short biography of the novelist; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas; a summary of how the novel was received when it was first published; a summary of the novel's standing today, including any film or television adaptations and a helpful list of discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and useful websites.

Product Details

• Paperback: 95 pages
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826414796
• ISBN-13: 978-0826414793
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,110,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by His Dark Materials fansite webmaster, December 1, 2003

By A Customer

The book is divided into five chapters: The Novelist, The Novels, The Novels' Reception, The Novels' Performance, and Further Reading and Discussion Questions. The first chapter is a 13-page biography of Philip Pullman, and a compact analysis of Pullman's works. The chapter "The Novels" gives a complete analysis of His Dark Materials, reviewing the many different aspects of the books, from Dust to Politics to Religion and The Church, and even Environmentalism. Mrs. Squires also analyses the roles Lyra, Will, Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coulter, and Mary Malone play in His Dark Materials. The third chapter is, as the title suggests, solely about the novels' reception, and the author describes and quotes the reactions to the novels by different parties, commendable here is the fact that Mrs. Squires notes the positive reception as well as the negative reception of the books, which makes for a very informative read. The chapter "The Novels' Performance" is a small 3-page chapter that covers the fame of His Dark Materials. The final chapter: "Further Reading and Discussion Questions", gives a list of questions about: Storytelling, Daemons, Gender, Innocence and Experience, Religion and The Church, Realism and Fantasy, Intertextuality, and Children's Literature. It also contains a vast Bibliography, and a list of useful websites.
My Opinion: This book offers all that a reader's guide should. It contains extensive information about Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials, and their reception and performance. Mrs. Squires manages to give a very complete overview of all these points, also due to the fact that she constantly utilizes quotes from articles, reviews, interviews, and other His Dark Materials-related texts. The book's style makes for a very pleasant read, so that this book is not one of those strict and dull reference guides.

I'm a very critical reviewer. When I review a book I usually spend at least a whole page highlighting the book's faults and flaws, and draw the inevitable conclusion: A nice concept, but due to a flawed execution ultimately a failure. However, this time I was denied this pleasure. Mrs. Squires' book is indeed a reader's guide, so it will only be of real value to those who have either read or are adequately acquainted with the His Dark Materials. That is, together with the slightly steep price (In the UK £5, in de US $10 for this 95-page book), the only bad points of the book, and I believe them to be minor faults. Mrs. Squires manages to capture the very essence of His Dark Materials that we fans are well acquainted with, and that has made us love the books.

My Verdict: If you've read His Dark Materials, buy this reader's guide. If you haven't read His Dark Materials, read them, and then buy this book.

http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Guide to HDM, October 4, 2003

By	Tristan (PA) - See all my reviews

In this, the first book about the His Dark Materials trilogy, Claire Squires sets a fine example for those who will follow her. The Reader's Guide provides a detailed, yet concise, look at the trilogy and its author.

Like all books in the Continuum Contemporaries series (of which Ms. Squires has also written a guide to Zadie Smith's White Teeth), this follows the format of:

-A short biography of the novelist
-A full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas
-A summary of how the novel was received when it was first published
-A summary of the novel's standing today, including any film or television adaptations
-A helpful list of discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and useful websites.

I thought that the Guide was a good resource, both for readers who had already been acquainted with the trilogy and its author for some time, and for those just discovering it. Claire's detailed look at the major characters of His Dark Materials, including descriptions of their character and the part that they play, is very satisfying. The analysis of the trilogy's stance on religion, innocence vs. experience, the Fall and Original Sin, and Environmentalism is refreshingly complete, providing a look from all angles. This, I think, establishes the Guide as an excellent resource, since it pinpoints the flaws of the trilogy along with the successes, and attempts to fully understand the books rather than pretend that HDM is something that it's not.

Finally, the Reader's Guide successfully depicts those parts of His Dark Materials that caused us, the fans, to fall in love with the story and its characters. An entire section is dedicated to the bittersweet and painful, yet inevitable ending of The Amber Spyglass, and the quotes from the books that are most enduring in our hearts and minds find their well-deserved place in Ms. Squires' Guide.

The only part that I was disappointed about was the cost... with only 100 pages[...], it seems a bit expensive, costing more than a book of the trilogy itself.... but still, the content within is well written, and the insights provided by Ms. Squires deserve to be read by anyone who is a fan of Philip Pullman's remarkable trilogy. [...]

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Odd Idea With A Few Surprises, January 25, 2006

By	Bruce Aguilar (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is a vastly entertaining and suprisingly layered story. This small tome hopes to be a preview of sorts to the books. Giving people who may be interested in reading the trilogy an overview of the story, its author and the critical reception the books received. It's kind of an odd idea, but it does accomplish all it sets out to do and even offers a bit for those who have read the books already.

I had hoped that there would be more analysis and less descriptions of plot and character, but I realize that this is not the books focus. It's helpful for those who enjoyed the His Dark Materials Trilogy to learn more about the author in the first section, but then these readers are left with little to sink their teeth into until the fourth section "The Novels' Peformance" which gives us some of the critical responses to the series.

This is a book best suited to those new to the series who may have not had the time to yet ponder the larger aspects the story brings up. For more seasoned readers it's a shallow experience. I'm hungry for some real heavy analysis and discussion. If you are too, this book is not for you.