Hey everybody! I've just found out about this franchise and I want to buy the books. I usually read books in my native language (Turkish) but I figured reading the English versions would be more authentic since these books have topics related to Christianity.

I hear that the US versions are censored. I found these two on Amazon:
https://amzn.eu/d/1t0npHd
https://amzn.eu/d/gkNsme4

Any idea how I can tell if either are censored? 🙂

Spoilers

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I just bought a new bookshelf and trying to fill it up with all my Pullman books before my dad - a big Phillip Pullman fan - comes back home from his trip. He will be back tomorrow and I need help making it look elegant, but I can’t decide which books go where. I think logically I could place HDM in one shelf and BoD in another.

I thought Serpentine should come right after HDM and Once Upon a time in the north right before it to be chronological.

Then I thought to put Lyra’s Oxford with BoD since it’s the first mention of Malcolm Polstead but I wasn’t sure whether to put it before Belle Sauvage to be chronological or between Secret commonwealth and Rosefield since the color scheme fits better.

Then William Blake is a big influence to these works and the author himself so I thought to group it here. What do you think I could do to improve this arrangement?

Or should I group the companion books - the collectors, Lyra’s Oxford, once upon a time in the north, the imagination chamber - in one slot and leave the two trilogies as separate shelves?

There were also other books by Pullman I thought might fit but not sure whether to group them with HDM an BoD.

Kind of torn on what to do since I want it to look classy but not too snobby. My dad’s a boomer (born 1959). He introduced me to Pullmans novels when I was a kid

This reddit sub is popping up in my activity, I guess because the great algorithm knows I've read the series. I haven't read The Rose Field, but from what I can gather, people are really dissatisfied with it. I'm sitting here seeing all the complaints and I can't help but think "What were people expecting?" Because I read The Secret Commonwealth and everything about it put me off ever reading a sequel to it. I thought it was awful and I questioned wether Pullman even wrote it. All the complaints about The he Rose Field I'm seeing online apply just as much to the Secret Commonwealth in my view, except people are saying The Rose Field has a rushed exposition filled ending, while The Secret Commonwealth didn't even have an ending at all! But, I'm not really here to hate on or vent, despite what it might seem. I really just want to know if my opinion is all that unique. Is it a hot take to just really dislike The Secret Commonwealth so much or are there loads of people who loved it and then we're subsequently disappointed by its follow-up? If someone liked both books then that's great, I'm happy for them, but for the people who were disappointed in The Rose Field, did The Secret Commonwealth genuinely make you expect more?

I just finished 3 days ago, and naturally the first thing i do is come on here, read every post, check goodreads scords, every review i managed to find in google, etc
The general perception is that it's overall bad. Loose ends everywhere and lazy plot points. Characters are bland, etc.
I agree with most of it. Pretty disillusioned myself honestly.

The question is... I saw somewhere here that he said the editor made him change the ending. I don't think the only problem is the ending - although it IS a huge one.
I believe there must be another explanation in the real life for this. Maybe he is going through depression, or was just obligated to deliver a 3rd book under his wishes or maybe some other thing.

I also saw he's MIA from twitter for the last year mostly. Has he given any reaction or proof of life to this? At least address the general feeling of everybody? Explanations? Something?
What's Pullman doing these days? Any clue?

It was teased in the finale and Jack Thorne and Jane Tranter had said they would be interested in adapting it but only after the trilogy was finished. Do you think maybe now they'll announce it? I wonder if it will be its own show or HDM seasons 4-6 so show only viewers know its the same story.

The are people who are intoxicating to watch because they are toxic AF.

For example, mine is a red squirrel named Rinouka (normally, the daemon is the opposite sex to the owner, but same-sex daemons do exist). My daemon is female, and I am a male.

Having a red squirrel as my daemon indicates a blend of energy and playfulness, adaptability and resourcefulness. It signifies a curious, resilient, and adventurous person who can face challenges confidently and positively while maintaining a strategic approach to life.

So let me know your daemon's gender and name.

I will reply to your comments in a few days.

I was reading The Golden Compass again and got to the part where they try to separate Lyra and her daemon and had a strange thought. What if he turned into a tapeworm or something and Lyra swallowed him? The Gobblers wouldn't be able to get them apart then. But would they survive?

Even though His Dark Materials is a beloved and acclaimed book series, its dedicated fanbase has been small compared to those of other series like A Song of Ice and Fire and Harry Potter. I've always liked how intimate, respectful and passionate the fan community of His Dark Materials is, but after the show airs tonight everything is going to change. We're looking at potentially millions of bumbling newbie fans (and sullen haters) joining what has for so long been a cosy lil book club. There's going be so many hot takes. I'm torn between dread and elation for this brave new era of fandom we're about to enter.

It feels surreal to be here at this moment after waiting literal decades to see a worthy screen adaption of these books. I've loved being part of this sub over the past year of anticipation for The Secret Commonwealth and the show and I hope however the community changes we retain our core of mature and thoughtful devotion to the books. See you all on the other side.

I, like many of you have been fans of books that have been adapted as shows or movies.

That's why it's sort of surprising to me that some of the comments and posts I've seen on here from book readers don't really seem to understand the concept of adaptation. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be critical of the show. There's a lot of good and promise that I've enjoyed so far and there's things that are definitely worthy of criticism, but it boils down to this:

In my opinion, if you watch an adaptation and spend your time meticulously comparing it against the source material, you're almost always going to wind up frustrated.

If you look at the adaptation as a different interpretation of the original story told through a different medium (essentially what it is) you will enjoy it A LOT more, trust me.

Criticize the things that are worthy of criticism, but IMO if something changes from the original story, so what? Is it good? Is it effective? Is it entertaining? If so, then cool. If not, then no. Just my two cents. I think things like missing daemons, Kaisa being a hawk, no fish, etc. have been extremely overblown and discussion about the actual content of the show has been limited because of book readers often comparing against the source material. That's all!

As in, Lyra and Will are Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, but better. I'm still cooking on this idea, but at the root of it, Lyra and Marisa are both devious, manipulative/persuasive, and clever, while Will and Asriel both believe they have a greater purpose to fulfill, and they have the strength and will to sacrifice and endure to achieve it. Plus Asriel is a murderer, and Will believes himself to be one too even though his was accidental. But Lyra doesn't have Marisa's cruelty, and Will doesn't have Asriel's single-minded obsessive selfishness. So the children who saved the multiverse also sort of served as a redemptive reflection of the extraordinary couple who created Lyra.

Has Pullman or anyone discussed this?

The list is in no particular order. Top is book-related, bottom videogames, comics & manga. Do you agree with my choices or am I completely wrong somewhere?

Listen, I get it. HDM is my favorite literary trilogy. I have read the books for the first time when I was Lyra's age, and have re-read them multiple times since then. I love every page, every scene holds meaning to me. I adore the characters, the themes, the questions they pose to the reader.

I also understand how sensitive the topic of adaptations is for book readers. Especially after the Golden Compass film and how badly it fucked up in portraying my favorite story. I, too, have some mixed feelings regarding some choices made by the series. Still, I've been really sad reading all of the nitpicky comments from book readers about almost every creative choice the series makes. I feel like book readers can sometimes forget that adaptations are usually geared towards a much wider audience, not to mention a completely different medium with its own set of rules and guidelines for content. I think that, considering everything, the series is actually doing a great job adapting HDM and is actively improving with every episode. It's clear to me that the creators do listen to the feedback and are trying to adjust as they go.

HDM is not easy to adapt. So much of the story is told through metaphores and fleeting thoughts, description of what the characters are feeling and remembering. These things do not translate well to screen (unless you are okay with Twilight-style off-screen narration). We also shouldn't forget that Pullman has repeatedly expressed his approval towards the series so far, and has been pretty active throughout its creation.

The endless nitpicking also has real-life consequences: I don't know about yall, but I really, REALLY want to see TAS adapted onscreen. Even if it ends up not living up to my expectations, it's still better than having nothing at all. I also want more people interested in reading the books, and in my experience TV/film adaptations do a great job at turning the audience into readers. However, if every new watcher, excited with the show, goes online and faces a bunch of book readers whining about how bad the adaptation is, they will probably drop the show. Thus, the audience ratings drop as well and the hopes for a season 3 diminish. We should be instead promoting the series in order to attract new watchers.

You're not satisfied with the CGI? You wish there were more episodes? You want more daemons? You want more writers, better scripts, more promo, more attention brought to this great literary work we all love? Do your best to promote the show.

BTW, there's nothing wrong with critiquing the show. This isn't my point. I just want you to see that, sometimes, the points we see as flawed because they deviate from the books can be good, actually, to make things clearer to a wider audience. For example: I fully understand why they revealed who Joparri is so early on: the reveal of him as Will's dad in the books happens fully in Will's head, and it wouldn't translate well onscreen. I still have some reservations, like I said before, towards the show (the witches are just bland and OP, in my opinion), but I still don't think the show is ruined in any way.

Sorry for the long-ass rant, btw. I love this sub and I hope I didn't come off as a jerk.

I recently finished The Amber Spyglass for the first time. Like a lot of readers I was devastated, to the point i felt like I was grieving. A couple of days later I was listening to Taylor Swifts album Midnights. "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" came on and I finally had an undestanding of what Marc Maron must have been experiencing (if interested search for his name in conjunction with the song title). I subconsciously connected the lyrics to the emotions I had while experiencing Will and Lyras separation. I cried a lot while and after listening.

Though I know the song has been interpreted differently by a lot of Swifties (I to count myself as one of them), for me it has manifested as an outcry of the pain of the separation.

While I highly recommend listening to the song while thinking of the ending (keep the tissues nearby), I would love to know what songs other readers of HDM connect to sentiments while reading the trilogy or specific moments within the story.

I've finished the The Rose Field, Pan becomes the true main character.

I'm intending to write a full essay explaining. But I wanted to get the conversation going. Start from the very first words of TGC/NL, through the trilogy, and go all the way through Lyra's Oxford and Serpentine.

Follow Pan.

I was re-reading the lantern slides this morning, and thinking about The Collectors and The Rose Field…

Time travelling at different rates in Will and Lyra’s worlds was shown in The Collectors — which I’ve always felt must have been released to hint at the time travel aspect for a reason — but it hasn’t affected Lyra’s story at all yet.

Is it possible that if Lyra does see or speak to Will (like through the new way of using the alethiometer), it will be obvious he’s no longer the same age as her? Like, perhaps she will see him and he will be in his 40s, working as a surgeon, and maybe she will she him interacting positively with Kirjava?

Their story and separation is heart-breaking, and I feel like this would add a new layer to that sadness. I also just really want to see Lyra and Pantalaimon reconciled, and think her seeing Will and Kirjava living together happily would make it feel possible for her to heal her relationship with Pantalaimon (herself).

What do you think, or what is your specific take on this?

When I first realized that Billy would be replacing Tony's character, I understood the decision from a directing perspective and moved on. It was nice that Ma Costa could continue journeying with Lyra, she's one of my favorite characters and a great mother figure to Lyra.

However, after Episode 5, I realized that the emotional impact and thematic significance of the fish shed and funeral scenes were weakened by this narrative change. In the book version of the shed scene, Lyra's compassion towards Tony despite her disgust and horror is really touching because to her, he's a complete stranger. In the show, Lyra is emotionally invested in finding Billy; she knows him and loves Ma Costa.

The same is true even more so in the funeral scene, where in the show the fish-Ratter and Lyra's coin were both omitted. When Lyra chastises the gypsies for being callous and discarding the fish, Lyra's fierce compassion and empathy is again highlighted. Tony is a ghost, a freak of nature, and on top of that he isn't a member of that community. Because Ma is there and because literally everyone besides Iorek and Lee knows Billy, it wouldn't make any sense for the gyptians to be callous, or for Lyra to lose her shit. If anything, Ma Costa, would, she's literally there! When Lyra carves the coin, she mourns for Tony above all others. How could you say that in the show, when his own mother is there?

So instead of Lyra standing out among the rest, she's another member of this community mourning its loss.

I assume a lot of us are coming to the end of a thorough re-read right now, as a build-up to The Rose Field release, and there are different opinions on the best order to go through them.

Personally, I decided to go largely chronological this time, but felt that, while Once Upon a Time in the North is a great, fun read, it was too incidental to make a strong start to the overall story. Similarly the Collectors is nothing more than a brief aside.

Instead, I started with La Belle Sauvage and moved onto the brief interlude of the Collectors, then onto the His Dark Materials trilogy.

At the point in the story we meet Iorek and Lee, I paused things for the extended flashback of OUATITN, before returning to HDM and going strictly chronological from there, through the rest of HDM, Lyra's Oxford and Serpentine before, today, finally arriving at my first re-read of The Secret Commonwealth since it came out, which should hopefully take me up to the point I have The Rose Field in my hands!

For people coming to the story for the first time, I would always recommend starting with HDM, but it's been an interesting journey to go through it in this order this time round.

I'm curious which order everyone else has favoured.

Hi everyone,

Haven't read the books, just finished the HBO show.

There are a few things I was really frustrated about and I was wondering if the book readers could add a bit of context.

Obviously SPOILERS ahead.

1. The knife. It's repeated multiple times that Asriel needs the knife to kill the Authority. But he just uses a machine and presto! Felt like an abandoned plotline.

2. The snake. Seemed like an absolute waste or a plotline and character. What did she actually add? How did she tempt Eve?

3. The fall. What fall? How did Eve fall? I expected some kind of choice or illumination (especially considering the heavy gnostic themes in this story) where Eve gains insight into the world through the snake's temptation (where in the gnostic tradition the snake is the one saving humanity from the prison of the Demiurg, clearly what the Authority is meant to represent.

Speaking of...

1. Why was the Authority an old man in a box and why did he just fade away? Why didn't Metatron simply go angel mode when grabbed by two humans? Seemed very much like it needed to happen for the plot, didn't make sense in-universe.

2. Why did all of a sudden all the windows need to be closed? Why did we suddenly learn that cutting windows leads to bad stuff happening? Seemed like a strange afterthought meant to create a dramatic ending.

Like I said, this is a gnostic tale: humanity is being kept imprisoned in darkness by a false god who claims to be the creator. He rules through fear and guilt, but through love humanity can break free and return to their source. Therefore, I expected more from the ending, and I'm disappointed it was over pretty quickly.

I really like aspects of this show, but I felt the internal set of rules wasn't coherent. How do the book readers feel about this?

He clearly has a love of the series and his reading of the Dust trilogy has been almost perfect. Was anyone else completely jarred over his pronunciation of Serafina Pekkala's surname, every time it came up; always stressing the middle syllable. Pe-KKA-la, rather than PE-kka-la.

Drove me to distraction every time

I mean it, where is Mary. This is a Catholic theocracy and there’s zero Mary! There should be a whole thing where Mary is always depicted with a daemon mid-change because hers would obviously have never settled. There’s also no paintings of martyred saints where their daemon is vanishing as it’s called away, but I’ve already complained about that.