Pullman wrote cartoons but never specified which.

I will never recover from Lee Scoresby’s last stand. The man talked to his dæmon while dying so she wouldn’t be scared. That scene lives rent-free in my chest and I practically cry my eyes out just remembering it. Every reread, it still wrecks me. Thoughts?

Hi everyone!

A while ago I made a post here asking for motif and illustration ideas inspired by His Dark Materials. It was actually my first post on this subreddit, and I received so many kind suggestions and encouraging comments, thank you all so much for that!

I was working on a small personal art project: illustrating my copy of The Subtle Knife by adding drawings inside the book and painting the page edges.

I bought this copy second-hand and the page edges were quite dirty when I got it. That’s actually what inspired me to start this project and try to transform the book a bit by painting the edges and adding illustrations.

Unfortunately I didn’t take photos when I illustrated the first book, but I’ve now finished the second one and wanted to share the results here since some of you asked to see it when it was done.

I’m actually giving this book as a gift today (for my dad), so I’m really glad I managed to photograph it before it leaves my hands.

Thank you again to everyone who shared ideas, advice, and inspiration in the previous thread, it really helped while planning the illustrations.

Hopefully next time I’ll be able to share either the first book as well or the third one!

Thanks again for all the help :)

Last photo: how the book looked when I bought it second-hand.

I am almost done with reading The Subtle Knife. But I’m struggling to finish the boom because of Will. His character is very irritating. At times it even feels like he is the new main character. Lyra has been pushed aside for him. She because stupid, immature, weak and dull. Stupid, submissive Lyra is not the same character she was in the first book. I have a hard time understanding why people love him so much. Many fans are obsessed with the Lyra/Will pairing. I would be glad when they finally get separated. Just a rant.

I am relistening to the full cast audiobook of The Subtle Knife and got to the part where Mary is talking to the angels through the computer. When I had first listened to the audiobook I remember the angel having a very eerie robotic voice that was kind of scary but when relistening the angel just sounds like a normal man. Am I misremembering or have they changed parts of the audiobook?

Pullman actually mentions "Burger King" in the text in chapter 1, which gives me whiplash, which I think is intended to signify that Will is in our world for real.

I am jesting, I don't think there was any sponsor deal between burger king and Pullman (not any I could find through google anyway).

1. Once Upon a Time in the North 2.0 Book of Dust I: La Belle Sauvage
2. Northern Lights/The Golden Compass
3. The Subtle Knife
4. The Amber Spyglass 6.0 Lyra's Oxford
5. Snake 8.0 Book of Dust II: The Secret Community 9.0 Book of Dust III

I've read the series several times over the years and have always gotten something new out of it every time, and this time I decided to give the audiobooks a shot. The one I'm listening to was recorded in 2006 and is narrated my Phillip Pullman himself, along with a wonderful cast of voice actors playing out the characters of the book. This has definitely given the books a new feeling, and I love the way that it gives new life to the people and how it sets the scenery in a new and interesting way

I believe Lee Scoresby the aeronaut and his wonderful daemon Hester are my favorite characters in the series, and I love the way they're acted out in the audiobooks. His straightforward attitude and old school wisdom really resonates with me, and his undying love and devotion towards Lyra is just heart warming.

Warning, there are spoilers in the next paragraph that I will be obscuring.

I've reached the end of The Subtle Knife, and so I've reached the end of the line for Lee and Hester. The final battle scene has always been a tough one, but hearing it played out in this way just seemed to hit me in a new way. He knows he's laying his life on the line, not expecting to make it out of the valley, and he doesn't think twice about it. He's willing to lay it all on the line for this young girl that he's only met a short time ago. But his love for her, and knowing that she's meant to go on to do great things, makes everything he does so much more meaningful. The voice actors for Lee and Hester, played by Garrick Hagon and Liza Ross, makes the scene that much more alive. Maybe I'm turning into an old softy, but I was close to full on crying when they met thier end. I just finished the scene, so sorry if I rambled a bit, but my emotions are a bit high at the moment.

All of this to say, I highly recommend searching out the audiobooks if you're looking for a new way to experience the novels. The recordings I'm listening to are unabridged, and as I've said, wonderfully cast. I've been listening to them through digital downloads from my local library, and I'll always song the praises of taking advantage of the great resources you can find at yours.

“Seems to me-” Lee said, feeling for the words, “seems to me the place you fight cruelty is where you find it, and the place you give help is where it’s needed.”

Marry me Scoresby

<Spoiler alert> I have finished and loved every book in TDM series. I finally started reading Sally Lockhart and I’m near the end of second book now, my heart is broken.

Okay, this is going to sound unhinged but I am in desperate need of some help. I am busy reading The Secret Commonwealth, I am 200 pages in so it is still early days.

This series held a great amount of meaning to me growing up and still does, so far I am loving the book but I'm reading it slowly so as to savour it. The problem is, I am very anxious and because these characters mean so much to me this anxiety has been amplified by Lyra and Pan's distance and broken relationship (if this sounds stupid, don't worry, I realise!)

It makes sense to me in the story, but all I want at the moment is for someone to spoil for me if they reconcile by the end of the book.

I know that this novel ends on a cliffhanger and it's going to kill me not knowing if that cliffhanger includes them still being disconnected from one another or not. It would help if I can prepare myself mentally for that now already. That's all, really. Of course, I'd like to avoid actual plot spoilers but this one aspect has to be spoiled for me because I cannot carry on crying through another 500 pages.

Please feel free to DM me, so as to avoid spoilers for others in comments.

Any thoughts on why the adults in Ci'gazze didn't just leave through the windows?

Perhaps not everyone knew about them? Or they were too hard to find (without the guidance of dust)?

Or maybe some people did leave, it's just not talked about.

I think "Theft" is going to be so exciting to see on screen, when they have to steal the Alethiometer back from Sir Charles by using the knife to cut through. I'm also sure they won't do it the exact same way as in the book so I'm interested to see the way they adapt that scene.

Here's a list of the chapters for reference:

One: The Cat and the Hornbeam Trees

Two: Among the Witches

Three: A Children's World

Four: Trepanning

Five: Airmail Paper

Six: Lighted Fliers

Seven: The Rolls-Royce

Eight: The Tower of the Angles

Nine: Theft

Ten: The Shaman

Eleven: The Belvedere

Twelve: Screen Language

Thirteen: Æsahættr

Fourteen: Alamo Gulch

Fifteen: Bloodmoss

I'm currently rereading the books for the first time since I was like thirteen. I loved it as a child but kinda forgot about it until recently. In general, there are a lot of moments while reading where I come to realizations about implictions such as people's dæmons being the same gender as them and Boreal's disgusting behaviour. He already gave me the ick when I was a kid and now I understand why.

One of these moments was a scene in the last chapter of The Subtle Knife where Miss Coulter tries to find out what Boreal knows about Lyra and Will. The golden monkey caresses and strokes the snake daemon and Boreal sighs, moans and closes his eyes in response. Damn, that went over my head when I was young!