So it’s almost time for me to stop reading for pleasure altogether. Okay, it’s almost time for me to say I’m not reading for pleasure anymore and then do so anyway, probably ruining my eyes in the process. I wanted to put in a few words for Philip Pullman and the “His Dark Materials” trilogy.
This is good stuff. Pullman has created a pretty neat universe here that goes beyond both fantasy and “Steampunk.” Of course, I believe technically these novels would be in the “young adult” category, but there are some very dark themes present here. The kinds of themes that I would hope my kids weren’t understanding even though I’d know they were. There are also really interesting presentations of demonology and the “Fall of Man,” which I’m a total sucker for. I’m in the middle of the final book, and it’s just kickass. I think kickass is a literary term. At any rate, the series is complex without bogging one down, and Pullman’s craftsmanship outstrips the Harry Potter novels easily. Oh, the blasphemies I will commit in the name of literature!
Pullman is also the author of some Victorian-style mystery novels: The Ruby in the Smoke, Shadow in the North, and The Tiger in the Well. I haven’t read them yet, but Pullman is an excellent writer, so I have high hopes. I also saw The Ruby in the Smoke on LPB’s Masterpiece Theatre with Billie Piper as the lead, and after I got over seeing “Rose” (late of Doctor Who, for anyone who doesn’t know) as an “unconventional” Victorian girl, it was pretty good entertainment. Of course, you have to really like Victorian and Early 20th Century mysteries, which I do. Probably more than is healthy.
I have more news, but I think it should go in a separate post. I’m thinking of getting a new boardgame, and there is, of course, my Master’s Degree to think of!