No subtle knife, no amber spyglass?

When the movie "The Golden Compass" was being previewed in theaters, I had never heard of Philip Pullman or his triology "His Dark Materials". The previews of the movie looked so fascinating that I sailed down the Amazon... like you do... and ordered the books. I am so glad I did. What a great read! What a terrific writer! I am motivated now to go back and reread "Paradise Lost". Now THAT'S impact- have you ever slogged through "Paradise Lost"? Well, Pullman did, and then stood it on it's ear in "His Dark Materials".


I love this kind of writing. The wonderful thing about fantasy and science fiction is the genres let writers create and explore all sorts of new worlds and take us with them while they do. The best fantasy/sci fi is written by scholars - J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov- who pull from their knowledge base to add richness and depth to their stories. Often, the best work is catalyzed by a single question, such as "What if...?" The value of this type of writing is that it challenges readers to think about the world in new ways or encounter new worlds in old ways, by way of a ripping tale. Great fantasy challenges you to think.


"His Dark Materials" is great fantasy, and the movie "The Golden Compass", produced by the Brits, was wonderfully faithful to its quirky universe. I loved it almost as much as the book. Others must have, too. The movie did well; despite an $180 million budget, it grossed $364 million worldwide and won an Oscar for best achievement in visual effects.

I have been looking forward with tremendous curiosity to the next installment, "The Subtle Knife", because, frankly, I can't imagine how it can be made into a movie. But there is some uncertainty that the second movie will be made at all. You see, only $70 million of the gross for "The Golden Compass" was made in the U.S. Fundamentalist Christians and the Roman Catholic Church hammered "The Golden Compass" as heretical, unholy, and dangerous and it seems that their campaign against the movie did, in fact, serve to limit the U.S. gross.

It will be sad if low grosses in the U.S. prevent the next two books from coming to the screen, and even sadder if religious reactionaries are responsible. I don't get it. Just what is it they don't seem to understand about the word "FANTASY"? (As in the opposite of reality). Why are they so afraid of the power of imagination?

I hereby advise you all to go out immediately and buy the triology "His Dark Materials". Don't worry about the books destroying your faith. If your faith is so fragile that a work of fiction can undo it, you have none. Do I think the work is heretical? Damn straight. Sometimes a little heresy is just what we need. The work is also beautifully written, extraordinarily rich and thought-provoking. It is also a ripping tale! Go! Read! If God didn't want us to explore all possibilities, He would have made us different than we are.