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Pullman books
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From: Melody Allen <melodyan>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 07:44:28 -0400
From: Sue Fondrie[SMTP:sfondrie at students.wisc.edu] Sent: Friday, August 29, 1997 12:53 AM To: CCBC-NET Subject: Other YA books
"In response to Margaret Denman-West's endorsement of the two Phillip Pullman books, I heartily agree. Both and <The Subtle Knife> are wonderfully imaginative and so richly detailed that each deserves a second reading."
While I found The Golden Compass to be an exciting, ingenious, and vivid book, I was disappointed with some aspects of The Subtle Knife. Both books share strong opening scenes to draw you in, but the second then seemed overwhelmed by explaining, trying to catch the new reader or one with a poor memory up with the first. The chapters bringing the balloonist and the witches into this other world distracted me from the thrust of Lyra and Will's storyline. Once all the pieces come together, the action picks up pace, racing at the end to ... not exactly a conclusion. That is a question for others - should each book in a set have its own conclusion and to what level is it okay to leave a cliffhanger as in a serialized story? Finally, I felt somewhat that Lyra's (and Pantalaimon's) character went out of focus. I know Pullman kept telling us that Will's will must be done in this book, but Lyra spent too much time on the sidelines for me. This is still an inventive and ambitious series, one that I'd like to talk about - especially in the way that religion is challenged and the confrontation is over the ultimate battle of good versus evil
(which tears up these worlds and pulls Lyra so far between her parents). More comments PLEASE. Melody Allen melodyan at dsl.rhilinet.gov
Received on Fri 29 Aug 1997 06:44:28 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 07:44:28 -0400
From: Sue Fondrie[SMTP:sfondrie at students.wisc.edu] Sent: Friday, August 29, 1997 12:53 AM To: CCBC-NET Subject: Other YA books
"In response to Margaret Denman-West's endorsement of the two Phillip Pullman books, I heartily agree. Both and <The Subtle Knife> are wonderfully imaginative and so richly detailed that each deserves a second reading."
While I found The Golden Compass to be an exciting, ingenious, and vivid book, I was disappointed with some aspects of The Subtle Knife. Both books share strong opening scenes to draw you in, but the second then seemed overwhelmed by explaining, trying to catch the new reader or one with a poor memory up with the first. The chapters bringing the balloonist and the witches into this other world distracted me from the thrust of Lyra and Will's storyline. Once all the pieces come together, the action picks up pace, racing at the end to ... not exactly a conclusion. That is a question for others - should each book in a set have its own conclusion and to what level is it okay to leave a cliffhanger as in a serialized story? Finally, I felt somewhat that Lyra's (and Pantalaimon's) character went out of focus. I know Pullman kept telling us that Will's will must be done in this book, but Lyra spent too much time on the sidelines for me. This is still an inventive and ambitious series, one that I'd like to talk about - especially in the way that religion is challenged and the confrontation is over the ultimate battle of good versus evil
(which tears up these worlds and pulls Lyra so far between her parents). More comments PLEASE. Melody Allen melodyan at dsl.rhilinet.gov
Received on Fri 29 Aug 1997 06:44:28 AM CDT
