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Comparisions to Pullman
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From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Sat, 05 May 2001 18:32:50 +0100
BHP* children's fantasy got relatively little attention unless someone was trying to ban it. AHP* everyone seems to be looking for "the next Harry Potter" or "a book just like Harry Potter." Thus, I suppose, the tendency to compare Pullman and Rowling. Or Philip Pullman and Eoin Colfer, author of the latest fantasy hope, Artemis Fowl. "For fans of J.R.R.Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Philip Pullman, Artemis Fowl is a high-tech fantasy, mixing fairies, leprechauns, and computers, in a brilliant, thrilling story that is destined to become a cult favorite." is the publisher's statement on amazon.com. Now let me tell you, Artemis Fowl has a lot more to do with Ian Fleming and Terry Pratchett than J. R. R. Rowling, and Philip Pullman (and is light years away from Tolkien). I don't think Colfer is any more for fans of His Dark Materials than I think His Dark Materials is for fans of HPs I, II, III, and IV.
Actually, the fantasy writer that came into my mind as I read The Amber Spyglass last fall was Mervyn Peake. He wrote an extraordinary gothic fantasy called The Gormenghast Trilogy that I read in college, a wonderfully ornate literary work. Had anyone else read both trilogies and able to see anything similar? My memory of Gormenghast was a dark place with wonderfully complex characters. What sets His Dark Materials apart for me from other fantasy works is the richness of the prose and the extraodinary characters. Mrs. Cotler is one of the most amazing literary creations I've ever come across. As is her daughter. I recollect similar complex and fascinating characters in Peake's series. I tracked down a copy after having my little epiphany last fall, but have yet to find time to read more than a few pages.
Monica
*BHP Before Harry Potter
*AHP After Harry Potter
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Sat 05 May 2001 12:32:50 PM CDT
Date: Sat, 05 May 2001 18:32:50 +0100
BHP* children's fantasy got relatively little attention unless someone was trying to ban it. AHP* everyone seems to be looking for "the next Harry Potter" or "a book just like Harry Potter." Thus, I suppose, the tendency to compare Pullman and Rowling. Or Philip Pullman and Eoin Colfer, author of the latest fantasy hope, Artemis Fowl. "For fans of J.R.R.Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Philip Pullman, Artemis Fowl is a high-tech fantasy, mixing fairies, leprechauns, and computers, in a brilliant, thrilling story that is destined to become a cult favorite." is the publisher's statement on amazon.com. Now let me tell you, Artemis Fowl has a lot more to do with Ian Fleming and Terry Pratchett than J. R. R. Rowling, and Philip Pullman (and is light years away from Tolkien). I don't think Colfer is any more for fans of His Dark Materials than I think His Dark Materials is for fans of HPs I, II, III, and IV.
Actually, the fantasy writer that came into my mind as I read The Amber Spyglass last fall was Mervyn Peake. He wrote an extraordinary gothic fantasy called The Gormenghast Trilogy that I read in college, a wonderfully ornate literary work. Had anyone else read both trilogies and able to see anything similar? My memory of Gormenghast was a dark place with wonderfully complex characters. What sets His Dark Materials apart for me from other fantasy works is the richness of the prose and the extraodinary characters. Mrs. Cotler is one of the most amazing literary creations I've ever come across. As is her daughter. I recollect similar complex and fascinating characters in Peake's series. I tracked down a copy after having my little epiphany last fall, but have yet to find time to read more than a few pages.
Monica
*BHP Before Harry Potter
*AHP After Harry Potter
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Sat 05 May 2001 12:32:50 PM CDT
