The parents ended up picking me up each volume in His Dark Materials as they released as a sort of mini-tradition for Christmas, the intent being something of a nostalgia trip back to the days of yore when I was young, had time on my hands, and devoured books like those 24/7. And I love them, much the same way I love Potter. So sleek and easy to cruise through and yet so deep and rich. They give the mind's eye a brilliant workout in ways that "grown-up books" don't.
Anyway, when I finally got The Amber Spyglass I ended up rereading the whole series from the beginning and was struck by how dark and mature the books get as they progress. The Golden Compass is downright fluffy (still darker than the first two Potters, of course, but still undeniably a kids book), while Spyglass is incredibly dark for a kid's book, with themes coming out the wazoo and fairly mature stuff in there.
They'd make truly excellent films.
[ February 05, 2002, 18:58: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
Registered: Mar 1999
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I wondered why we had these catalogued at the library under both young adult and regular fiction, while Potter is strictly YA. Perhaps I'll have to add these to my list of books to read...
*adds the first book of the series*
Yay. Now I have nine books on my list. And it continues to grow. This is not good.
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