Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is, appropriately enough, a darker children's series than most people will be accustomed to, especially given the popularity of the optimistic Harry Potter series. Unlike in Harry Potter (which I also like a great deal), the villains in Pullman's books are truly evil, but they have reasons that we can understand, even sympathize with. And people die in this series, often in horrific ways.
The first book is a true joy to read. Pullman's universe is fantabulous: it has dirigibles, beautiful witches, and drunken polar bears clad in invincible armor. It also has things called daemons: small, flitting companions of all humans, and unshakeably loyal friends. By the end of the first book, I badly wanted a daemon for myself. It doesn't hurt that Pullman's heroine, Lyra, is a spunky and resourceful young girl. Aside from Lyra, Pullman's other characters are also fun, yet plausible; and the well-paced plot zaps along from one amazing locale to another without ever losing focus.
I started the second book with great eagerness. Unfortunately, there are two problems that crop up immediately. The first is that the second book introduces the notion of parallel universes, none of which are as interesting as Lyra's. The second problem is that one of those parallel universes is our own, as dull a setting as I can imagine. The resulting narrative, jumping between different universes, seems disconnected and distracted. The characters Lyra meets are similarly less compelling than they were in the first book.
The third book is where the problems really crop up. For one thing, the major characters from the previous two books suddenly become much less interesting, primarily because Pullman begins to make them too malleable. A key part of any character's plausibility is his ability to change with time and circumstances, but when a character acts very differently without explanation, then he dies in the reader's mind and is replaced by a puppet that the author jerks along the plotline. Also, Pullman's writing--usually quite lyrical--begins to use almost amateur descriptions and, especially, juvenile dialogue. What Pullman intended as a high point in the series (it's the part about Lyra, Will, and a piece of fruit) made me laugh aloud at how ridiculous the scene was. I almost considered putting the book down right then.
But then comes the ending, and although it too is ridiculous--and almost completely out-of-the-blue--it left me inexplicably moved. I couldn't read anything else the day that I finished this series, even though my opinions about the first half of the last book were unchanged. I think it says something about how carefully Pullman built up his characters in these books that, despite the stupidity of the later plotline, I would still care so much about what happened to them in the end.
Of course, I'm speaking as an older person reading a book intended for children. I think children (especially more mature ones) will love this series: it has more and cooler adventures than Harry Potter, and its setting is far more imaginative. If you're reading this as an adult, stick with it through the second and third books. The ending is painful, but more than worth it.
Warning: for devout Christians, this book is probably not fit for your children. **MAJOR SPOILERS** Harry Potter may use "evil" magic, but at least nobody at Hogwarts is trying to conquer the kingdom of Heaven and overthrow God, as happens in this series.
Copyright © 2001 Steven Wu 