HisDarkMaterials

Does anyone know if his axe is specific and prompted, or just a general axe? The way he writes Mary, he might almost have been in a parallel situation. --CH

He was on the radio last night giving an interview.  He was brought up Catholic, read books and grew out of it.  Nothing more sinister than that.  --Vitenka (It's a good series, I recommend it)

So do I, I enjoyed it very much indeed. I was just curious as to what his background was.--CH

While I haven't read the series I have read a short interview with him which he spent complaining about C.S. Lewis, so I take it there's a specific axe there, I do wonder if he thinks himself the anti-Lewis (although if that's the case he needs to start writing some theology/counter-apologetics as well as fiction).  In particular he seems quite embittered about the passage in the last battle where it's revealed that Susan, having given place in her life to make up over God is not part of the group which enters heaven at the end of the book, it isn't given what her fate ultimately is.  Pullman takes it that her fate is ultimately Hell.  Further he takes it that this applies to anyone with an interest in makeup at all (failing to catch the critial 'more than God', which indicates he hasn't read any of Lewis' other works, e.g. Screwtape, which would have made this line of thinking even clearer), moreover he asserts that makeup is a good thing because we should explore how we affect other people (One hopes within limits 'I wonder how my pulling this trigger will affect you, hmm, let's experiment', but this certainly wasn't indicated in the interview (although it was in fairness a short piece.  I suspect he would respond "Of course I didn't mean that", I rather cynically suspect he hasn't stopped to work out a logically consistent thing to mean)), which leaves me wondering if under his system he's morally obliged to try on makeup to see how it affects others.  He concludes that Lewis' view as expressed in the Last Battle is horribly oppressive.  Note that I'm not here critiquing his writing, only his philosophy.  --NR

Take a deep breath, and a drink of water, and write that again more slowly. --Edwin

I do think he has some good points wrt the Christian Church. Since they're mostly unpleasant ones, I won't go into it unless someone fancies a debate. -- CorkScrew

Sooo... the story of Lyra Belacqua and her fight against the totalitarian Communist regime, who have been performing experiments on children in order to remove from them man's need for God...? Or what? - MoonShadow

Well, you could replace the church with any other villain, though it makes all the metaphysics a bit odd.  (Like, who cares what conglomocorp believes the source of dust to be?)  But yes, cynical and obvious money making decision.  One wonders how they will patch the angels? :)  --Vitenka

Wise ancient aliens from Area 51. - MoonShadow

I'm not convinced they'll remove the point by doing what they've stated (although they certainly might manage to anyway). Like TerryPratchett's, the books are far less anti-Christian than anti-Church. And I'd imagine Pullman doesn't want the point removed, at least, and it seems there's a chance he might get consulted... --AlexChurchill

And the first episode, as it were, is going to be "The Golden Compass". Makes sense, I guess, from the point of view of the other two books.