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/lit/ - Literature

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903037 No.903037 [Reply] [Original]

What do you think, /lit/?

I read the entire first book, The Golden Compass (or Northern Lights to you Brits), in one night and now I am halfway through The Subtle Knife.

The Subtle Knife isn't as exciting or nerve wracking as the first, but I'm going to finish the series.

I just wonder what everybody else thinks of it :)

>> No.903045

I liked everything but the very bizarre implied forced plot sex. It was weird and unneeded as the whole loss of childhood was already implied by her maturity and aging, sex seriously did not have to be oddly added as a side issue.

I wish he would do another large series. It is unfortunate that so much of fantasy is based on the messiah hero.

>> No.903049

>>903045
I agree that it's a shame it's all about the hero, but that's kind of fantasy though, isn't it?

and this one was kind of a backwards Paradise Lost

>> No.903055

>>903049
somehow posted before I was done...

One thing that I forgot about the ending was how angels are created? Also: "God" was nothing but the first angel, correct?

>> No.903062

The US versions are bullshit, the censorship in them completely removes the whole retelling of Eve plot point.

>> No.903066

>>903062
What was exactly was taken out? I don't know which I read, but it seemed like that was in there

>> No.903069

>>903055
Yes The Authority was just the first angel to come into existence.

>> No.903070

>>903045

OP here, if you had to rank the books in order of favorite to least, what order would you put them in?

The Golden Compass made me nervous, excited, worried, a range of emotions. But I'm slowing down on
reading The Subtle Knife.

I just got to the part where > Dr. Grumman and Lee are being chased by zeppelins and Dr. Grumman goes all shaman and destroys them.

I think it might be because one of the main characters shares the same name as me, and I am so messed up I instantly hate everybody that I share a name with. Only I can have my name ><

>> No.903074

>>903070
I'm not who you referenced, but:

1. Amber Spyglass: Bunch of stuff that I thought was unneeded, but regardless, still my favorite of them all
2. Northern Lights: Basically what you said
3. Subtle Knife - Nothing interesting besides introducing Will

>> No.903075

Yeah, they get worse as they go along.

>> No.903078

>>903066
"Marzipan" chapter (UK edition):

"As Mary said that, Lyra felt something strange happen to her body. She found a stirring at the roots of her hair: she found herself breathing faster. She had never been on a roller-coaster, or anything like one, but if she had, she would have recognized the sensations in her breast: they were exciting and frightening at the same time, and she had not the slightest idea why. The sensation continued, and deepened, and changed, as more parts of her body found themselves affected too. She felt as if she had been handed the key to a great house she hadn't known was there, a house that was somehow inside her, and as she turned the key, deep in the darkness of the building she felt other doors opening too, and lights coming on. She sat trembling, hugging her knees, hardly daring to breathe, as Mary went on:"

"Marzipan" chapter (Canadian & US edition):

"As Mary said that, Lyra felt something strange happen to her body. She felt as if she had been handed the key to a great house she hadn’t known was there, a house that was somehow inside her, and as she turned the key, she felt the other doors opening deep in the darkness, and lights coming on. She sat trembling as Mary went on:"

>> No.903080

>>903069
and how are the angels created in the first place?

>> No.903082

>>903070
Northern Lights and Subtle Knife are equal to me, I really liked Will. Amber Spyglass I liked but a bit less so.

>> No.903083

OP here,
wow I just realized that I am on the second to last chapter in the Subtle Knife when I looked at the table of contents. Wow... It doesn't really feel like anything is happening of importance except everyone wants to get to Asriel.

>> No.903085

>>903070
That's a very silly reason to not like a character. Then again I was named after an opposite gendered character from a novel, that my parents had already named their dogs after the two main characters so...name rage.

>> No.903086

>>903080
I don't remember to be honest, hence why I didn't respond.

>> No.903087

>>903078
perhaps I'm not picking up how that takes away the Eve thing about it It just seems to me that it's just not describing what happens to her so physically

I'm not saying I like it, I just don't see how it ruins the whole Eve thing

>> No.903107
File: 13 KB, 320x240, ohgodwhy.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
903107

>my face when I reached the end of the Amber Spyglass

>> No.903111

OP is 11

>> No.903113

>>903111

OP is going to be 23 in...30 days.

>> No.903120

Fuck, now that I know I am on the second to last chapter I have to go finish it right this minuteeeee

>> No.903123

>>903113

23 is the new 11, just 50 is the new 30.

>> No.903126
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903126

>>903078

Whoa.

>> No.903146

Has anyone read The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by him as well?

>> No.903151

These were very good examples of childrens/teen literature and I enjoyed them very much as child in the late 90's but they're not nearly as important or amazing as some people would like to make out.

>> No.903154

>>903151
HDM was written mainly for adults, not children.

>> No.903160

>>903154
They were written for young adults, that is to say, children.

>> No.903163

>>903078
Canada censored it too? What the shit Canada? I thought you guys were less butthurt about this stuff?

>> No.903169 [DELETED] 

>>903036

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>> No.903171 [DELETED] 

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>> No.903174

>>903160
>Young-adult fiction, works targeted at ages 14 to 24
In what sense are 18-24 year old people children?

>> No.903175 [DELETED] 

>>903033
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>> No.903177

>>903160
B&N.com: Did you write His Dark Materials with a specific age group in mind?

PP: No. I don’t think about the readers at all. If I think about the audience I’d like to have, I don’t think about a particular age group, or a particular gender, or a particular class or ethnic group or anything specific at all. I’d like the largest audience possible, please. When you say, “This book is for children”, what you’re understood as saying is “This book is NOT for adults.” I don’t want that. I’d like to think that I’m telling the sort of story that holdeth children from play and old men from the chimney corner, in the old phrase of Sir Philip Sidney. Everyone is welcome, and no one is shut out, and I hope each reader will find a tale worth spending time with.

>> No.903182

>>903177

This guy sounds like a douche. Don't get me wrong, I read and enjoyed his books, but the way he answered that came off really douchey.

>> No.903188 [DELETED] 

>>903034
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>> No.903189

>>903182
He's just upper class British. They tend to sound like a douche whether they are or not.

>> No.903190 [DELETED] 

>>903036

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>> No.903192

Fucking amazing books.
I'm reading The Amber Spyglass at the moment. For the 5th time. Still love it.

>> No.903193

>>903192

I liked the parts with the Gallevespians and the weird creatures rolling around on their Seedpods, I think they were called Mulefa or some shit.

>> No.903196

I hate it when a book is considered a book for children just because it's main character is a child. The whole plot revolves around childhood and the eventual loss of it, it just wouldn't work if Lyra and Will were 18.

>> No.903200

>>903193
I actually laughed when I realized the backcover of my edition says the Gallevespians were from the moon.

>> No.903201

Angels are created when Dust gathers, kind of how like a raindrop is formed. The Authority was the first.

>> No.903205

OP here, just finished The Subtle Knife, wasn't really expecting such a disappointing ending with a cliffhanger. Will barely gets to meet his father, Lyra is kidnapped, and Lee dies. This isnt EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ><

>> No.903209

>>903205
You can't always have a happy ending

>> No.903212

>>903035
stop_ｆＵｃＫｉＮｇ ａTtＡcＫｉnｇ Www.AnoLaＷlｔＡｌK.SＥ ＲＥｐLACE_ＬａWｌ_ｗItｈ n
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>> No.903214

>>903205
It's an English series. No Hollywood ending guaranteed.

>> No.903216

>>903209

I wasn't expecting a happy ending, but something more along the lines of mysterious and what happens now-y like at the end of The Golden Compass. Maybe It's just because I'm tired. I'll reread the last chapter later today.

>> No.903222

>>903214

Well since the first movie BOMBED....there will be no Hollywood ending.

>> No.903223

>>903222
The first movie was crap. I hope they can't make the other two.

>> No.903228

>>903222
lololololol.
Very few people who had read the books wanted the movie made anyway.

>> No.903237

>>903222
>>903223
>>903228

After finishing The Golden Compass a few days ago, and before I picked up The Subtle Knife, I decided to download and watch the movie with my girlfriend.

I got about 20 minutes in before I looked at her and said "Hey baby, can I put something else on" lol.

The movie is NEVER better than the book, or even really on par usually :\

>> No.903264

I did like the writing style at all. Only got about 4 chapters and stopped reading.

>> No.903267

>>903264

That is DIDN'T

>> No.903272

>>903222
>>903223
Chris Weitz was completely mortified by what the complete piece was and said that he'd rather not make the rest than have to settle with butchering the books again because of the studio.

>> No.903275

>>903272
completely complete? God, it is 7:30AM. I am retarded, excuse.

>> No.903277

>>903272

That was the problem, they should have never attempted it knowing we had the crazy fucking born-agains running our country.

>> No.903284

>>903277

The bornies are the reason the film ought to have been made...and the reason it can't.

>> No.903282

OP here one last time for the night...

Should I jump right into Amber Spyglass and finish it? (38 chapters, biggest book in series), or should I read A Game of Thrones in between? Never read it, and a kindanon gifted it to me this past week off my wishlist :)

>> No.903285

>>903277
Not who you responded to but Pullman is british, maybe he didn't realize that even Hollywood has been strangled and censored by the religious right?

>> No.903294

>>903216
especially in a trilogy, you can't have very happy endings for each of the books. although, yes, the subtle knife ending was particularly....lame.

>>903282
i would say just finish the series. I don't know how long that other book you're talking about is, but I would just finish HDM. I don't think there's too many important things that you could potentially "forget," but why bother screwing up the momentum?

>> No.903297

>>903294
Yea, you are right. Ill just plow through it and be done with it. I love reflecting on books after I finish reading them, especially a whole series. Thanks :)

>> No.903333

>>903285

He might not have...I don't think most foreigners realize how bad our situation with the born-agains is in America. I think most foreigners, based on my experience with exchange students at college, know we have them, but don't realize the extent to which they dominate.

>> No.903335

>>903333
You're telling me. I visited Dallas for the JFK museum and tour on my way back home, it was my first and only visit to the US. It is far too crazy religious there, I don't know how Americans don't feel like they live in 1984: Theocracy Mode.

>> No.903339

>>903335

Nice lit reference, but it's not a joke, most of us absolutely do. Their numbers are so large they're controlling elections and votes without even trying. And sorry you were in Dallas, Texas is the absolute worst of America because of the text book situation.

>> No.903342

>>903339
Wasn't trying to make light of the situation, I'm dead serious about that comparison. I don't really know what to say besides "sucks to be you" since I doubt the fundamentalists will decrease in number. The US is pretty much the Christian version of the Middle East when it comes to religious insanity. Hope you can survive with your wits about you :(

>> No.903431

Subtle Knife is amazing, Stephen King tier literature. Golden Compass is a bit of a classic in itself, doesn't even need the other books, really. Amber Spyglass is a good finish to the rest, validates some characters entirely, but is a little too lengthy.

All in all, a good read for my trip to wisconsin. Glad I bought that Superbook with all of them in one.

>> No.903440

>>903431
>Subtle Knife is amazing, Stephen King tier literature
Which is it?

>> No.903445

>>903037

My favourite series of all time. Enjoy.

I read this just as I was beginning to stray from my Christian upbringing. It played a big part in tipping me over the edge. Very sentimental about this one I am, oh yes.

>> No.903458
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903458

>>903078

ALL OF MY HATE

>> No.903612

these books are fucking incredible. last one is the best

>> No.903628

>golden compass
>'controversy'
Americans should all fucking die

>> No.903646

I loved it.

>> No.904284

i fapped on it when i was 9.
even now i could approve entire trilogy.
read it op,you won't regret.

>> No.904823

>>903628
Hey now, lots of Americans are completely ashamed by the religious right.

>> No.905003

>>903205
The series isn't about happy endings, it's about doing what needs to be done no matter how much it personally hurts, because not doing it is worse.

>> No.905013
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905013