The books are fucking fantastic. Its a trilogy and while the first book doesnt do the series much justice the second two more than make up for it. the first is a bunch of cryptic shit that doesnt make any sense, but then its all plot twists and story ties in the second two. very very worth the read, as i think that the movies arnt going to be any where near as good. the air balloon pilot seems like a southern white dude throughout the books and hes played by S. L. Jackson...its a fucking travesty.
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Anonymous2007-08-07 3:49 ID:W1fmv5R3
Books are not bad. I'm a big fantasy reader so I was doubtful about the series because it's marketed as kids' stuff. However, the story is actually serious and I wouldn't expect kids younger than 12 (and then, only smart ones) to really get what they're reading. Things turns dark, darker than kids' shit should be.
In conclusion, read it.
(My hopes aren't high for the movie[s] either though)
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Anonymous2007-08-07 10:55 ID:1MtzwJa8
WTF! Since when did 4chan update/move their site?!
This isn't really a children's series. It's a "young adult" series (14-17). And unlike most books in that genre, it doesn't patronize. It deals with deep concepts in a mature manner. I found it thought-provoking as well as entertaining.
I've read it twice and that's about the highest praise I can give a book. I rarely reread things.
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Anonymous2007-08-11 6:40 ID:rS0iJ0om
I read book 2 then 1 then 3... not because my numbers are fucked up, but because my school's (yeah this years and years ago) library only had the second, which was more interesting and had a badarse knife. The first one was better after reading the second, IMO. I read the trilogy in order subsequently. It's good but the ending pissed me off.
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Anonymous2007-08-11 8:40 ID:jAE8kXwZ
>>7
I read the first and didn't feel like continuing at all. Are books 2+3 really worth it, considering I didn't like 1 all that much?
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Anonymous2007-08-11 21:28 ID:8GICLpdV
>>8
That'd probably depend more on why you didn't like the first one.
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Anonymous2007-08-12 19:16 ID:qVmHeVWl
Not worth finishing. The war in heaven in book 3 is just so wanky and boring, and 2 is just a buildup to that. You'd think it'd involve badass denizens of the underworld fighting badass angels, but... God dies. Because he falls out of bed. LAME.
The books are amazing! I cried for two days after I finshed the Last one. The ending was so sad.
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Anonymous2007-08-17 23:58 ID:We8A68Z+
I read them when I was in highschool through a friends recommendation. Didn't know what to expect, didn't read a synopsis or anything before i read them. Enjoyed all three, very good series. I;m interested in the movie too, I think the book would make a very good book to movie transition. If it does well, hopefully they will make a movie for the second and third one as well. I think Nicole Kidman is in it too. I work at Barnes&Noble and ust ran into this book and noticed it was in the children's department.. Kinda made me laugh, what with the kidnapping in the book. Who knows. I recommend them, not amazing, but a good solid read.
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Anonymous2007-08-18 3:38 ID:IFgcRJFo
there fucking awsome, but if your a christian id stay away from them.
Fail at generalizations. Christians are the first people who sent poor people to school to learn to read. Would sage but I want people to talk about HDM.
>>19
Yeh, Christians sent people to school to learn to read ... read the Bible and only the Bible, that is.
Yuo = failer at understanding.
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Anonymous2007-08-18 16:39 ID:OAa8rSig
I have never, in my life, heard a Christian discourage someone from reading whatever they want. Or say they should ONLY read the bible. And Ive lived around them for 20 years.
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Anonymous2007-08-18 16:40 ID:OAa8rSig
Also, learn2spell
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Anonymous2007-08-18 16:47 ID:Gyx5iq0v
>>1
Philip pullman's work is well worth the read. If you are overly religious, read with an open mind and understanding as it does dabble heavily on it. Check up on the "Golden Compass". :)
>>21
You should learn to comprehend what you read. Pushing the Bible doesn't mean discouragement of other things, but it DOES mean placing high priority on Christian reading materials that -- in practice -- tend to crowd out items more in line with critical thinking.
It's been well noted that when you go to a Christian house for a garage sale, any books you find for sale are almost always religious only. The Christian house interior similarly tends to have only religious books in residence.
In other words, they indulge in indoctrination, not critical analysis. If you find your experiences differ, then good for you, but the average is well away from that.
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Anonymous2007-08-19 2:07 ID:XxSneDp4
I can't say Ive found Christian housholds to be like that, or at least no more than a few pictures with bible verses on them and some of those family raising books that are so abundant. But I have been in Mormon houses that are exactly like you describe. Those guys are nuts.
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Anonymous2007-08-19 14:24 ID:KB+dWl43
it has the potential to be good on screen, and in a way an improvement. pullman is not a great prose stylist.
A most incredible series of novels, to say the least.
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Anonymous2007-08-23 0:59 ID:bFeKzsT/
I think they are a good set of novels and well worth the read. Though I don't really understand how they are "children's books", seeing as the reading level for Pullman's particular style of prose would be at least freshman in High School, or later.
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Anonymous2007-08-23 3:51 ID:rVs9vMFT
Most people tend to classify books as being for children if they lack explicit language, sex, and violence.
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Anonymous2007-08-23 12:49 ID:v/FYBbNg
Better than Dan Brown and Rowling. Better than their illegitimate lovechild, even.
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Anonymous2007-08-24 6:09 ID:x54RSNpQ
I liked them overall, but I have to say I've read better books.
He had some really interesting ideas but he should've had someone else write the book with him to polish his writing style. Too much of it was written as though he were speaking to someone directly using poor comparisons.
And the ending made me sad.
>>10
The whole point of that was to show that the entity that so many people wasted their lives worshiping was a decrepit, incompetant old man with an infantile mentality. And he didn't die because he fell out of bed, he died because wind dissolved him. But I have to agree with you that the war in heaven wasn't nearly as awesome as it should've been.