viktor_haag | Recently read: "The Subtle Knife"

Next off my reading pile was to finish the second of Pullman's "Dark Materials" trilogy. I won't say too much, because Pullman is getting way over played this holiday season what with the film, all the gift-set tie-ins, the overblown controversy, the Pope, and so on, and so on. All I'll say is that I thought Pullman was a far better (though perhaps less accessible) writer than Rowling, and I still think so. His world creation and plotting leave the Potter books in the dust (so to speak). However, I still can't help but feel that Pullman's books may ostensibly be aimed at the young adult reader, but they're still books for grown-ups. The remoteness of the characters, the brutality of some of the plot details, all point to books I'm not sure that I'd want my 10 year old reading. On the other hand, a young, and thoughtful, teenager might do very nicely with these books, especially if the teen proves able to get past the chilly exterior of some of the characters. Highly, highly recommended. Of all the modern YA authors I've tried Pullman and Nix rank right up there with the lights of past eras (Lewis, Nesbitt, Cooper, Ransome); if you have tried Rowling's series, then I strongly recommend you get these if you haven't already done so ("The Golden Compass" is the one to start with, but how could anyone not be able to easily find that out, what with all the recent hullaballoo).