This book has the awkward task, like so many fantasy epics, of tying up all of the loose ends generated by all the books before it. LOTR did it, HP did it, and this one does it as well. However, these moments of awkwardness do not take away from the brilliance of the series in any way. The book and the series are amazing, thought-provoking, and well worth the time. English majors, fans of...
more This book has the awkward task, like so many fantasy epics, of tying up all of the loose ends generated by all the books before it. LOTR did it, HP did it, and this one does it as well. However, these moments of awkwardness do not take away from the brilliance of the series in any way. The book and the series are amazing, thought-provoking, and well worth the time. English majors, fans of "Paradise Lost" and William Blake buffs are going to love reading this, putting together what Pullman has done, and comparing what he has changed from the "established" story and what he hasn't. Never thought I'd say this, but growing up Catholic broadened my reading of the books as well :). Who knew.
An interesting point, speaking of Catholicism -- Nicole Kidman, a devout Catholic (wonder what she did married all those years to Tom Cruise) says that she could not be a part of the upcoming movies if she thought the books were in any way anti-Catholic. I don't think the books are anti-Catholic at all, at least not in the way I conceive of Catholicism, but if you're on my friends list and you're reading this I'd be interested to hear what you think!
All thoughts aside, this is an incredible book and a much better written series than HP.
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