Recently I finished a series called "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman, recommended to me by my friend Evan who had said he considered this as good as Harry Potter; which, to me, means "fucking awesome" and "timeless classic". And since Evan seems to be the type to understand that you can't compare something to Harry Potter unless it's really really good, I figured it would be worth a try.
And boy, was I glad I gave it a shot. I'm normally not into fantasy much (with the exception of HP) but this one is much more than mere fairy tales and storytelling. There is a depth and a scale that I think might be difficult to grasp - which makes this simply a gripping adventure for young adults and a profound read with a lot more meaning for older people. To be honest, reading through all three books at once was not a good idea; my brain got a bit tired near the end and I rushed through it without paying much attention. I think I will need to reread it to fully enjoy it, but I'll still need to take a break for a couple of months, lol.
Basically the whole series is about a girl named Lyra who is unknowingly destined to be responsible for the outcome of the world, a world with multiple parallel universes (in Lyra's world, everyone has a daemon, a piece of their soul/being that accompanies them at all times in the form of an animal - which I think is super cool and wish existed for me too). Anyway, she uncovers mysteries about her own life as well as learn more about a certain particle called Dust, or dark matter, which seems to affect adults and children differently. She encounters and befriends creatures like talking polar bear warriors and witches, as well as a boy from our modern world who is also destined to put an end to what is pulling the world towards a disastrous end.
This is just a slight scraping of the surface, though. The books deal a lot with spirituality as well, including the role of the Church, and it depicts "angels" as much less than perfect: with an agenda, selfish, and power-hungry. It also describes the world after death, to which Lyra enters as another step to saving the world. And the turning of events, the surprises, the stories, are just so epic they will keep you hooked until everything is over. A larger former portion of the series will leave you in the dark about whether Mrs. Coulter is actually good or bad - regardless of her true self, she is one of the scariest, sexiest, most charismatic and captivating characters I've ever read of, and whenever she made an appearance it sent disturbing yet exciting chills up my spine.
And would you believe me if I said I cried at least once per book? This is partly what made me love the series so much. Not that it made me cry, but that some of the scenes and emotions depicted are incredibly raw and intense, even though the settings are utterly unrealistic. And the amount of love that this girl feels for other people hit me so hard in the feels. Makes me wonder what it would feel like, to love someone so much it's overwhelming, and that no amount of words or kisses or tight tight hugs could ever express is enough. As well as the amount of pain and sorrow felt when such a person is taken away.
Well, describing it just doesn't do it! His Dark Materials is a real gem that, Evan told me, will be made into a TV series shortly! Hopefully it will be fractionally as good as the books - TV/movie adaptations are usually disappointing, so I'll have to keep my expectations low.
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