|
|
Post by pintutu on Jun 24, 2011 15:26:33 GMT -5
Um... discuss.
Okay, okay. Personally I am a huge fan of this series. My copies are falling apart because I've reread them so many times. I just want to know what you other English majors think of it. I'm not sure if this should go under fandom or literature, but I stuck it here anyway since Lolita and Vonnegut are on here. I basically just registered so I could do this since I love discussing this trilogy but I barely know anyone who has read it.
So, favourite book of the series? Favourite character? Huge fan? Hated it? Personal opinions? All are welcome to comment. In fact please do, because like I said, I have no one to talk to about this trilogy!
Personally, my favorite book is The Subtle Knife with The Amber Spyglass as a close second. My favorite character is Will. He is one of the first fictional characters I had a crush on, just because he's so awesome.
So what do you guys think?
|
|
|
|
Post by onlyaworkingtitle on Jun 24, 2011 17:27:08 GMT -5
I started the series Long Ago When It Was New, liked it bunches, but got distracted halfway through the second and, for whatever reason, never picked it up again. I've been meaning to, though, and this is a good reminder... If only I didn't already have several shelves of Books To Read already. Alas. But I really liked the first!
Also, I'm curious to hear what more hardcore fans thought of the recent movie. The bears were Pretty Fucking Cool.
... I don't know why I'm turning everything into a title today. I guess it's just One of Those Days.
|
|
|
|
Post by KatjevanLoon on Jun 24, 2011 20:45:40 GMT -5
I've only read the Golden Compass, and have been meaning to finish the series for years -- just never have.
I suppose I should add those books to my list for the summer.
Anyway, yes, I love it, but as I haven't read the entire series I don't feel right discussing it, so I'll pop out of this thread until I have read the series.
|
|
|
|
Post by KatjevanLoon on Jun 24, 2011 20:53:12 GMT -5
Also, I'm curious to hear what more hardcore fans thought of the recent movie. The bears were Pretty Fucking Cool. TGC? I hated the movie. I screamed out "FUCK YOU CHRIS WEITZ" at the end of it in the theatres. I have never been so bloody angry with a book to film adaptation. I honestly wouldn't consider myself a hardcore fan, though. I just think the film adaptation was shameful and never should have seen the light of day. |
|
|
|
Post by KatjevanLoon on Jun 24, 2011 22:34:55 GMT -5
Raven or magpie.
OOOO SHINY CAW CAW
Edit: Also probably a cat; my name means kitten and everyone says they can see my tail lashing when I'm mad.
A raven-cat? I don't know.
Also I'm really leaving this thread now. I swear.
|
|
|
|
Post by pintutu on Jun 24, 2011 23:00:27 GMT -5
I just rewatched the movie a few days ago actually and while I agree that it was a terrible movie adaption, from what I've heard it wasn't the director's fault at all. At least, the disaster that was the movie's ending wasn't his fault. Apparently they filmed or at least did some production work on the ending but the studio cut it all out to make it less controversial.
The ending is my biggest problem with the movie. It just ended! Lord Asriel is still a good guy! No moral ambiguity whatsoever! The Magisterium is BAD and Lord Asriel is PERFECT. Fuck that.
If they had kept the ending from the book I think it would have been improved, for sure. But, the movie does still have problems. They skip through things REALLY quickly, and it never has the same sort of feel that the book does. I was mostly just bored watching it. It also has a lot of chunky exposition. The audience is a bit smarter than that, I would hope.
However, I agree that the ice bears were really well done, and the movie definitely was well cast. Nicole Kidman is awesome as Mrs. Coulter and the girl who played Lyra really did do her best. You can tell that the production team was trying to make an effort, but somewhere along the way it all got messed up.
Regarding what my daemon would be, I have no idea but I know that I would LOVE to have it settle as a red panda because they are so adorably cute and fluffy.
|
|
andy
Young Armadillo
Posts: 80
|
Post by andy on Jun 25, 2011 2:00:26 GMT -5
I read the first two books and tried to read the third but got frustrated and bored. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I think the series gets less good and enjoyable as it goes on. While the first novel is really fresh and exciting, I think Pullman rushed to write the subsequent novels because he was eager both to get to the end - because he thought the end was exciting and interesting, probably- and to prove his point - which is mainly that we should rebel against Christianity - so they don't have the level of details (and lack of plot holes) of the first book.
|
|
|
|
Post by Olive on Jun 26, 2011 11:51:14 GMT -5
THIS TRILOGY. Drool. Slobber. Cry tears of glorious love.
My uncle gave me TGC when I was... 10 or 11? In other words, a mini-Lyra (blonde haired little girl with no siblings). I loved the book to death, couldn't put it down, and then read it again. And then found out that it was actually a trilogy. The Subtle Knife was good, but honestly it wound up being my least favorite. This might be an unpopular opinion, but The Amber Spyglass was my favorite of the three, with out a doubt. I've re-read the series multiple times (I'm not usually a re-reader), and I still cry at a certain part in TAS. I'm currently working my way through a German translation of it that my roommate gave me for my birthday. There I was, 20 years old and crying in my dorm hallway over what a perfect present it was... I swear, I'm not really a crier, but this paragraph makes me sound otherwise.
Also: That book sparked my undying love for Marzipan. Yup.
As far as the movie goes... it was a disappointment. I remember that at some point Peter Jackson was supposed to direct it, and maybe if that happened there would have been slightly less of a negative effect from all of the Christian backlash. They did do a phenomenal job of casting (when I first saw that Danial Craig was listed, I realized that he is exactly what I had always pictured for Lord Asriel), but the entire effect wound up being a giant letdown. I saw it in theaters and was sitting in my seat at the end going "Wait, what? but where's the rest of the book? IT DOESN'T END THERE, THAT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO CLIMACTIC."
I half-forgave when I read some interviews where the director apologized, saying that he had to butcher the first in order to do what he really wanted to with the following movies. However, it looks like those are never happening. So not only did you fuck up the adaptation, but you slaughtered the end in order to lead into the second movie... that's never coming? Awesome.
|
|
|
|
Post by embonpoint on Jun 26, 2011 13:34:03 GMT -5
I really have to throw in a petty complaint about how much I hate that the US decided to call the first book The Golden Compass. It makes me so (irrationally) angry; WHY? WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY?! Do Americans not understand 'Northern Lights'? I'M PRETTY SURE THEY DO. WHY WHY WHY?! D:
Having got that out... I do love the series. I've been meaning to re-read them, actually.
|
|
|
|
Post by Olive on Jun 26, 2011 16:33:31 GMT -5
I really have to throw in a petty complaint about how much I hate that the US decided to call the first book The Golden Compass. It makes me so (irrationally) angry; WHY? WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY?! Do Americans not understand 'Northern Lights'? I'M PRETTY SURE THEY DO. WHY WHY WHY?! D: Having got that out... I do love the series. I've been meaning to re-read them, actually. I know, it's kind of strange... I saw a British copy at the used bookstore my housemate works at last week, and it was so hard not to buy it... (I had no money left) |
|
|
|
Post by brainamp on Jun 26, 2011 16:39:19 GMT -5
I love this trilogy! It was my favourite for a very long time. I liked The Amber Spyglass the best. It always makes me cry in the end. I remember reading it when I was 13 and being distraught that Will and Lyra couldn't be together.
I didn't like the movie adaptation. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it. It was brilliantly cast, but the ending was so bad. The bears were done well. And I loved the man they cast as Lee Scorsby (my favourite character). I would love to see adaptations of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, but judging from the reception the first movie got, I doubt we'll see others.
I heard recently that there is a small novella available called Lyra's Oxford. Has anyone read it?
|
|
rayyychul
Armadillo
On ne voit bien qu'avec le c?ur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Posts: 159
|
Post by rayyychul on Jun 26, 2011 23:49:10 GMT -5
I enjoyed it, but I think I read it when I was a little too young. I remember really, really struggling to get into the entire series (but as someone who cannot leave something unfinished, I persevered). I might have to give it another go this summer  |
|
|
|
Post by Olive on Jun 27, 2011 7:17:30 GMT -5
I love this trilogy! It was my favourite for a very long time. I liked The Amber Spyglass the best. It always makes me cry in the end. I remember reading it when I was 13 and being distraught that Will and Lyra couldn't be together. I didn't like the movie adaptation. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it. It was brilliantly cast, but the ending was so bad. The bears were done well. And I loved the man they cast as Lee Scorsby (my favourite character). I would love to see adaptations of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, but judging from the reception the first movie got, I doubt we'll see others. I heard recently that there is a small novella available called Lyra's Oxford. Has anyone read it? Yeah, I picked up a copy of Lyra's Oxford a few years ago. From what I can remember, it's... strange. There was something amiss with the timeline, I seem to remember thinking. But! if you've got a craving for more, it's worth it. |
|
|
|
Post by pintutu on Jun 27, 2011 12:40:05 GMT -5
It always makes me cry in the end. I remember reading it when I was 13 and being distraught that Will and Lyra couldn't be together.
I KNOW. Every single time I re-read Amber Spyglass I promise myself that I won't cry at the end. And I'll be fine and think I've made it without blubbering, and then they realize they need the window to the world of the dead kept open and that last shred of hope is gone. I burst into tears and don't stop until the very end. I guess I have to resign myself to the fact that it's one of those endings that will always make me cry, like Pan's Labyrinth and The Book Thief. I'm DEVASTATED just thinking about it.
I haven't read Lyra's Oxford or Once Upon a Time in the North although I really should, I don't know why I haven't. I can't wait for Will's book to come out though because that will seriously be amazing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Olive on Jun 27, 2011 12:55:00 GMT -5
Honestly, the ending of Amber Spyglass isn't the part of the book that makes me cry... it's (well, I wasn't going to say this earlier because of *SPOILERS* but it seems that we're ignoring that concern) when Lyra has to leave Pan behind. It became harder the second time through, when I had very recently re-read TGC and there's that line where she is just a distance away from Pan, and talks about how she knew that she would rather die than be separated from him again and... yup.
I haven't read Once Upon a Time in the North, either. I should do that...
|
|
