The Amber Spyglass
Philip Pullman
Yearling
Okay, the final instalment of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy was so bad, so confusing, and so utterly ridiculous that I'm flummoxed as to how to give it a review. I finished this book weeks ago -- more out of sheer stubbornness than anything else -- and still find that I have nothing to say.
Don't get me wrong -- my reasons for not liking this novel have nothing to do with the anti-religious overtones. I'm as much of a humanist as the next person and I didn't find the book offensive. I just thought it was stupid. And a little bit weird. Part of me thinks that the author was trying to invert/reinvent/problematize the theist world view that is expounded by Milton in Paradise Lost. Another part of me thinks that Pullman was trying to out-do Blake -- who himself tried to reinvigorate Milton in terms of Innocence and Experience. I think I must have fallen off the turnip truck a little too soon because the majority of this book sailed right over my head. It was a Whitbread award winner for goodness sake. What did I miss? Perhaps if one of you read it, and get it, you can explain it it me. Two Little Girls Lost out of five.
No comments:
Post a Comment