Navigating The Golden Compass: Religion, Science And Daemonology In His Dark Materials (Smart Pop series) [Paperback] [2005] (Author) Glenn Yeffeth, Sarah Zettel

Smart Pop

by Glenn Yeffeth

Contributors with backgrounds in philosophy, theology, science fiction, and children's literature bring their expertise to this critical investigation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, and the insights it offers to today's world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Science Fiction Fantasy, Pop Culture, Religion, Philosophy

Unknown Binding

First published July 11, 2005

About the author

Glenn Yeffeth is CEO and Publisher of BenBella Books.

Reviews

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

*read for research purposes. review to come soon*

[Dottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

With all the theories and comparison and pros and cons of this side and that side -- I still reach the conclusion that Pullman's true genius lies in his having supposedly written this tale from atheistic roots utilizing anti- Christian ideas and yet come so close to congruency with so much of what is being bit by bit found by religious and scientific circles to be common ground of the unknown and unknowable being the basis for what we must all conclude needs only one thing -- love of all by each and every one. Yeah -- well -- I find myself enjoying the trilogy and enjoying the arguments engendered by it -- and cheering for the general nod to using one's head but not forgetting the part one's heart need play in living a life which is rewarding no matter what one might believe will be the end result once the life flows out of the pperson, the being -- the soul, the heart, the energy. Fascinating.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is moderately useful in providing readings of Pullman's His Dark Materials. Some of the included essays are straightforward reviews of the series, some are more academic readings of the place of the series in fantasy or YA traditions, and some are just silly. I found the reviews to be interesting but not terribly unique (you can find lots of equally useful and interesting reviews online), the academic approaches to be useful as a starting point for research, and the other random essays to be completely unuseful to me, since I am approaching the series from a more academic perspective. Honestly, though, I don't know who besides someone considering the series academically would read this book, so the inclusion of humorous and merely personal approaches seems odd.

[Kanta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was an academic book, and I was sorely mistaken. I now understand why it says "COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED" on the cover - this book does not have anything useful to say about His Dark Materials. Some essays are worse than others: there are some that read like rambles better off on Tumblr, and one is a kind of ironic piece of fiction in the form of a letter to the editor of a nonexistent newspaper. I honestly have no idea what the editor had in mind when he put this collection together.

[Honor Ceh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent literary criticism of Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. I highly recommend it.

[Tim Poston · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the whole, disappointing. A bunch of authors riding their hobbyhorses (from drugs to Christianity to doubtful theories of childhood) and often exposing their ignorance and parochial thinking.