posted
I thought the Pullman books were deeply disappointing. I loved the first 2/3 of the first book, but after that, they just seemed to fall apart to me. It doesn't trouble me that the author wasn't Christian enough for some readers, but it does trouble me that he couldn't write a coherant plot.
Posts: 1750 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I read the Pullman books for a book club that I was in in high school. all the books they had us read were YA...
Anyways, I sort of liked some aspects of the book, although other aspects were just going too far.
The plot is held up very loosely and is difficult to follow. He changes his own rules on a whim. And finally, he's just way too fricken obsessed with proving religion bad.
What I did enjoy were the characters. He made the characters extremely well.
posted
I read the first of Pullman's trio, and thought it was okay. I didn't pick up too much anti-Christian sentiment, but maybe I sleep-read through it, or maybe it was more pronounced in the later books. I bought the second book and put it into my que, but never got around to it.
For my YA fix I've switched to the Redwall series.
Yet I had a lot riding on this book, I didn't like 5 but I don't think it shouldn't have been written. But hey one of them had to rank as my least favoite. As for six I really enjoyed it, it may turn out to be my favorite. sure there were language problems like when #possible spoiler# it said that Slughorn ejaculated instead of said I almost wrote a letter to JK Rowling about it.
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I thought the story line was good. I just hope the American Edition gets re-edited. I knew what two of the british terms would be ahead of time that didn't fit in, but I caught several more. Several times, I had to stop and think: Did it really say that? What does it mean? I didn't really there was that much difference, just thought it was a few odd words and spelling differences. Anyway, good story line, just can be confusing.
Posts: 92 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
If anyone's interested, I'm going to start an actual discussion of the sixth Harry Potter book, complete with spoilers up to the very last chapters. Feel free to join me and comment if you're finished, or join us once you're finished.
P.S. It's gonig to be in the Discussions of Published Books and Hooks part of the forum.
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited July 25, 2005).]
posted
This post has no spoilers for the new book, but I was just remembering after writing about spoilers in my last post...our local news aired a story on Thursday night about people's reactions to the book. The story promised "no spoilers" but then they gave away the ending! I couldn't believe it. If I hadn't read it I probably would have gotten my friends together and lynched the entire news crew. As it was, I was still mad at them. I might have to find a different news channel after that.
Posts: 3567 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
In response to the 'crap in brownies' thing: actually literally you do eat crap. We all do. Flour, coffee beans, cocao beans and many other products contain rat droppings and insect parts. The FDA regulates how much is acceptable, but it is still there. So you can tell your mom that every brownie she has ever eaten has had crap in it, along with her morning coffee.
I read the book last week in about five hours. I definitely enjoyed it, but I wished I had re-read 5 more recently. I did listen to it on audiobook within the last year, but I know I had forgotten some details that would have been nice to have fresh in my mind. So I'll probably re-read 4, 5 and then 6 again in the next little while (if I can find time, yipes).
Since this isn't a spoiler thread I won't comment on specifics.
As far as His Dark Materials goes, I am a Christian and hated some of what Pullman was preaching but still enjoyed the first two books. Then the third one with the portrayal of God really got to me, and I had a hard time enjoying it. But I thought his world was vivid and well done and the whole series was well-written, so kudos to him for that.
[This message has been edited by autumnmuse (edited July 25, 2005).]
I finished re-reading Order of the Pheonix (as I wanted to catch up, and it was the only HP book I hadn't read a half-dozen times), and I couldn't wait for 1447 people to read it before me. So I drove to Borders, I shelled out twenty bucks, and bought my first HP book...but surely not my last.
On the drive home, I put it carefully in the front seat, and reached out my arm to keep it safe if I braked too suddenly. I felt like I was bringing home my firstborn.
I suspect I'll have it done by tomorrow night. Sooner if I don't sleep.
posted
*raises hand* Wish I'd had time to read it earlier, but this was my first day off in which something wasn't already scheduled and my brother or my dad wasn't reading it. Still, I finished it in about a day, that's got to say something.
Posts: 437 | Registered: Feb 2005
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I haven't read all the posts, and I won't. It took me forever to slog through #6. I thought JK totally slacked on characterization this time around, so I wasn't very interested in what happened to anyone.
I'm with Dakota. That took me forever! I finally finished it last night. I read three other books at the same time as I was reading that one (the last three HPs I read in one sitting). Just didn't get me at all. So sad. Has she lost her touch?
I know a lot (or most) liked it and say it's her best, but I have to say it was paper thin on plot and it seemed the whole thing was water, characters especially, until you got to page 500 and then suddenly you realized she's....[edited to stop a spoiler. sorry.]
You know what? It felt like a prologue for book seven because she brought up a thousand questions that she never answered. A definite let down. Too bad.
But hey, I'm glad everyone else got a kick out of it.
[This message has been edited by pixydust (edited August 08, 2005).]
posted
This may be heresy, but I've only read Volume One, and that only at the request of my niece and nephew, so I could discuss it intelligently with them.
I was impressed by a number of things, notably a scene towards the end where Harry Potter and the headmaster (Dumbledore?) discuss calling their enemy (Voldemort?) by his name. I thought Rowling displayed a keen mind and supple imagination in the way it was developed.
But there were a few things I didn't like---for instance, I'd'a told Rowling to dump the first chapter and start the story with the second. (Necessities in the sequels may have negated this, however---and not having read them I can't say for sure.)
Besides all that, having come to the book with a vast knowledge of imaginative literature, I've got to say I've read better things, of similar theme, elsewhere.
Anyway, I have volumes one through four, given to me as a gift by the same niece and nephew (well, their parents, actually). I may take them up someday.
(This may be an inappropriate post in this forum...I don't know, I'm new here, and haven't fully explored every thread and forum...)
posted
I read it--awhile ago, actually. I thought the ending where *spoiler* dies was too predictable. I saw it coming right from the beginning so when it actually happened, I wasn't at all shocked, just frustrated that it was too easy for me to figure out. I thought the writing was better in this one, however, than the last. The last just had way too many scenes that dragged on and on and really didn't help to advance the plot (albeit #6 had a few scenes like that as well, but not as many).
Posts: 202 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
You know what's creepy? There was an article on Beliefnet that was totally...seriously counseling HP fans on how to handle their grief and anger about the various events in the book.
Not that Beliefnet is...extra careful about sacrilige and so forth. They did an article about Jesus Christ: The Vampire Slayer, which I thought was cool. But the fact that there would be a minister that would write this very serious article over HP volume whatever...it was creepy.
I mean, the guy knew how to talk the talk, you know. It wasn't like an Onion article or something like that. It was...creepy.
posted
Just kick me if y'all have already covered this, but did anyone here REALLY NOT KNOW that Dumbledore would be killed in volume six?
I mean, if it were me, and I were writing a book building up to a dramatic conflict such as we all expect to come between Harry and Voldie, would it not just make complete sense to take away the one ray of hope? Total sense. I KNEW she would HAVE to kill Dumbledore off before the last volume. Talk about your perfect setup for the clouds of absolute despair, from which the hero would rise victorious.
Therapy for fictional grief. What do they call that? Fi-psyche?
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