My cousin told me C.S. Lewis was an influence - my cousin had heard that Pullman said in an interview that he was writing in response to Chronicles of Narnia to a certain extent. (I have no idea if my cousin's right about that, but it would kind of make sense.)
I have to say that I gave up in the middle of the first book. I read the synopsis on Wikipedia, and it didn't seem like things were going to get any lighter. If I'd felt like there were some more promise of things lightening, I might have continued; I don't know.
Which is weird, because I have a degree in literature...I've read some pretty dark stuff...but something about the animal spirits being ripped away from the children and the children being taken away by the 'Gobblers'...I don't know, I just couldn't handle it, not even in a fictional context.
Maybe being a mom's taken away my edge? :-D Or maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time. I'm interested to hear more of your thoughts on it, though. I *liked* what I had seen of the constructed world; I just couldn't handle the plot.
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I have to say that I gave up in the middle of the first book. I read the synopsis on Wikipedia, and it didn't seem like things were going to get any lighter. If I'd felt like there were some more promise of things lightening, I might have continued; I don't know.
Which is weird, because I have a degree in literature...I've read some pretty dark stuff...but something about the animal spirits being ripped away from the children and the children being taken away by the 'Gobblers'...I don't know, I just couldn't handle it, not even in a fictional context.
Maybe being a mom's taken away my edge? :-D Or maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time. I'm interested to hear more of your thoughts on it, though. I *liked* what I had seen of the constructed world; I just couldn't handle the plot.