A quick read which expands on some of the ideas behind His Dark Materials. I was aware of some of it already, such as Paradise Lost, but was not aware that some characters were patterned on 16th century philosophers etc.

Layout of the book is odd, with mini articles inserted on grey paper into the main narrative, though I don't mind the sidebar notes.

For me, the book didn't go far enough as I had a number of problems with HTM such as why should Lyra and Will having a sexual relationship magically cure the leaking Dust problem? So I would have appreciated more explanation of the many things that don't make sense. ( )

This book explains some of the inspiration for the Golden Compass series (including the reason behind the title, for the Brits who get so annoyed by the American title-it has nothing to do the alethiometer). Colbert doesn't stop with the obvious influences (though he does a good job of making them accessible)-of Blake and Milton. He explains the poetry, lives, and evolution of the characters and their creator. As with so much writing, knowing about the author's life helps understand his writing; this is especially true of the literature studying, Anglican reared, agnostic/atheist writing this series.

However, Colbert's writing is often scattered and doesn't flow very well. The sidebars often take away from the writing. The inserts (the grey pages) are annoyingly put in right in the middle of a sentence. Put them at the end of the freaking chapters!
He could have also spent more time discussing daemons-I felt the chapter just got thrown in as an afterthought. Gyptians, the armoured bears, the witches, and all the otherworldly creatures also seemed to be glossed over. There are so many layers to the Dark Materials trilogy. While this book certainly helps uncover many of them, there are still more layers to unearth-this book is often just a boring explanation, much like an English class analysing Beowulf. ( )

Explains the inspirations for some of Pullman's characters and settings, very entertaining. ( )

David Colbert is the author of three other bestselling guides to great books, The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and Narnia. He will answer all your questions. ( )