Book Summary:

His Dark Materials are a trilogy of novels made up of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The books lend themselves to the fantasy genre with elements such as witches, talking polar bears, daemons and other fantastical animals. The novels are set in parallel universes following the story of two children, Lyra and Will and their journey towards growing up. The trilogy draws on ideas from John Milton’s Paradise Lost and portrays universal themes of religion and science in a fascinating light. The books are targeted at both adults and the younger generation.

Why I Like it:

They are the type of books that you keep coming back to because every time something new is learnt. The grand themes and the amount of thought that has been put into this trilogy make it an epic. There was a lot of controversy caused by the books due the portrayal of religion and authority and for Pullman to fearlessly face these challenges makes them a worthwhile read. The books are captivating, powerful and moralistic. 


Durre Mughal is a young writer based at Cardiff Metropolitan University.