June 1, 2004

My Review of Pullman
Danny

Pullman's writing skill, is exceptional, and he weaves a great story. I read book one a few months ago and didn't pick up book 2 and three until a few days ago. As an aspiring writer, I have to give Pullman high praise for his skill as a writer. He does many things masterfully well. I loved how well he would just weave the unusual and different things about his world into the story without taking time out to acknowledge that it was different, rather he let the reader discover the world as he read. Anyway as a writer I have to give him props. I shouldn't be surprised in the least on that seeing that he got his degree from Oxford in English.

The greatest weakness I found in his book was that he essentially set out tou proselyte his world view. The equivalent would have been if in LOTR, Aragorn pulled Frodo asside and spoke to him of the importance of the Pope and taking Communion, or if at the end of Enders Game, Card were to put in a chapter plugging Mormons etc etc. The whole book is driving at his beleifs and very aggressively promoting atheism, and then at the end he dedicates a full chapter of conclusion having one of the heroes explain how they became atheist and why they were right. I am not considering that a weakness because it disagrees with my beliefs, but for other reasons.

Had Tolkein blatantly preached Catholocism, his writing would never have been as universally appealing and would never have been able to become the classic that it is today. Most classic literature is classic because the author moves beyond his own beleif system enough to make something that anybody can read and enjoy. I enjoyed Pullman's story, and admire his skill as a writer. His books do not threaten or weaken the base of my beleifs in the least. I do however feel inclined to relegate the books to a lesser level of greatness than they could have acheived because they so strongly proselyte a beleif system. The great majority of readers pick up fiction and don't expect to get preached too. Trust me when I say that if a book were to be as openly preaching Christian doctrine, it would never be received well by any outside of that particular sect of religion because it would be criticized as a preachy book that tries to tell us how to live and what to think. Interestingly enough that is one of Pullman's greatest complaints about religions even while he wrote a book designed to tell us how to live and what to think.