Fiction Friday (99)

It's clear that over the past few decades, we've come to live in a world dominated by series, trilogies, and extended universes. I will not deny that I'm a fan of this trend, though I will admit that it has diminished the creative spark in some ways. It seems that it's no longer enough to create a great story, you to create a great story that exists in a world that can be exploited for all its worth. The most recent book I read falls into that category. It takes place in a world I first encountered some 25 years ago, and probably would have ignored if I hadn't been reintroduced to that world through the HBO series. I'm glad I was, because sometimes it's nice to visit familiar places.

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
(Knopf 2017)

Set several years before The Golden Compass, this book shares the extraordinary circumstances by which a baby Lyra comes to be in the care of Jordan College and under the protection of Scholastic Sancutary.

This isn't really Lyra's story though, it's the story of an 11 year old boy named Malcolm and the bravery he shows in keeping Lyra safe. Malcolm lives with his parents in Oxford, helping them tend to their tavern, The Trout, and taking care of his canoe, La Bell Sauvage. Malcolm's destiny takes a turn one afternoon when he witnesses something shocking. This event will begin an epic journey or rescue, escape, discovery, and friendship.

For those who are familiar with Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, this story will fascinate, while not really revealing anything new about that saga. It certainly adds to the world, including magical fantasy elements that didn't seem to exist in the original books. While I really liked those scenes, I will admit that they were a bit jarring as the original world didn't include them, as far as the reader knew. I also felt the book dragged a bit in the beginning and didn't really pick up until Malcolm was joined by the fierce Alice on their flight through the flood.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, but was left unsure of why it had to be attached to those books, other than the obvious sales implications. It easily could have stood alone as something complete different and separate.

His Dark Materials

When Game of Thrones ended last year, like most, I was wondering what HBO would come up with to replace their epic series. To my surprise, they came up with two brilliant ideas that peaked my interest. The first being Watchmen and the second being a full adaptation of Phillip Pullman's fantastic Middle Grade fantasy series, His Dark Materials.

The first season of the show follows the plot of the first book, The Golden Compass. It's been more than 20 years since I read that book, but from my recollection, it follows the plot pretty faithfully. 

My expectations for this show were sky-high, as opposed to lower expectations for Watchmen. This is probably due to the movies of each that came out several years ago. I disliked the Watchmen film, but enjoyed The Golden Compass. That meant, this had more to live up to. 

I'll admit that the first two episodes were a little slow. And for anyone unfamiliar with the books, they were a little confusing (as my Missus can attest to). But come the third episode, things started to pick up and the show found its footing. The results are a stunningly visual fantasy with pretty great acting.

I really like how this show captures the darker aspects of the books. Unlike the film, which rarely made you feel Lyra was in danger, this constantly makes you believe that she faces threats far greater than she truly understands. And the casting of Lyra, surely the hardest role to cast, turned out to be great. She feels real. So many adaptations of children's books make the character feel like a movie version of a kid, while the books do not. They got this right, and thereby got the series right in my opinion.