Re: If you enjoy HP Books, what other books would you like?

On 25 Feb 2006 Richard Eney wrote:

In article <1140851651.342200.182870@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
<nystulc@xxxxxx> wrote:

[snip Philip Pullman]

Me, I just did not like it from the beginning. I found it boring. I
did not like the characters. I put it down after less than a chapter.
I finally forced myself to read it out of morbid curiosity (because of
the controversy). Plot and characters were like puppets where I could
see the strings. I found the "disappointing" third volume more
entertaining than the others, because it was so laughable. It was at
this point that the agenda became transparent, and the pretense that
this was real fantasy began to collapse. But that's just one man's
opinion.

It's pretty close to my opinion, for what that's worth.

And mine -- although I confess I didn't get up to Book 3. I only heard
the radio adaptation of that one, and it didn't inspire me to persevere.

The taste of Pullman's books reminds me of Stephen Donaldson's... he
has a sadistic streak towards his characters and worlds, I feel. It's
not attractive to me.


But I am a hard person to please, and I usually don't waste my time
reading stuff that does not entertain me. Mostly, if I don't like
something, I just don't read it. The Pullman series was an exception.

I even read six or seven of his other books - non-fantasy, insofar as
a work of fiction can be considering non-fantasy - and found them equally
disappointing.

I read some of his Sally Lockhart (relative of Gilderoy? ;-) books, and
liked them rather better. But he seems to be doing the same thing in
the later ones -- pulling his constructions to bits... (No, I didn't
like "The Last Battle" either!)
--
Igenlode Visit the Ivory Tower http://ivory.150m.com/Tower/

loose (archaic): set free, unleash - lose: mislay, be defeated

.

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