The Amber Spyglass

Vis a vis my earlier post on Pullman's classic, The Amber Spyglass strikes me as a bit stronger than the rest of the series, and ups my estimation of the overall thing a bit.

Well, that and the fact that various apologists for a certain dominant superstition are bitching so much about Pullman's giving them a smack or two in the course of the narrative. No more than they deserve, I assure you.

I was particularly amused by an online scribe annoyed by the fact that Pullman had a few choice words on the subject in a live Q&A a while ago. Seems there were kids about to be confirmed present; said scribe didn't, for some reason, want them hearing that particular opinion of the faith.

My opinion of the matter is: the fact that religion has served as a spear carrier for ignorance and brutality on a fairly regular basis isn't a smear. It's history. History I'd like to think people should have a chance to consider before they make any committment to such an institution. I mean, joining this crowd without knowing the worst their beliefs have inspired is like joining the military because someone tells you it's really just a buncha free plane tickets to see the world...

Oh. Wait. They do that too, don't they?

Hmmm....

Next on Rants'R'Us*--religious prosyletizers and army recruiters--the shocking parallels...

Anyway, in my opinion, in the book, Pullman was positively gentle. The torture the church actually visited on people (oh, wait, pardon me, they had the 'secular arm' do that... they didn't actually torture anyone; just had it commissioned, really) was frequently enough far worse than the worst Pullman's works got vivid about (which is probably for the best, as it is, after all, a kid's book). And Pullman's villains don't even get around to burning anyone alive once. Some inquisitors.

And that's just lax, if you ask me. I mean, what the hell's an inquisition without an auto da fe or two? If someone's not screaming in earshattering agony as the flames lick the flesh from their bones, it's just not a party...

Still not really my kinda book, though, I guess. Imaginative, yes. And ya still gotta be impressed with a plot that revolves around the missing dark matter turning out to be conscious (no, hardly a spoiler; it's given away pretty early in). But I think something about the actually very imaginative nature of the work actually took something away from it, for me. Perhaps because the conflict was a bit too otherworldly, I found it hard to get that involved.

Still recommended, anyway, on balance, for great characterization, and because if you're seen in public with it, it will annoy the local priest.

(*No, I don't know if the Rants'R'Us domain name is taken. Knock yerself out.)