I have been a HUGE fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy ever since the books first released in the 1990s (shhhh I'm not really that old LOL) so of course I've been ridiculously excited ever since I first heard that the BBC were making an adaptation of the series. The first episode airs tonight (ONLY 2 HOURS TO WAIT!!!!!!!!) so I thought now would be the perfect time to share the teaser trailers and cast interviews I've been watching on YouTube.
This really does have an all star cast and the trailer looks absolutely incredible so I have crazy high hopes for the series. I'm really hoping that we'll get to see the whole trilogy brought to life!
The official trailer:
Everything you need to know about His Dark Materials (including interviews with cast members):
Adapting His Dark Materials:
On the very, very slim chance that you don't know anything about this series I'm including the blurb for the first book, Northern Lights, (which was published in the US as The Golden Compass) and you'll find links to my reviews of the trilogy below.
When Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him. The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies - and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.
Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her - something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights . . .
So who else is as excited for tonight's show as I am? I really hope they do the story proud but these teaser trailers have left me feeling pretty confident that I'm going to love every minute of it!
Will is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father.
But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and and intrigues that beset him.
The two great powers of the many worlds are lining up for war, and Will must find Lyra, for together they are on their way to battle, an inevitable journey that will even take them to the world of the dead...
His Dark Materials:
Once Upon a Time in the North (Novella)
The Collectors (Short Story) Northern Lights (Released as The Golden Compass in the US) The Subtle Knife The Amber Spyglass
Lyra's Oxford (Novella)
The Book of Dust:
(Companion series to His Dark Materials)
La Belle Sauvage
Review:
I've pretty much given up trying to write sensible reviews for this series, I've loved the books for such a long time and read them so many times over the years that it's just impossible to be objective about them. I guess the fact my 18 year old paperbacks are so loved and well read probably says it all for me though really.
Lyra and Will go on such an incredible journey throughout this series and in The Amber Spyglass the fate of not just our world but many, many more is in jeopardy. Their friendship and the adventures they share are just so much fun to read about and I'm always sad to reach the end of one of these books. One of the things I love the most is the huge variety of side characters we've met along the way. None of the characters in this series are completely what they seem and I love how even the characters we've hated since the very beginning actually do good occasionally too. Not enough to redeem them for sure but definitely enough to make them seem like real people who have made a lot of horrible mistakes along the way.
We get quite a few different points of view in this book and one of my favourites was that of Mary. She probably ends up in the most surprising place and the creatures she meets while she is there are absolutely fascinating. I love everything about the mulefa and have never come across anything quite like them before.
Although the ending tied the story together nicely it was also more than a little heartbreaking. Lyra and Will have to make some incredibly difficult choices and it pains me to think of what they go through in order to save the worlds. I'm hoping that we might get to see beyond that point in the new spin of trilogy though so I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens in The Book of Dust.
Source: Purchased
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
This was my second Book & Nook candle box and I loved it just as much as the first one. I'm talking about the July box so I'm actually a little late posting this (it arrived at the beginning of the month!) but I wanted to spotlight these fab candles.
The July theme was Epic Adventures and knowing it was going to include candles relating to Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials and Narnia made it a must buy for me. All of the monthly boxes include five 4oz candles, a bookish item and a bookmark and the current price is £21.99 + shipping so I think it's quite reasonable for what you actually get.
Here are the contents of the July Box:
Lets have a look at the candles first:
Cittagazze - inspired by the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman this was probably my favourite scent from this month's candle collection Choca Mocha (it really smells good enough to eat LOL). I've been a fan of this series for years now so I was really excited to have a candle for this fandom.
The University - inspired by The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss the scent is Lemon Verbena, Bliss and Dark Fairytale. I've not actually read this series but I've heard a lot of great things about it so it's one I think I'm going to have to read soon.
The Magic Wardrobe - inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, a childhood favourite, and the scent is Snow and Berries.
The Shire - inspired by The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien the scent is Cedarwood and Pine. This is another series that I've been a fan of since I was a teenager so this really was perfect for me.
Dracarys - inspired by Game of Thrones by George RR Martin smells of Fireside, Leather and Night and is of course in honour of the dragons in the series (along with this month's other bookish item). I'm ashamed to admit I've not read these books but I'm a HUGE fan of the TV series and a dragon lover in general so I was really happy with this one!
These candles all smell gorgeous and I love how sparkly they are too. The tins are a nice size and make perfect shelf decorations when you're not using them.
Lets have a closer look at the other items included in this box. First we have this lovely bookmark which has a quote from Lord of the Rings on the back.
And last, but definitely not least, was my favourite item in the box - this absolutely adorable dragon keyring which is obviously inspired by the Game of Thrones series with the 3 really pretty dragon eggs as well as a lovely silver dragon.
Since I was placing an order I also treated myself to this 7oz candle jar inspired by Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows series. The scent is Sea Breeze, Oudh & Snow and it's topped with black, silver and holographic glitter.
If you've not bought anything from Book & Nook before I can definitely recommend them. The theme for their September box is Unique Leading Ladies with items inspired by the Grishaverse, Raven Cycle, Shatter Me and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I'm VERY tempted to order it! You can find their products on Etsy or buy directly from their website and they are also on Instagram.
Will is twelve years old and he's just killed a man. Now he's on his own, on the run, determined to discover the truth about his father's disappearance.
Then Will steps through a window in the air into another world, and finds himself with a companion - a strange, savage little girl called Lyra. Like Will, she has a mission which she intends to carry out at all costs.
But the world of Cittagazze is a strange and unsettling place. Deadly, soul-eating Spectres stalk its streets, while high above, the wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky. And in the mysterious Torre degli Angeli lurks Cittagazze's most important secret - an object which people from many worlds would kill to possess . . .
His Dark Materials:
Once Upon a Time in the North (Novella)
The Collectors (Short Story) Northern Lights (Released as The Golden Compass in the US) The Subtle Knife The Amber Spyglass
Lyra's Oxford (Novella)
The Book of Dust:
(Companion series to His Dark Materials)
La Belle Sauvage
Review:
I've been a fan of the Dark Materials series for such a long time now, it's one I've reread so many times over the years that I've completely lost count, so I think it's fairly obvious that these books hold a special place in my heart. I've tried to review The Subtle Knife before but I'm not sure I really have the words to do it justice. Stepping back into this world is like stepping back in time though, it brings back so many memories and always puts a smile on my face.
This book picks up Lyra's story pretty much immediately after the ending of Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in the US), she followed her father through to another world and has now found herself in a strange place with no adults where kids roam freely in gangs. The city is plagued by invisible Spectres that feed on people's souls but they have no interest in children and only attack after adolescence sets in. It is in Citagazze that Lyra's path crosses with Will, a young boy from our own world who is on the run from men searching for his father who has been missing since an expedition many years ago. Will has so many questions and Lyra is the only one who might have some answers for him so they choose to work together as they search for his missing father.
Lyra is just as impulsive as ever which has a tendency to get her into trouble but with Will's help she's learning to think things through before she acts. He's much more cautious so reigns her in a bit but he's just as fiercely determined to find out what is really happening and he's intelligent enough to figure out the best way to move forward. They actually make a great team, she brings him out of his shell and he tempers her wilder side, they're both from different worlds so bring different skills to the table and of course Lyra always has Pantalaimon at her side to help them.
You'll see plenty of familiar faces from the first book along the way as well as meeting new ones. Lee Scorsby and the witches all have a part to play and so does Mary, a scientist from our world who has been studying Dark Matter. Her storyline is only just starting though and gets much more interesting in the next book. I started this reread because I'm so excited about the new trilogy Philip Pullman is writing, I've waited a long time for him to revisit this world and I'm incredibly excited to pick up my copy of La Belle Sauvage but there are so many things I'd forgotten from the original series that I'm glad I decided to reread it first.
Source: Purchased
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
When Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him. The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies - and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.
Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her - something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights . . .
His Dark Materials:
Once Upon a Time in the North (Novella)
The Collectors (Short Story) Northern Lights (Released as The Golden Compass in the US) The Subtle Knife The Amber Spyglass
Lyra's Oxford (Novella)
The Book of Dust:
(Companion series to His Dark Materials)
La Belle Sauvage
Review:
I'm not sure it's possible for me to write an unbiased review of the Northern Lights (probably known as The Golden Compass to my American friends). I have loved this series since about 2000 and still own my original paperbacks that have been read countless times over the years so it's hard to be completely objective about a story that has been a part of your life for such a long time. Anyway, I'll do my best to try and explain why this story has always been one of my favourites but surely the fact that it's still on my shelf after 17 years is enough to hint at how good it is!
When her best friend, Roger, goes missing along with numerous other young children, Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, set out to find them and bring them home. What follows is an epic journey that takes her from her home in Jordan College, Oxford all the way to the frozen wastes of the North. She has help from numerous sources along the way - the gyptians who are also searching for their missing children, the witches of the North and even an armoured bear called Iorek Byrnison - but what she finds when she eventually catches up with the child snatching gobblers is something more horrific than she could ever have dreamed of.
Lyra is a brilliant character, she's fierce, stubborn and a little bit reckless, as an accomplished liar she can be cocky and thinks she knows everything but she's also very intelligent and will quickly learn from the mistakes she makes. I love how feisty she is and the way she jumps straight into the action because she is so determined to save Roger and the other children, she faces things that would terrify even adults and she does it with a great deal of bravery. The bond between her and Pantalaimon is brilliant, he's a bit more sensible than she is and is often the voice of reason when she's about to get herself in trouble, unfortunately for him she doesn't always take his advice but he is always there as her backup when she needs him.
While Lyra's world initially seems very similar to our own it quickly becomes clear that Philip Pullman has used his wonderful imagination to create something very different. Every human is born with their own daemon, a living, breathing entity that is basically the other half of their soul. Daemons can take any form throughout childhood, Pantalaimon often changes shape depending on the situation that Lyra finds herself in, but once puberty is reached it will choose one form to settle as. The bond between human and daemon is unbreakable and killing one will cause the death of the other so there are lots of strict taboos in place about not touching other people's daemons even though you can communicate with them. I love the sheer variety of different daemons found in these books and I've spent the last 17 years waiting for my own daemon to turn up! Unfortunately it's still nowhere to be found but I still live in hope.
Along with daemons this world also contains the panserborne, a race of warrior polar bears who have an affinity to metal and who are known to be brilliant protectors. Lyra is able to make friends with Iorek Byrnison, an exiled panserborne who has been living amongst humans for far too long, and he agrees to help her try to rescue the missing children after she frees him from captivity. Iorek is another brilliant character and a great ally for Lyra as she travels across the frozen wastes of a land similar to the arctic. Although this series has a lot of fun characters it also has some surprisingly dark elements, I'd actually forgotten how upsetting some parts of the story were so be warned it's not for the faint of heart but that darkness doesn't make it any less of a wonderful journey. There are lots of amazing elements to this story and from what I remember the series only gets more fantastical in the next two books.
I started this reread because I want to be ready for the new companion trilogy (the first book La Belle Sauvage will be released in October) and I can't wait to read new stories set in this world but I'm just as excited to continue with the original trilogy and remind myself of the rest of Lyra's adventures. There is a reason that this series holds up so well since it was originally published, it's something special and if you've not already read it you're really missing out.
Source: Purchased
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
I absolutely love Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, it's a series I read and reread again and again when I was younger so it'll always have a special place in my heart. So I was incredibly excited when I heart he was going to be writing a new trilogy set in the same world. The first book, La Belle Sauvage, is going to be released in October (my copy is already on preorder!) and I found this video on YouTube of Philip talking about the series so I thought I'd share it with you here:
Here's a bit more information about La Belle Sauvage:
Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them; a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua . . .
I'm excited that Lyra is still going to be a character in the new series but I'm looking forward to meeting Malcom too. I think it's time for another reread of the original books though, just to tide me over until October!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.
Today's topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2017. (Yes I realise I'm posting this on a Wednesday but I already had something scheduled for yesterday!)
Wildfire - Ilona Andrews - This is kind of a cheat since I have an arc so I've already read it (twice!) but I'm such a fangirl of everything Ilona and Gordon write and this series is my favourite so I HAD to include it!
Silver Silence - Nalini Singh - I'd also include Archangel's Viper on this list because I adore both the Psy-Changeling and the Guild Hunter series.
The Scorpion Trap - Pippa DaCosta - If you like the sound of Egyptian gods roaming around modern day New York then you HAVE to give this series a try!
Godsgrave - Jay Kristoff - Nevernight was one of my favourite books last year so this one was a no brainer, I can't wait for more of Mia and Mr Kindly's adventures.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition - J.K. Rowling & Jim Kay - I've read this whole series a million times but it'll never be too many and these illustrated editions are absolutely gorgeous.
The Language of Thorns - Leigh Bardugo - I love the Grisha world so I'm excited to go back to it with this collection of short stories. I'm also really looking forward to her upcoming superhero book Wonder Woman: War Bringer.
Renegades - Marissa Meyer - I'm really excited we're seeing a trend of superhero books this year, I've enjoyed everything else Marissa Meyer has written so I have very high hopes for this new duology.
Artemis - Andy Weir - I loved The Martian so Artemis jumped to the top of my wish list the minute I heard about it.
La Belle Sauvage - Philip Pullman - I read the Dark Materials series when it was first released, in fact I've reread it too many times to count over the years so I'm thrilled he's decided to return to this world.
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns - Julie C Dao - Not only is the cover for this one beautiful but it's also described as "The Wrath and the Dawn meets Snow White and the Huntsman in this dark and mystical East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend" and I can't possibly resist a blurb like that!
It's time for another round up of some of the bookish news I've come across recently. First up HarperCollins have created a game on Facebook to celebrate the launch of The Rising by Will Hill. Test your powers of observation by watching the video below and then heading to the Department 19 Facebook page to answer questions about it and you could win a spy training day for you and your friends!
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Philip Pullman
Did you see the article on The Guardian website confirming that Philip Pullman's next book is going to be an anthology containing his versions of 50 of his favourite Grimm's Fairy Tales? I'm looking forward to seeing his take on the classics like Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel - I love a good fairytale retelling - but I'm even more curious to discover new to me stories like Hans-My-Hedgehog and Godfather Death. The book will be published in September by Penguin Classics and has been timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the first publication of the original Grimm's Fairy Tales.
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Have you heard about the Chipping Norton Literary Festival being held from the 20th to the 22nd of April? It sounds like a great opportunity to meet some fabulous authors! Unfortunately I won't be there but I'd love to hear all about it from anyone that does go. Here is the press release with all the details or you can find out more at the Chip Lit Fest website:
20th – 22nd April 2012
Fifty events throughout Chipping Norton
Hear your favourite author and learn how to become one too.
For aspiring writers, Chipping Norton Literary Festival sets the tone. There are lots of events on getting started, finding your ‘voice’, keeping focused, finding your genre, as well as one-on-one meetings with established authors and other writers.
Come April, Chipping Norton will be in the news again as organisers launch the town’s first literary festival. The event will take place at venues convenient to the centre of Chipping Norton and will include speakers such as Mark Billingham, Joanna Trollope, Colin Dexter, Katie Fforde, and Sir Andrew Motion. In total about fifty literary luminaries will be participating.
For aspiring or developing writers there are a host of useful workshops and panel discussions on topics such as…
How to break into freelance writing
Life writing
Writing historical fiction
Author, agent & publishers
Bringing your characters to life
A rough guide to travel writing
Writing humour
Writing short stories
Crime Writing Workshop
How to Get Published – panel discussion
Book Groups and the Novel chaired by Sue MacGregor
The idea originated via WOW, the West Oxfordshire Writers group. Local to Chipping Norton, they meet twice a month to discuss creative writing, how to get published, and how to go about writing within various genres. Thus the Festival has a host of events which will be of interest to aspiring writers.
And in addition to being known for its array of celebrity residents and now putting itself on the map with the ChipLitFest, as it is known, Chipping Norton itself is a fine example of Georgian market town architecture and a splendid setting for taking in talks as well as the town.
Other Topics and Events include:
Fiction
Emily Barr, Elizabeth Buchan, Julie Cohen, Josceline Dimbleby, Katie Fforde, Louise Harwood, Veronica Henry, Angela Huth, Prue Leith, Jill Mansel, Sir Andrew Motion, Joanna Trollope, Fiona Walker.
Crime/Mystery
Mark Billingham, Helen Black, S.J. Bolton, Colin Dexter, Sophie Hannah, Dan Waddell
History and Biography
Carole Angier, Sally Cline, Mick Conefrey, Robert Hardman, Mark Johnson, Penny Junor, Ian Mathie, Fiona Mountain, John Julius Norwich.
Gardening
Cotswold Gardening – panel discussion with Roddy Llewellyn,
Robin Lane Fox, Andrew Lawson
Humour
Guy Browning, Jasper Fforde, Graeme Garden, John O’Farrell,
Sandra Smith.
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Jonathan Stroud
Random House Children's Books have announced that they have signed a deal to publish a new supernatural thriller by Jonathan Stroud in 2013. The book is going to be called Lockwood & Co and will star three young operatives who work for a Psychic Detection Agency fighting an epidemic of ghosts in London. Sounds fab doesn't it, it's just a shame we have to wait so long to get our hands on it! Check out Jonathan Stroud's blog for more information.
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If you're a fan of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Law then you'll definitely want to head over to the Facebook fan page on Monday (the 2nd of April). To celebrate the paperback release of The Power of Six on the 12th of April Penguin Books have created a game where using your knowledge of the series could win you some fantastic prizes. The Power of Six Quest won't be up on Facebook until Monday but here is a bit more information about how it works and the prizes that will be available. Good luck to everyone who enters!
We have created a Facebook game called The Power of Six Quest - a game show that draws on your knowledge of the books to help the Loriens fight against the Mogadorians and track down one of the characters in the book, Seven.
Points are collected by speed of which contestants answer questions (there's a countdown clock for added urgency and pressure!), accuracy of answers and how many friends a player recommends to play the game. Prizes are awarded to players who collect the most points.
The amazing prizes Prizes include:
a holiday to Spain for Seven nights!
an ipad
a kindle
special release hardbacks of The Power of Six
advance special release hardbacks of Rise of Nine (published in August)
OK well I think that's everything for now so I'm going to leave you with the book trailer for Gemma Malley's new novel The Killables. The book was released in the UK yesterday and sounds fabulous, I'll be reading my copy soon so keep an eye out for my review.
Meet the New Cut gang - Benny, Thunderbolt, Bridie and the Peretti twins - the greatest detectives since Sexton Blake. Who's passing counterfeit coins round Lambeth? Surely not Thunderbolt's dad, who's been arrested. And who's stolen the Worshipful Company of Gas-Fitters' silver? With a little help from some colourful (and not always willing) accomplices, our heroes are soon blazing hot on the criminals' trail.
Here - published together for the first time, with all-new illustrations by Martin Brown - are Philip Pullman's classic tales of crime and detection: Thunderbolt's Waxwork and The Gas-Fitters' Ball - a pair of aces from the Master story-teller.
Review: The Adventures of the New Cut Gang is a bind up of 2 stories by Philip Pullman that were originally published in the 1990's - Thunderbolt's Waxwork and The Gas-Fitters' Ball. This is a beautiful hardback edition and has been wonderfully illustrated by Martin Brown making it a lovely book to hold a permanent position on any bookshelf. I hadn't read either of these stories before but as a fan of Philip Pullman I couldn't wait to get stuck in and I definitely wasn't disappointed.
In Thunderbolt's Waxwork we are introduced to the New Cut gang, a rag tag group of mischievous children who want to be detectives. In their first "case" they are determined to track down the person behind a spate of counterfeit coins doing the rounds in Lambeth. Thunderbolt's dad has been arrested but they are sure it couldn't be him who was making the coins - can they find a way to prove it and have him released from prison?
The Gas-Fitters' Ball continues the adventures of the New Cut gang, this time they are on the hunt for a burglar - someone has stolen the Gas-Fitters' silver trophies and the gang are intent on finding out who. Can they beat the police to find the burglar?
I absolutely loved the characters that make up the New Cut gang. You have leader Benny who has an imagination that often runs away with him and comes up with crazy plans bound to get them all in trouble, then there is Sam (AKA Thunderbolt) - he is the smart and studious one, Bridie is the hot tempered red head with a heart of gold who is always looking out for the others and her little brother Sharkie Bob who was probably my favourite. A lot younger than the others he tags along wherever they go eating everything in sight. You can't forget the Peretti twins Angela and Zerlina who may look like angels but you wouldn't want to end up on their bad side.
The stories themselves are fun and lighthearted adventures that had me laughing out loud as I read them. They're perfect for bedtime reading and will be enjoyed by both children and adults. The Victorian setting is well done and I loved the use of British slang. I read on Philip Pullman's website that there were originally going to be 6 stories about the New Cut gang and I really hope he gets time to write the remaining 4 - I'll be first in the queue to buy them if he does!
Source: Received from RHCB in exchange for an honest review
Other Reviews: Thoughts from the Hearthfire
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
