Hello Dana, Sorry for the delay.
Re the Pullman books. Book One: Set in a parallel world, almost like ours but slightly different. Lyra, a girl, and her deamon, Pantalaimon, set out on a journey to rescue Lyra's freind, who has been captured. Along the way she meets a variety of characters, including a talking, armour clad polar bear, an american aeronaut, an evil (step) mother, witches, gypsies and many others. Basically, lots of discussion about the nature of spirituality, sexuality, the role of the church, the loss of innocence, growing up, etc etc. It's all done really well, Pullman is an excellent writer IMHO, unlike Rowling (again IMHO). I suppose the Pullman books are designed to appeal to an older audience than the first Harry Poter book, to be fair. I won't go into too much detail about the next two books as that would give too much of the story away, other than to say that I don't mind admitting that I cried at the end of the last book. I can;t recommend these books enough. The first one is called Northern Lights, or The Golden Compass in the States apparently. Buy them, read them. will -----Original Message----- From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 24 June 2003 17:58 To: CF-Community Subject: Re: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant the Pullman books. This is a reasonable summary of the Harry Potter books though for anyone that hasn't read them... Dana William Bowen writes: > oi, now this is getting confusing... > > I'll try to stay away from spoilers... > Book One: Harry Potter, orphaned boy, lives with awful uncle and aunt in > somewhat awful working class neighborhood. On (or about) his birthday he > gets a message by owl (the preferred messenger service for non-muggles); he > is to join his classmates at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. > Doesn't know he is a wizard, takes it in stride... Meets new friends, > witches, wizards, trolls, has adventure. Saves the day, defeating all > powerful evil wizard "destroyed" many years ago. No other wizard/witch > apparently has the power to do this, everyone happy. > > Book Two: Hmmm... Awful aunt and uncle still awful; Harry's birthday again, > time to go back to Hogwarts; new adventure; more friends...defeats evil > wizard again (still no one else seems capable...) > > Book Three: uuhhh...read description of book one and two...Dementors (wizard > prison guards) added for extra fun... > > Book Four: Main difference here is that it takes something on the order of a > Tom Clancy sized book to tell the story this time... > > That about sums it up... > > will > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dana Tierney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 9:33 AM > Subject: Re: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! > > > > can you give me an idea what the books are about without spoling it for > > will? > > > > Dana > > > > William Bowen writes: > > > > > hrmmm... maybe my interspersing them with LeCarre and Eco wasn't such a > good > > > idea after all... > > > > > > ;-) > > > > > > I mostly didn't like the feeling, when I was reading the Potter books > > > (especially after the first), that I had "read this all before" > somewhere... > > > > > > Trying to slog my way through A Game of Thrones right now...I saw the > > > Pullman books at my neighbor's house, might have to try them. > > > > > > will (still) > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Will Swain" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 9:02 AM > > > Subject: RE: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! > > > > > > > > > > Not the only one William. I've read all of them, excepting the newest > one, > > > > and I was completely underwhelmed by them. > > > > > > > > Mind you, I was reading the Phillip Pullman His Dark Materials trilogy > at > > > > the same time, which is fiction ostensibly for young adults but very > > > > appealing to adults too, and THAT is good literature, IMHO. > > > > > > > > will (too) > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: William Bowen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Sent: 24 June 2003 16:43 > > > > To: CF-Community > > > > Subject: Re: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! > > > > > > > > > > > > I sometimes think I must be the only adult in the world that does not > like > > > > the Harry Potter books... > > > > > > > > ...sigh... > > > > > > > > will > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Nick McClure" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 1:54 PM > > > > Subject: RE: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! > > > > > > > > > > > > > From what I understand, it is very well written, and reads well for > most > > > > > ages, even adults. > > > > > > > > > > I know a number of adults that like the books. > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > > From: Harkins,Patrick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 4:44 PM > > > > > > To: CF-Community > > > > > > Subject: RE: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! > > > > > > > > > > > > It's a kid's book with a world that is very well-imagined, from > what I > > > > > > gather - not having read it yet! Probably the most fully imagined > > > since > > > > > > Lord > > > > > > of the Rings though this is probably the worst place to say that! > > > > > > On a less subjective note, I heard that Harry Potter was on the > > > adult's > > > > > > bestseller list for so long that it became an embarassment and > that is > > > > > > what > > > > > > prompted them to create the children's books lists! > > > > > > Patrick > > > > > > > > > > > > >-----Original Message----- > > > > > > >From: William Wheatley [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > >Subject: Harry Potter Puts a cap in e-commerces rump! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/23/potter.amazon.ap/index.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Ok wtf is the big deal about this book? I thought it was just > > > > > > >a kids thing? I mean thats a shit load of books lol. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. http://www.cfhosting.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
