Will said spectres were in our world too!

[Yrael]

I'm pretty sure that the brand doesn't matter.

[Quantum Reality]

Having just seen Harry Potter 5 set me off thinking.... is there not a really strong similarity between Pullman's Spectres (or Specters) and Rowling's Dementors (or Dementros...)?

That's really weird... I was thinking the exact same thing when I clicked on this thread and waited for it to load. So yeah, I think there is a strong similarity. Though I don't know if the idea of soul sucking fiends is exactly new, so there's no reason to suppose that either borrowed from each other.

This comparison also occurred to me when I read that book. The "Dementor's Kiss" is even a bit similar to the Spectre's way of attacking someone.

[Stelmaria7]

Yay they are similar in a way. But specters suck your soul out of you right away and dementors just make you remember all the horible things you did and experienced. I think specters are similar to harpies. Dementors only suck your soul if they are told to.