BridgeToTheStars.net | His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman, and other ideas...

Frequently Asked Questions

These are answers to the most common questions asked by fans of His Dark Materials. Got a question but can't find the answer? Send us an e-mail and we'll be sure to get back to you.

The Books

Please note that the questions below concern the trilogy and their publication as a whole. For more in depth questions about the contents of each book, check out the Quick FAQ threads on our forum: Northern Lights/The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass.

- Why is the trilogy called His Dark Materials? Why are there two different titles for the first book?
- I want to read the trilogy in French/Russian/Hebrew/etc... can I?
- Are there any differences between different editions of the books?
- Will there be any more books?
- I’ve heard that these books are about killing God, are they?
- Are these books anti-Christian?

Philip Pullman: "The trilogy known as His Dark Materials didn't have that name in my mind from the start. In fact it didn't have a name at all; it was just 'the big book'. When I'd finished the first volume and was talking about it with David Fickling, my British publisher, we tried various names and couldn't find one that worked. I knew that the trilogy needed a name, and that each of the books needed its own separate name too (I don't like numbers in titles: THE GODFATHER PART TWO, and so on. Just a fad. But it's my fad). So: what should they be called?
My first discovery was the phrase The Golden Compasses (plural, note). This comes in Milton's Paradise Lost, a poem which inspired me a great deal. The line refers to the Son of God taking 'the golden compasses, prepared / In God's eternal store, to circumscribe / The universe, and all created things."
In other words, these were compasses to draw a circle with, not a compass to find your way with. I liked the phrase, and the trilogy became temporarily, during the publication process, The Golden Compasses. And we finally settled on Northern Lights for the title of the first book.
Meanwhile, in the US, it was being read by the editors at Alfred A. Knopf. Someone decided (mistakenly, but firmly) that the title referred to Lyra's alethiometer, which could be regarded as a sort of golden compass, but of the direction-finding and not circle-drawing sort. So the same someone or another someone decided to refer to the first book, for their own internal discussing-a-forthcoming-book purposes, as The Golden Compass.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, I had found the much better phrase, His Dark Materials, for the title of the trilogy. I quote the passage from which it comes at the very beginning of the first book. Better, because it's more atmospheric, and there's the uncanny resemblance to 'dark matter', which figures largely in the story. So out went The Golden Compasses, and in came His Dark Materials.
Meanwhile, back in the USA, the publishers had become so attached to The Golden Compass that nothing I could say could persuade them to call the book Northern Lights. Their obduracy in this matter was accompanied by such generosity in the matter of royalty advances, flattery, promises of publicity, etc, that I thought it would be churlish to deny them this small pleasure.
So that's it. The fact that all three titles refer to an artefact is no more than a coincidence, though it does make a nice pattern. Before I'd finished the third one, the artist Eric Rohmann, who drew the wonderful covers the books had in their first Knopf editions, asked what the third book would be called, and before I could tell him, volunteered The Sophisticated Monkey-Wrench.
One tiny final thing: my first suggestion for the third book was The Lacquer Spy-glass. My editor at Knopf, Joan Slattery, pointed out that this might be misheard as LACK OF, and that made sense to me; so it became AMBER instead."

- I want to read the trilogy in French/Russian/Hebrew/etc... can I?
Yes! The His Dark Materials trilogy has been published in 39 languages around the globe. If you’re not sure what the books are called in the language you’re looking for, check out our Cover Art gallery, as it may be able to help. If you still can’t find what you seek, contact us and we’ll try to find out for you.

- Are there any differences between different editions of the books?
Some later editions of the trilogy, such as the Lantern Slides editions and the Tenth Anniversary editions, include special extras created by Philip Pullman – where we can, we’ve uploaded these in our Extras galleries.

There are also some differences between the UK and US editions of the books. The most significant change is perhaps the omission/amendment of a couple of passages in the US edition of the books. We’ve detailed these below.

The Amber Spyglass: Chapter 33, Marzipan – UK EDITION
As Mary said that, Lyra felt something strange happen to her body. She felt a stirring at the roots of her hair: she found herself breathing faster. She had never been on a roller-coaster, or anything like one, but if she had, she would have recognized the sensations in her breast: they were exciting and frightening at the same time, and she had not the slightest idea why. The sensation continued, and deepened, and changed, as more parts of her body found themselves affected too. She felt as if she had been handed the key to a great house she hadn't known was there, a house that was somehow inside her, and as she turned the key, deep in the darkness of the building she felt other doors opening too, and lights coming on. She sat trembling, hugging her knees, hardly daring to breathe...
The Amber Spyglass: Chapter 33, Marzipan – US EDITION
As Mary said that, Lyra felt something strange happen to her body. She felt as if she had been handed the key to a great house she hadn’t known was there. A house that was somehow inside her, and as she turned the key, she felt other doors opening deep in the darkness, and lights coming on. She sat trembling as Mary went on...
The Amber Spyglass: Chapter 35, Over The Hills and Far Away – UK EDITION
...Father Gomez found himself praising God for his mission, because it was clearer than ever that the boy and the girl were walking into mortal sin.
And there it was: the dark-blonde movement that was the girl's hair. He moved a little closer, and took out the rifle. There was a telescopic sight: low-powered, but beautifully made, so that looking through it was to feel your vision clarified as well as enlarged. Yes, there she was, and she paused and looked back so that he saw the expression on her face, and he could not understand how anyone so steeped in evil could look so radiant with hope and happiness.
His bewilderment at that made him hesitate, and then the moment was gone, and both children had walked in among the trees and out of sight. Well, they wouldn't go far. He followed them down the stream, moving at a crouch, holding the rifle in one hand, balancing with the other.
He was so close to success...
The Amber Spyglass: Chapter 35, Over The Hills and Far Away – US EDITION
...Father Gomez found himself praising God for his mission, because it was clearer than ever that the boy and the girl were walking into mortal sin.
He watched them go in among the trees. They hadn't looked back once since coming over the top of the ridge, but he still kept low, moving down the stream at a crouch, holding the rifle in one hand, balancing with the other.
He was so close to success...

The reason for these changes is unclear, but it is thought that the first is due to the passage being interpreted as of a sexual nature.

- Will there be any more books?
Since completing the His Dark Materials trilogy, Pullman has written two small companion books to the series: Lyra’s Oxford, and Once Upon A Time in the North. He is currently in the process of writing The Book of Dust which may give us more information about some of the characters and ideas that we come across in the trilogy. However, Pullman has stated that there will be no reunion for Lyra and Will.

- I’ve heard that these books are about killing God, are they?
The Authority mentioned in the trilogy is not God as we define it, he is not the creator. So it is debatable as to whether you consider his death to be the death of God.

The Amber Spyglass: Chapter 2, Balthamos and Baruch
The Authority...He was never the creator. He was an angel...the Authority was the first of all. He told those who came after him that he had created them, but it was a lie.

- Are these books anti-Christian?
The His Dark Materials trilogy conveys the Church in Lyra’s world as an oppressive political force, one that rules formidably and exercises its power gratuitously. It is true that the Church is not shown as a good thing. While it does not represent the Church’s position (in our universe!) today, one could argue that the books make a pointed argument against the tenets of organised religion, against the way in which people are informed about religion (their own and others), and against the things people do in the name of God.

Philip Pullman: "It's not just Christianity I'm getting at. The reason that the forms of religion in the books seem to be Christian is because that's the world I'm familiar with. That's the world I grew up in and I knew. If I had been brought up as an orthodox Jew, I would no doubt find things to criticise in that religion. But I don't know that world as well as I know Christianity."

Are these books anti-Christian? Perhaps. But first and foremost, these books are a story.

The Author

- Who is Philip Pullman?
Philip Pullman is the author of the acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy, as well as a number of other books. You can find out more about him in our Philip Pullman section.

- What influenced His Dark Materials?
Pullman's main influence for His Dark Materials is the 17th century epic poem Paradise Lost, by John Milton. He also cites Blake, Virgil, and Homer as influences, and Von Kleist's essay, 'On the Marionette Theatre'.

- What is Pullman working on now?
Currently, Pullman is working on a few different things. The first is his adventure story, John Blake, which he is turning into a movie script. The second is a retelling of some of the tales of the Brothers Grimm. And of course, he’s still plodding away in the background at The Book of Dust (we hope)!

- How can I get in touch with him?
See our Contact Pullman page to find out how best to get in touch with him.

The Movie

- Who made the movie?
The movie was produced by New Line Cinemas, the studio in charge of the recent Lord of the Rings films. It was written and directed by Chris Weitz and released in December 2007.

- What does Pullman think of the movie?
Take the money and run was his response. He took a hands-off approach to the film's production.

Philip Pullman: "The democracy of reading means that as soon as a book is published you lose control of how it's interpreted anyhow, and so you should. To tell someone else how to read your book is to fall into the temptation of fundamentalism. When it comes to performance and film and so on, what you should do, it seems to me, is make sure the people you sell it to know what they're doing, and then leave them alone. You are better employed writing new books than arguing with people about how to interpret your existing ones."

Philip Pullman: "They were making changes of all kinds, large and small, right up to the last minute - and that's the way you make films. Some of the changes were based on the assumption that the sequels would be made swiftly after the first film, which turned out not to be the case. That's the way it goes."

- Are there any plans to make further movies?
At this stage, the answer is probably no. Dakota Blue Richards, who played Lyra, is now probably too old to reprise her role in a Subtle Knife film, and The Golden Compass did not perform well at the US box office, making a loss for New Line (as they had sold the overseas rights to fund the movie’s production). New Line itself has since merged with Warner Bros. Previously it was a subsidiary of Warner Bros.

- Are there any other adaptations?
The books have been adapted into audiobooks, radio dramas, and a stage version that was first put on in 2004. Details about these can be found in our Adaptations section.