The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials

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The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials

Editorial Review

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is renowned for its mystery and magic. What's the truth behind it all? Is the golden compass actually based in science? How does the subtle knife cut through anything? Could there be a bomb like the one made with Lyra's hair? How do the Gallivespians' lodestone resonators really work? And, of course, what are the Dark Materials? Drawing on string theory and spacetime, quantum physics and chaos theory, award-winning science writers Mary and John Gribbin reveal the real science behind Philip Pullman's bestselling fantasy trilogy in entertaining and crystal-clear prose.
From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
• Unlocks What Otherwise is Magical Fantasy
  Fantasy for the sake of escapism is wonderful. Explanation of the same may become problematic. To the reader who enjoys escaping reality for fantasy, explanation for what otherwise has no reason is as inviting as the many hurtful "growing up" moments: e.g. when we learn that there is no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny or Tooth Afairy.
  One of Great Britain's greatest fantasies is the Dark Materials' trilogy - where little children take on magical odysseys to cure what adults ruin. Similar to "The Lion, the... more info
• inconsistant
  This is a brilliant concept, and was executed relatively well. My main complaint is that the tone of writing is not consistant. I felt 'talked down to' in some chapters and then unexplained terms, concepts and/or examples were used that went over my head in other chapters. For example, the authors give a detailed definition of what "experiements" are, but then assume readers know what "poloroid lenses" are. I don't know about others, but I knew what an 'experiemnt' was about a decade before I had any... more info
• The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials
  Mary & John Gribbin have created a well organized and eaily understood science guide to the authentic physics behind Philip Pullman's epic work. The Gribbins combine good, clear writing with a thurough understanding of phyisics that leads to simple explanations a layman can understand. With out this valualbe work, Mr. Pullman's fantastic tale would remain simply a 'story' underpinned by fanciful and extremely complex and difficult science that might or might not be real for our world. As it happens,... more info
• His Dark MATERIALS
  It is a fun book using the facts of Dark Matter in a rather cavalier way that is fun and gives a great explanation for the magic/ absurdities in the Dark Matter series.
  i liked the book and bought is as part of a set of the dark matter trilogy that begins with The Golden Compass.

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