Philip Womack
Worlds Apart
The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust, Volume Two
By Philip Pullman
David Fickling Books/Penguin 704pp £20 order from our bookshop
Bearmouth
By Liz Hyder
Pushkin Children’s 320pp £12.99 order from our bookshop
Beyond Platform 13
By Sibéal Pounder & Eva Ibbotson
Macmillan Children’s 256pp £6.99 order from our bookshop
At the heart of Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, which first lit up our imaginations over twenty years ago, is the exceptionally close bond between the heroine, Lyra, and her dæmon, Pantalaimon (a dæmon, for those not versed in Pullmanic lore, is an external manifestation of a human’s soul that takes animal form and has its own thoughts). Where Lyra was impulsive, Pan was there to counsel; when she was lonely, his soft fur was a comfort. For any child, having grown up clutching a soft toy or not, this was the most electric component of an extraordinary piece of work, bringing Pullman’s universe alive in a way that our own sad world of tax returns and bus stops never quite seemed to be.
Pullman has always been learned, unafraid to approach such complex subjects as Milton, quantum physics and theology. This new trilogy, of which the first volume, La Belle Sauvage, appeared two years ago, probes deeper, expanding our knowledge of Lyra’s world and delving further into philosophy. Where La Belle
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
The March issue of Literary Review is out now.
In this month's cover article, @nclarke14 dives into five hundred years of women's self-portraits in her review of @JenniferHiggie's 'The Mirror & the Palette'.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-female-gaze
The March issue of Literary Review is out now.
In this month's cover article, @nclarke14 dives into five hundred years of women's self-portraits in her review of @JenniferHiggie's 'The Mirror & the Palette'.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-female-gaze
We've extended our February offer for a week, meaning you can still get a six-month subscription for only £19.99.
Click below for details.
https://www.mymagazinesub.co.uk/literary-review/promo/literaryfebruary/