HisDarkMaterials.org
HisDarkMaterials.org is one of the leading His Dark Materials websites, including information about The Golden Compass movie, the book trilogy, extensive fan art galleries, photographs of Philip Pullman, and related visual resources. It also contains a dæmon name generator, an active chatroom, a His Dark Materials role playing game, and an interactive encyclopedia. News is updated daily, with members being able to discuss news items. The website is also home to Cittàgazze.net, the world's largest His Dark Materials forum.
Movies
The Golden Compass
Books
Overview
The Golden Compass / Northern Lights
The Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass
Lyra’s Oxford
The Book of Dust
Features
The Golden Compass World Premiere
Cannes Filmfestival 2007
Alethiometer
Cartography
News Archive
His Dark Materials Theatre Presentation
April 9, 2008 in His Dark Materials Books
The Theatre Royal Bath Young People’s Theatre presents The National Theatre adaptation of His Dark Materials
Sunday 13th April – Sunday 20th April 2008
By Nicholas Wright after Philip Pullman
Performance Times and Prices Below
Official Web Site and Ticket Purchasing
Once Upon A Time...
April 3, 2008 in His Dark Materials Books
A reminder that fans of His Dark Materials from the UK can expect to pick up their copies of Once Upon A Time In The North starting today, 3 April.
There are also reports from readers that the bookstore Borders, the online seller Amazon, and a smattering of international retail locations have released their copies of this His Dark Materials companion novel.
Read an Extract from Once Upon A Time In The North
March 22, 2008 in His Dark Materials Books
The Guardian posts an exclusive extract (and quite a lenghty one, as well) from the upcoming Pullman book Once Upon A Time In The North, a story about Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby and his companion Iorek Byrnison.
Once Upon A Time In The North is set to appear in UK bookstores 3 April, 2008 and in USA bookstores 8 April, 2008.
Pullman sets date for Dark Materials prequel
February 15, 2008 in His Dark Materials Books
The Oxford Mail reports: Philip Pullman's new book [Once Upon A Time In The North] will be given its world launch at the 12th Oxford Literary Festival next month.
Humanists to Honour Philip Pullman
December 5, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
The American Humanist Association announced today that Philip Pullman, esteemed author of the controversial book, "The Golden Compass" --which has been made into a movie scheduled for release December 7--will be honored with the International Humanist Award in Washington DC in June. The award decision comes near the end of a two-month protest by the Catholic League, which has charged that the book and film are "anti-Catholic" and that the film, by being less confrontational, is part of a deceitful "stealth campaign" to promote an "anti-religious" book series.
US Sneak Peak of The Golden Compass
December 1, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
800 movie theaters across the US will be showing sneak previews of The Golden Compass movie today, December 1. Check out the map to see which theaters are showing. Or go to amctheaters.com and regalcinemas.com to check show times.
Responses To Snopes.com Article and Anti-Religion Claims
November 1, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
Philip Nel, a Professor of English, and Donna Freitas, a Professor of Religion, have each written separate responses to the criticisms mounted towards The Golden Compass film and the His Dark Materials books.
An open letter from Philip Nel, of Kansas State University, has been published on the official blog responding to an article by Snopes.com, an urban legends reference site, which claims the assertion that the Golden Compass film is "based on a series of books with anti-religious themes" to be "True."
Donna Freitas, of Boston University, has written an article on why Christians shouldn't fear Philip Pullman and his trilogy. Freitas, who is a co-author of the soon-to-be-released book Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials, which explores the spiritual and religious themes of the trilogy, contends that "as a scholar, a Christian, and someone who has read the trilogy more times than [she] can count,... the telos of Pullman's "His Dark Materials" is to save God, not kill him." She also writes of her experience with meeting Philip Pullman.
Happy Birthday to Philip Pullman
October 18, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
October 19th marks His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman's Birthday, and we'd like to wish him all the best. With help from some of our friends in the sraf.org network, we've gathered together a small "bundle of material" for fans of the author to discover.
Philip Pullman writes new book about Iorek and Lee Scoresby
September 2, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
In interviews with French and Israelian fansites, Philip Pullman has revealed that he will write another book to accompany the His Dark Materials trilogy. Whereas The Book of Dust will be about Lyra after the trilogy has ended, this new book titled Once Upon A Time In The North will move back to before The Golden Compass and focus on Iorek and Lee Scoresby.
“When we see them for the first time with Lyra, Lee is not that old, he's fifty, sixty, something like that, so they know each other for a long time. But I wanted to write a story when they first met as they were young, and I've just written it.”
Northern Lights Wins Carnegie of Carnegies
June 22, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
The Guardian reports: Philip Pullman has cemented his place as one of the stars of children's literature this evening, triumphing in a poll to choose book lovers' favourite winner from the Carnegie medal's 70-year history.
Pullman's Northern Lights (Carnegie winner 1995) beat off competition from Carnegie winners including Mary Norton's The Borrowers (1937), Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden (1957) and David Almond's Skellig (1998).
His Dark Materials Excluded from Free Book Scheme in Britain
June 19, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
The Telegraph reports: Children will be able to choose a free novel when they start secondary school in September - but they may not recognise most of the authors. The list of the 12 books from which they can choose, published yesterday, excludes the best-selling authors J K Rowling (Harry Potter), Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider) and Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials). Instead, the 620,000 children aged 11 in the first term of year seven will select from books chosen by a panel of authors, publishers and teachers to provide diversity of style and difficulty.
Popular reads have been excluded to give children an opportunity to try something new, said Booktrust, the charity implementing the £2.8 billion Government-funded initiative announced by Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, last December.
Northern Lights 3rd best book of last 25 years in Waterstones public voting
May 17, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
Northern Lights Listed as a Classic on Official British Gov't List of Books for Boys
May 16, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
The Telegraph reports: "[..] and Northern Lights, the first instalment of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy are more recent titles included in the classics list."
When I first heard of The Golden Compass I wanted to read it, but held off doing so because I had a lot going on at the time. When I was ready to read it, there was so much buzz about it that I was inundated and put it down yet for a later time when I could pick it up without being influenced too much by that buzz. Then I forgot about it and I think the books are over at one of my sons' houses...
Your Favorite Book of the Last 25 Years?
May 4, 2007 in His Dark Materials Books
Waterstones is inviting readers to vote for their favorite book of the past 25 years, out of a list of 100 on their site. Northern Lights is one of them.
Voting has, strangely, reopened! Voting has ended again.