Circa 1989, science fiction author Michael Moorcock’s essay “Epic Pooh.”
I’m almost done with Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, and I’m impressed on many levels. (Mostly because he’s managed to get away with so much in what’s ostensibly a trilogy of fiction for “young adults.”)
I’m curious to see how the first film installment plays out this Christmas. My guess is that a fair amount of the source material will have to be redacted to appease the tastes of most American audiences after the wild successes of the film versions of The Lord of the Rings (and the apparent failure of Narnia). Many of Moorcock’s criticisms of Tolkien and Lewis are shared by Pullman as well, and the religious and philosophical ambiguities of his novels will be hard to translate to the screen.
But what can I say? It’s hard not to be excited seeing Sam Elliott cast as the Texas Aeronaut Lee Scoresby (i.e., a dirigible adventurer).
