The Republic of Heaven

Philip has a little more on his latest book on his website:
http://www.philip-pullman.com/pages/news/index.asp?NewsID=39

I don't think the church is going to like this book very much.
What do you think
but that doesn't mean it wont be a good book, I'm looking forward to it! Tehe

He's on the wind-up again, the ol' stirrer.

the aggravating old stoat, i guess the book of dust will have to wait. Although anything that upsets the sensibilities of the religious mainstream, and provides insightful reading is absolutely fine by me.

the new issue of Publisher's Weekly Magazine has news that the audiobook version will be released by Brilliance Audio in May, and narration is by Philip himself

The Guardian has a review and some quotes, and Amazon seems to be selling it. I thought it wasn't due out until Wednesday?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/ma ... us-gospels
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/charl ... lippullman
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/ma ... rel-christ
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Jesus-Scou ... 847678254/

From boingboing:

Philip Pullman, addressing an audience at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, was asked about whether his latest book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, was offensive. Here's his reply:

"It was a shocking thing to say and I knew it was a shocking thing to say. But no one has the right to live without being shocked. No one has the right to spend their life without being offended. Nobody has to read this book. Nobody has to pick it up. Nobody has to open it. And if you open it and read it, you don't have to like it. And if you read it and you dislike it, you don't have to remain silent about it. You can write to me, you can complain about it, you can write to the publisher, you can write to the papers, you can write your own book. You can do all those things, but there your rights stop. No one has the right to stop me writing this book. No one has the right to stop it being published, or bought, or sold or read. That's all I have to say on that subject."

I found this very good youtube video of pullmans response to the title of the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ3VcbAfd4w

It's been out a few days now. Has anyone actually read it?

I'm part way through it.

Philip Pullman explains why and how he did this book.
Maybe one of the most interesting articles on this book, especially because it's Pullman himself who wrote it...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/book ... to-me.html

Amazon got delays and expects to send it to me in May.
I'm going to cancel my order : english bookstore in downtown is going to have it next week...

'Slate' has an interesting review on the book - http://www.slate.com/id/2252546
I read it while on holiday a couple of weeks ago and still haven't made up my mind about it. I think I should have read the appropriate bible passages before each chapter as it did make me feel fairly ignorant, but the general gist of what is going on is easy to follow. If you're expecting anything like HDM, forget it - it's not that kind of book.
I can't help wondering if he has given up on TBOD...

When I read this book, I thought of all the people who would be offended and that this would be a very good thing.

I haven't read most of Pullman's books other than HDM and the two short tie-in books. It seems that The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is unique, not only among his own books. The style is also unique. It's in modern English, but the style is that of the King James Bible. It was perfect for the story.

I just picked this up from the library yesterday (as well as a shiny new library card) and am about halfway through it now. I have to say... thought it'd be a bit more exciting. But there's something nice about picking up a Pullman story. He's very consistent in his story-telling tone and having listened to him read from HDM in the audiobooks as well as a number of interviews over the years, I feel like I can hear his voice in my head when I am reading his work. This one reminds me more of his fairytales that are marketed to younger audiences.

jessia wrote:I just picked this up from the library yesterday (as well as a shiny new library card) and am about halfway through it now. I have to say... thought it'd be a bit more exciting. But there's something nice about picking up a Pullman story. He's very consistent in his story-telling tone and having listened to him read from HDM in the audiobooks as well as a number of interviews over the years, I feel like I can hear his voice in my head when I am reading his work. This one reminds me more of his fairytales that are marketed to younger audiences.

How does it compare with Monty Python's Life Of Brian?

i've never actually watched/finished life of brian front to back, but pullman isn't quite monty python.

Nowhere near as good, I promise you.

I didn't find it that entertaining. The book kind of dragged on a bit, and wasn't that different from reading bible stories. I did get a little interested towards the climax/end of the story, which I guess is what Pullman was getting at. But for most of the book, I wasn't all that enamoured.

However, maybe that's just me. A lot of people seem to have a lot to say about it - and many people do seem to like it. It does have a few good lines.

perhaps that's what i mean by not that exciting.

actually, our favourite author becomes a preachy atheist sometimes, and it shows a little bit.

[edit] that was actually kind of underwhelming. o well.

I just finished the book and I didn't find it that attractive either, it was more like light reading. I think I know why. I wanted a story like the ones he tells in other books, with explanations and visualised motivations throughout, a developed plot, more insightful passages for the characters, more descriptions of actions. The style puzzled me, I couldn't pinpoint what it was and I thank Kansas Person for giving it a name: bible passages.

I don't dislike it, I just wish there was more to it. It's a swift story, easy to read that has no actual twists or conundrums. The language also surprised me, it's simple, modern English, even using very English expressions for the speeches, I wasn't expecting that. It's a simple story told for simple understanding, perhaps too simple because I got used to complex plots in what I read and this has nothing elaborate in it.

To tell the truth, I prefer Anne Rice's Christ books as an interpretation of the words in the Gospels. I can't find much to interpret in this one, I think not even Pullman knew how to write his views on what he can't believe any longer and that's why it looks so lacking in conviction.

I've just downloaded it on my kindle and plan to read it, I'll come back to this when I do - bit of a pointless post, I know, sorry!