As more of these guides to His Dark Materials are published, its good to see that they're covering more and more material. 'Dark Matter' by Tony Watkins (published by Damaris) is the first of the books to really go in depth into the more controversial issues raised by His Dark Materials. He looks at the series from the perspective of a Christian who deeply enjoyed His Dark Materials, and is willing to tackle some of the questions that Pullman raises. While some of the earlier guide books have presented just the facts about the books, just going through and reciting the storyline without adding much commentary, Watkins has provided some excellent analysis that will be insightful to new readers and long-time fans alike. There are extensive footnotes throughout the text that are useful in following up on some of the information and quotes he uses, as well as an appendix on the science in the trilogy.

The book is divided into three parts: the first four chapters are about Philip Pullman, his beliefs, what influenced him etc; the next four chapters look at the three books individually, along with Lyra's Oxford, the stage play, plans for the Book of Dust, and a short bit about the movie; the final six chapters discuss the big issues of the trilogy, such as growing up, Dust/Sin/the Fall, the Magisterium and portrayal of religion, and the idea of a Republic of Heaven. Some readers might have expected Watkins to condemn parts of the trilogy because of his Christianity, but he is successful in portraying both his enjoyment of the story as a whole and his respectful disagreement on a few issues which are all handled tactfully.

Purchase information, along with an all-new interview with Philip Pullman conducted by Tony Watkins, can be found at http://www.damaris.org/pullman.