Entertainment

How the BBC is nailing (and failing) His Dark Materials

For the past month or so, my Sunday evenings have revolved around watching the new TV adaptation of His Dark Materials on the BBC. This has meant that I've discovered previously unknown levels of cosiness - sofa, blanket, cup of tea, and a pre-teen girl riding a polar bear across a snowy wasteland - and… Continue reading How the BBC is nailing (and failing) His Dark Materials

Science

Science is a really, really good story

I read two essays by Philip Pullman this morning, from his collection Daemon Voices. The essays were 'Soft Beulah's Night', about William Blake and the importance of magic, and 'Writing Fantasy Realistically', about how fantasy is 'a load of old cobblers' unless it serves the purpose of realism. Reading these two essays, back to back,… Continue reading Science is a really, really good story