In the His Dark Materials trilogy, master storyteller Philip Pullman crafts an astonishing universe made up of armored bears, Gallivespian spies and a knife that can cut into other worlds, just to name a few of its magical aspects. But even though Pullman’s world might seem like pure fantasy, renowned British science writers John and Mary Gribbin prove that much of Pullman’s world is based on scientific fact.
The authors expose the true nature of Dust, explain the importance of Lord Asriel’s Northern Lights and reveal the scientific basis for the seemingly magical instruments used throughout the series, such as Lyra’s alethiometer, Will’s subtle knife and Mary’s amber spyglass. Readers may be astonished to learn that parallel universes are the stuff of hard science, not just science fiction. And even the mulefa, the deer-like creatures who travel on wheels in the books, have their basis in scientific theory.
The Gribbins make mind-boggling science concepts easy to swallow, and Pullman fans will find it hard to stop reading after the last page.
DweebMeter: 3.5/5
