Sound Off in the Forum    Book cover art by Ericka O'Rourke &
Cliff Nielsen (left). Review © 2001 by Thomas M. Wagner.  Philip
Pullman's remarkable trilogy His Dark Materials are among those
rare books that bridge the gap between juvenile and adult
fiction, accessible to young readers while respecting their
intelligence, as well as the intelligence and sophistication of
adult readers who may be lured to the novels by the promise of
the evocation of lost childhood wonders. In many ways they read
like the elder siblings of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels,
though Pullman's fantasy is much less whimsical than Rowling's,
threatening to provoke the kinds of philosophical musings in
young minds that they aren't very likely to get from their
regular diet of escapism. But Pullman outdoes Rowling in the
high adventure department as well; the first novel of this
trilogy is a dazzling modern fantasy masterpiece by the
standards of any reader, of any age.  Set in a stunningly
realized world described as "like ours, bu