Hmm

Well I’ve just, finally, seen The Golden Compass film. I’m behind the times, I know, but do you know what, I could have waited a lot longer. Not too impressed at all*. I know it’s a big job turning a book into a film, and I understand that the two are different media, but, well, I don’t know. I just don’t feel like it worked. It never settled, never focused on a character or gave me a reason to care and on a number of times understand what was going on. If the book was a terrific, exciting, intoxicating journey, walking through lush countryside, smelling its smells, scaling mountains, trudging through snow (etc etc) the film felt like being driven down a motorway, probably sitting in the back seat.

* This laryngitis may have just made me grouchy.

***

This, however, is very good (courtesy of Roger). I imagine it might strike a chord with other writers out there.

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Nik Perring is a short story writer, author, teacher of writing, and editor from the UK. His books include the widely celebrated Not So Perfect (Roastbooks, 2010), and A Book of Beautiful Words (2014). He co-wrote Freaks! (TFP/HarperCollins 2012), and A Book of Beautiful Trees is out in 2015.

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  1. Aaahg – what’s wrong with Blogger?I feel all anxious after watching that, and I haven’t even got an agent, let alone a book…I haven’t seen The Golden Compass (but then I dislike Philip Pullman). Waiting till films hit T.V. works for me.Sad.

  2. Oh I don’t think you need to feel anxious. It’s common sense stuff really. And you’ve already ticked the website and blog boxes. It’s interesting to see just how many good authors don’t have websites.And you’ve got me all curious about Mr Pullman; why the dislike?Nik

  3. Forgot to ask Nik – do you mind if I put that clip on my blog over the next couple of days (with credit to you of course:-)

  4. Course I don’t mind, Lane. If there’s ever anything here you want to reproduce you’re welcome to, and that goes for everyone.Hope you’re readers enjoy!And thanks for asking btw, though you really didn’t need to.Nik x

  5. Hi NikI made my feelings about The Golden Compass known in my review. Great book – a deeply, and disappointingly, average movie. Ah well, maybe they’ll make it up with The Subtle Knife…JB

  6. It’s the lack of humour in Pullman’s stories that I dislike, mainly; by the time I got to The Amber Spyglass I’d had enough, and was skipping madly to get to the end.

  7. Fair enough, and you’re not the first person to say that to me. Personally, I loved that it was all so serious and dramatic. Just goes to show that such a ‘great book’ can’t please everybody, and I think there’s a lesson in that! ;)N

  8. Yay! Return of the Welshcake! Does this mean the testcard’s coming down?I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t recommend you bothered with the film. Lyra, Asriel, Coulter and Lee were played excellently but that’s about it. Very disappointed, I was.

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