Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling Kindle Edition

I highly recommend this collection of essays about writing to anyone who might aspire to write or who is just interested in the process, or is a fan of Pullman's books. They are all intelligent and kind (not such a usual combination) . Each one opened a world of thinking.I only have one gripe - I share his dislike of stories that are full of trolls and fairies and elves and weird creatures that have no need to be but are a kind of hopping-on-the-bandwagon of fantasy fiction, but I don;t see that applies to Tolkein, who uses them as Pullman does, taking them from traditions of storytelling, like his witches, night ghasts and spectres. But that's just one of the many articles in the collection, and has good points of its own anyway.

So, I’ll start by saying that I have not read His Dark Materials, though the trilogy is now sitting on my ever-expanding reading pile. Nor have I read anything else of Philip Pullman’s. I decided to purchase Daemon Voices because, like any good writer, I am trying to get better at my craft. And I thought Mr. Pullman might be able to help. Well, he has—and brilliantly.This collection of essays is rich with storytelling examples taken from literature, art, and science. A former teacher, the author knows how to engage the reader without talking down. My only criticism is that he tends to go off on a tangent from time to time about his lack of belief in God or Satan, as though that has anything to do with the task at hand.That said, I consider this book a must-read for any author who wishes to better understand the difference between story and plot, fantasy and reality in fiction, and why anything beginning with “once upon a time” immediately captures our imagination. Well done, Mr. Pullman.

Erudite discussions on writing, literature and how they inform and are in formed by life. Much to take for the writer (especially the difference between the path and the forest), the reader (especially the defense of pictures in books), wrapping up with excellent observations on how art affects life and gives it meaning. I have taken much away from it.

The pleasure of Philip Pullman's company is irresistible. I am a theist and active in a Christian church, but that is completely compatible with Pullman's atheism. He makes goodness real, attractive, and achievable in both his fiction and these essays and addresses. If you love both nature and art, dive into his work and find your love shared and enhanced.

If you love Philip Pullman or storytelling or reading or writing or all four. These essays are priceless. One could basically take them as a guide for life.

love it. period

Phillip Pullman is a genius. I bought books he recommended and so appreciated his love of writing and that of the insights of children. Oh to attend one of his lectures one day . . .

Inspiring and intellectual. The essays in here demonstrate how much thought, craft, intelligence and heart goes into writing children's literature. Recommended for all writers, not just kidlit writers.

The hardback version has colour plates at the centre and is beautifully bound. It contains lectures and articles by Pullman about books and writing. There’s considerable repetition because these talks and essays were intended for different audiences, but rather than becoming boring, the repeated points help to reinforce important and recurring themes. Taken as a whole it is a feel good read for aspiring and accomplished authors. It talks of the importance of literature in people’s lives and the challenges many authors face, then dips into work by giants like Milton, Blake, George Elliot and Lewis Carroll to illustrate salient points. It discusses philosophy, religion, science, paintings, poetry and prose with an intelligent honesty that draws the reader in.The book concludes with the hopeful chapter “The Republic of Heaven” and a plea to all those of a humanist persuasion to keep pushing towards a secular paradise on Earth with acts of kindness, by finding our own connection with the world we are all a part of, and by creating and sharing our own myths and stories to bring truths and facts into alignment.

I've always greatly enjoyed the novels of Philip Pullman, and so I was interested to read this collection of essays and talks he's given over the years on the subject of storytelling.It's a beautifully produced and attractive hardback, well indexed, with material which covers a wide range of topics, from the art and craft of putting a story together to philosophical critique of subjects such as religion and education. Pullman has never made any secret of the fact that he is an atheist, though his original upbringing as an Anglican and grandson of a vicar means he is well-versed in the history and literature of the Christian faith.What marred the book just a little for me was the sometimes overbearing tone. Pullman is always entertaining and is nobody's idea of a zealot - indeed, he is an outspoken critic of fundamentalism in any form, whether religious or political. But he is opinionated, and although I found I could enjoy his insights without always agreeing with them, he can sometimes slip into a bit of a tub-thumping tone on matters he feels strongly about. Whether you agree with him or not - and I do, on many of his hobbyhorses, like his disgust with the National Curriculum in British schools - the forceful repetition can get a little wearying.More importantly, he does sometimes contradict himself without (apparently) noticing. He loves folk- and fairy tale, and happily accepts that the characters we encounter within them are not fully-rounded in the way that characters within a novel usually are. He accepts that this is integral to the working of the form - the characters stand for something rather than being realistic portraits of actual people. However, when moving on to a discussion of fantasy he dismisses much of the genre - including authors such as Tolkien - because their characters are not in his view sufficiently well-rounded psychologically. If that is the case, and I'd dispute it to some extent, it's for much the same reason - because Tolkien is closer to epic, saga and folk tale than he is to, say, the novels of George Eliot or Jane Austen.Despite this, and despite some repetitiveness in subject matter, the book is ultimately both enjoyable and instructive. It's great to have such a window into the workings of a creative mind, and where he's talking about authors he enjoys (Blake and Milton among them) his appreciation and passion are tangible and inspirational.

What an absolutely fabulous book. Daemon Voices: Essays on Storytelling is a beautifully written book about writing and literature, and how writers, particularly Pullman himself, shape and mould their text to produce such fine works of art that we all enjoy. Writer of the wonderful His Dark Materials, Pullman provides much wisdom about the art of storytelling. And although currently working my way through Daemon Voices, I haven’t come across anything yet that is uninteresting in the text. It is a wonderful book that provides great insights into the writer’s craft. Highly recommended.I hope you find my review helpful.

Very helpful if you are a budding storyteller, there are many self-help books out there to help writers of all ages with their craft, but Philip puts it totally in context with such wisdom and clarity, the maximum of never leaving the driving force of the PATH, it is so easy to get lost in the woods of poetic description, and of the sensations of the five senses, but, you have strayed from the PATH, the PATH that might make your story work, and you lost the slush editor's interest because you are lost, and he hasn't got the inclination or the time to find you, your story would never go into print, if you lost the editor, you would certainly lose the potential reader, all because you strayed from the driving force of the PATH.

An enjoyable read for those interested in Pullman's views on storytelling. Being made up of speeches, essays and forewords there is a degree of repetition, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, which is satisfyingly tactile (check out the quality of the bookcover and binding, it realy is first rate!). It is the sort of book that might lead you into exploring/re-exploring other books, and that has to be a good thing. I for one am planning to properly check out Paradise Lost, given Pullman's self-evident enthusiasm for it.A welcome addition to my bookshelf, and a sort of companion piece to the excellent "Into the Woods" by John Yorke.