Looking for more books like his dark materials?
Some books remain popular for a reason. they are well written, have memorable characters and are full of fantastic settings. The first book in its dark materials hit the shelves in 1995 with Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in North America). this was followed by the subtle knife in 1997 and the amber spyglass in 2000.
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The story follows Lyra Belacqa, a 12-year-old girl living in an alternate version of our own world, as she slowly uncovers a conspiracy to dominate people’s souls by the ruling theocracy (the magisterium, also known as like “the church”. In the world of lyra, your soul lives outside your body in the form of a demon. You can talk to it, and it changes shape regularly until you mature when the soul settles into its final form.
What makes these books great is the imagination on display. pullman expertly posits worlds very much like our own, and some that are wildly different and terrifying (see the subtle knife). Lyra remains one of the best main characters in children’s and young adult fiction, and she has far more agency and color than other popular children’s fiction characters.
however, if you’ve already read his dark materials, what other books can satiate your soul?
8 books as his dark materials
the invisible library, by genevieve cogman
books like their dark materials enjoy immersing the reader in familiar but different realities. in the series the invisible library, we follow irene, a professional agent of ‘the library’, a place that collects and retrieves fiction from different realities.
Magical and supernatural creatures (including dragons and fairies) fill the realities that irene has to cross to function as a librarian. What I love most about this series is the sense of unbridled joy that pervades Cogman’s writing. Irene is cunning and intelligent, but she has her own flaws and can often be impetuous in her efforts to help the library.
the library itself is dark and bright at the same time. sometimes endless, but familiar enough to provide a sense of comfort to anyone who loves libraries. Memorable characters, amazing worlds, and a love of books that would be hard to find in other fantasy novels, The Unseen Library is something to read.
arcadia, by iain pears
parallel world and realities are dime books as his dark materials. however, arcadia doesn’t just spin the penny; throw a whole bag of coins into the mix. one of the most spectacular and exciting espionage stories mixes with fantasy in arcadia.
It begins when Rosie becomes a confidant of her neighbor, Professor Henry Lytten. Henry is writing a fantasy novel that imagines a world less tense than the Cold War era he and Rosie live in. Later, Rosie stumbles upon the same fantasy world she’s been writing Lytten about when she chases Lytten’s cat into his basement.
This is just the beginning of what becomes a complex and wonderful Shakespearean espionage romantic thriller. politics, historical espionage fiction, dystopian futures, time travel… if you’re not hooked yet, you never will be. a delight from start to finish.
doomsday book, by connie willis
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books similar to his dark materials often have a strong female main character as lyra. On Doomsday, we follow Kivrin, a young time-travelling archaeologist busy preparing an on-site study of the 14th century.
Things go awry when Kivrin is stranded in the past while her instructors and teammates try to rescue her. She must overcome the superstition and fear prevalent in the 14th century if she is to survive, but could she, too, spark some hope in a dark and difficult time?
This is a wonderful story adventure from start to finish, filtered across fact, fiction, and the complex darkness in between. Kivrin is forced to think about her feet when she is cut off from her support, becoming our conduit through which we see 14th-century England in a way we don’t know in history. Middle English doesn’t sound quite the way we’d hoped, and the realities of plague and political trouble are very much in the offing.
At its heart, doomsday is a joyous leap into the past and a book that reminds us that history is an adventure in itself.
the library of the unwritten, by a.j. hackworth
every writer I know has unfinished business. the library of hell is another series like his dark materials that delights in playing with reality. the library of the unwritten will make every writer squirm and mourn all the lost stories we abandon each year.
Claire is the head librarian of the unwritten wing, a quiet place in hell where every story resides unfinished by its author. Claire’s job is to keep the library in order. make sure none of the restless stories materialize as characters and escape. Then a hero manages to escape from her unfinished book and Claire must track and capture him with only a nervous demon and an assistant to help.
This is a very imaginative and, to me, uncomfortable story about all the stories we leave unfinished as writers. Claire is a strong protagonist and the characters of Brevity and Andras are a joy to read. Dive into hell if you dare!
the wild beauty, by philip pullman
Away from the noise of the television adaptation of his dark materials, you can find this prequel novel.
la belle sauvage brings us the story of how lyra ended up gaining academic sanctuary at oxford university. Going back in time before the events of his landmark success story can be dangerous, but Pullman treats us to a slow-paced story that reintroduces all the elements we came to love in his Dark Materials.
malcolm is also the perfect protagonist for this story. an ordinary boy who gets swept up on a magical adventure as he strives to protect baby lyra and her demon from malevolent forces determined to take the child.
what better way to find books like the golden compass than one that takes place in the world itself?
the magician’s nephew, by c.s. louis
the grandfather of modern children’s fantasy and parallel worlds, c.s. Lewis is best remembered as the author of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but The Wizard’s Nephew takes place before those events, giving us Digry and Polly as the main characters.
this story tells us the story of how narnia was created, some more background on jadis (the white witch) and how that lamppost ended up in the middle of a snowy forest in narnia. Parallel worlds abound in this story, with Digory and Polly visiting several before coming to witness the creation of Narnia.
Magical, fun, and full of adventure, The Magician’s Nephew is the perfect read for fans of his Dark Materials.
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Have you already read this book? check out our list for more books like the chronicles of narnia!
a wrinkle in time, by madeleine l’engle
First quintet of the era, this wonderful children’s fantasy debuted in 1963. This book is often cited as one of the books that encouraged a generation of children to pick up a pencil and write fantasy stories.
The reason books like The Golden Compass and his Dark Materials series sell so well is because they don’t treat their readers like idiots. children are much smarter than adults think. a wrinkle in time is no different. it works on the assumption that its mainly young audience can find out what’s going on without having to use the handheld all the time.
meg is a brilliantly designed character. she feels real. When that stranger first shows up on her doorstep and asks Meg to join them on an adventure that threatens the universe, she feels Meg’s wonder and fear. many very intelligent and successful women grew up under the spell of the tale of l’engle.
A loving and intelligent read for anyone who likes to question our place in the universe.
the shadow of the wind, by carlos ruiz zafón (translated by lucia tumbas)
books like his dark materials force us to question authorities who claim they only have our best interests at heart. In the shadow of the wind , we follow Daniel, the son of an antiquarian bookseller, who is still in mourning for the loss of his mother. Daniel finds solace in a book called The Shadow of the Wind, but when he tries to find the author’s other books, he discovers that someone is systematically destroying every copy.
Set in Barcelona in 1945, the backdrop to this story is a worn and tired city trying to recover from its war wounds. Daniel’s search is intriguing and painful at the same time. Trying to find answers to why someone would want to destroy meaningless books is always convincing (see Fahrenheit 451) and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books is an exceptional work of imagination.
fans of the pullman trilogy will love it.
Have you already read this book? check out our list for more books like the shadow of the wind!
books like their dark materials are not afraid to challenge and provoke the reader’s mind. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the titles above, but if you think we’ve missed some key titles, let us know in the comments below.
Looking for more books like his dark materials? Do you have any recommendations that are not on the list? tell us in the comments!
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