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Sunday, May 17, 2020

Book Reviewed: The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth, by Philip Pullman

Demon Voices

This is a fictionalized book about mind and its fascination with demons. The physical manifestation of a person’s consciousness is duplicated in the form of a demon represented by an animal. The lead character of the story is Lyra, and her demon is called Pan. They exist as separate entities and hence can leave each other or be associated with someone else! The trilogy begins with a story of two children, Lyra and Will who cross into two parallel worlds and lost forever. The author narrates this story that combines theology, physics, neuroscience, and with the poetry of William Blake and John Milton. Adding to this confusion, he introduces demons which is born out of human psychology. Depression and addiction are examples.

The author is Eurocentric. He does not go beyond the rim of Christian theology. If the author is trying to relate consciousness with laws of physics and biological mechanisms, he must explore physical reality like a philosopher and a scientist. In his recent interview with journal “New Scientist” he freely criticizes scientists for focusing on mathematics and physical theories without a holistic approach about consciousness. He asks, how does consciousness emerge from organic matter? But he does not resolve this question with his futuristic novel that drags readers into array of bizarre episodes. The story is about Lyra who is in pursuit of a dangerous theism. There is graphic violence, rape, and Lyra’s sexuality. She seeks out the company of men who are not attractive, because she feels uncomfortable for being unfaithful to her boyfriend lost to a parallel world! What is the point of this story? The author’s work is hyped up by the media and some clever marketing tools.

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