[.ca] The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials (ISBN 0375831444)

Not so shallow:
I couldn't agree less with the previous reviewer. I don't think this book is shallow at all, and certainly not misleding! It may be too deep for ten year olds, but it is accurate, informative and fun. As an adult, I prefer the Gribbins' adult books. But my niece loves this. If you don't know anything about quantum physics and dark matter, but do know the Pullman trilogy, this is a great book to move on to.

Awkward at best:
Mary and John Gribbin tried in their book, The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, to tackle many complicated concepts such as quantum physics, dark matter and the unconscious mind found in Philip Pullman's the Golden Compass, the Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass. They tried to present the information in a reader friendly way but unfortunately the attempt fell flat on its face. The book is structured in everyway like a popular science book for adults yet the information presented is very shallow and is at times extremely misleading. It often says things like "the rules are very complicated and we don't have room to explain here" or "but the details don't matter here." It is awkward because for someone who does know a little bit about the contents of the book, the book is very superficial and is unsatisfying because it touches each topic briefly and barely skims the surface before moving on. However, on the other hand, if it was being read by a nine or ten-year-old (the audience that the authors are probably writing to), the text is too dense and the smattering of complicated concepts presented are not at all well explained. I read Philip Pullman's His Dark Material series when I was around ten and love it. However, as a teen reading this book, I couldn't help but cringe through it, reading on only hoping it will get better. However, the feeling I was left with after finishing the book was as if I was forced to sit through kindergarten again and by patronized by the teacher. This book, unlike the series it is based on, is purely kiddy reading and is not something I would recommend to anyone above 12.