Monday, June 14, 2010

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

I'm sorry to say this, but Philip Pullman's new novel, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, was such a huge disappointment. I loved The Golden Compass and was so hoping for another wonderful story, but this was soooo boring I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. I got the audio version, which Pullman narrates and is fantastic, but even that only got me about halfway through before I couldn't take it any longer. The premise is that Mary gave birth to twins, one named Jesus and the other Christ. Sounds interesting, no? I love new takes on old stories. But, ugh. It was so slow and dense and boring. I really wanted to like this book, but there was just nothing about it that I liked.

On a positive note, Philip Pullman is an extraordinarily talented narrator. I would put him up there with my favorites, Jim Dale, Scott Brick, and Kate Reading. His voice is just magical. He could make a living just narrating audiobooks. Maybe I'll start listening to His Dark Materials again.

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