Daemon Voices - by Philip Pullman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the internationally best-selling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, a spellbinding journey into the secrets of his art--the narratives that have shaped his vision, his experience of writing, and the keys to mastering the art of storytelling.

One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story--from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others--and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master, and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself.

Review Quotes

"These essays cast a spell. . . . To read them is to be invigorated by the company of a joyfully wide-ranging, endlessly curious and imaginative mind." --The New York Times Book Review

"Inspiration can be hard to come by, but on the pages of this essay collection, you can find it in long, deep, refreshing draughts. . . . The essays brim with joy and curiosity--about literature, storytelling, music, science, the universe, and humanity itself." --Laura Miller, Slate

"A splendid collection . . . literary insights that will enrich and inspire." --The Wall Street Journal

"[Daemon Voices] reads as if you're having a highly illuminating conversation with a genius about how the storytelling sausage is made. It's a portrait of a writer turned inside out, and anyone involved in the same endeavor will feel slightly less insane for having read it." --Santa Fe New Mexican

"Remarkably astute. . . . A wonderful distillation of decades of writing and thinking about what goes into storytelling. Like his best books, it has a richness of ideas in its wide breadth of topics and illuminating conclusions."--The A. V. Club

"Pullman offers meaty but always lucidly argued ruminations on the nature of story. . . . Infused with abundant wisdom, provocative notions, and illuminating insights." --Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"Pullman addresses 'the business of the storyteller' with the quiet confidence of a master craftsman sharing the tricks of his trade. . . . The essays delineate and defend the real work of fiction to nourish imagination, shape moral understanding, and, above all, delight. . . . The book is a toolbox stacked with generous, sensible advice." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling writers at work today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He lives in Oxford, England.

SIMON MASON writes books for both children and adults. His first adult novel won the Betty Trask First Novel award, while Moon Pie, a novel for young adults, was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize. Running Girl, his first Garvie Smith mystery novel, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book award. Kid got Shot, the second, won Crimefest's best Crime Novel for YA in 2017. Simon lives in Oxford, England.