Daemon Voices

On Stories and Storytelling

By: Philip Pullman

Narrated by: Philip Pullman, Simon Mason

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.

The most cogent book on writing.

The best collection of this author’s thoughts spanning the years of all six of His Dark Materials. Mostly lectures and essays gathered together and divided into categories, not in linear progression.
I learned about the man who could create the most illuminating books in my library. I will return to them often, along with this essential companion book.

Fascinating

A really interesting take on the art of writing, combined with the insights of a brilliant man.

Great performance by the Author

Loved hearing Phillip Pullman read his own essays. It was like being at his talks!

Read it. You don't have to agree with it.

An essential book about story telling and the art of literature. You don't have to agree everything he says but you have to think about it.

Challenging, thoughtful literary journey

I personally loved listening the Philip Pullman reread/retell/regive his lectures and essays. He has a compelling voice that is enhanced by his thoughtful, well-read, well-crafted prose. If he read this review he'd probably cynically chide me for a gushing review, but I respectfully reserve the right to give credit where credit is due. As a lifelong reader, writer, learner and thinker, Pullman's critical, brutal honesty about and genuine love of storytelling and the craft challenge my notions of what it means to craft a story, to me, to society, to the world, to time. His references to classical literature are stark contrasts to what he's known for (children's literature) and this juxatposition challenges the listener to break out of their notions about the genre. I also ppreciated his sharp criticism of the modern education system. Although I am an American, I can see the similarities. Finally, the works chosen for this compilation are especially timely. It was eerie to hear how much of Pullman's early warning echo into current times (end of 2018).