Welcome to bartiforums DeskRage!DeskRage wrote:Definitely appears to be the UK cover. The Phoenix thing is clearly in the style of the American ones.
Thanks.nathanielandbartimaeus wrote:Welcome to bartiforums DeskRage!DeskRage wrote:Definitely appears to be the UK cover. The Phoenix thing is clearly in the style of the American ones.
I'm really glad I get the UK ones. It looks even better than the Heroes of the Valley cover. Which was my previous best.
And Chiz, you might try winning that competition. They might give you a UK copy as that is releasing first.
This is the greatest introductory post I've seen.DeskRage wrote:Definitely appears to be the UK cover. The Phoenix thing is clearly in the style of the American ones.
As for objections with the church concerning the nature of the books, it is typically post-menopausal church ladies/soccer moms and/or preachers who haven't actually read the books in question that have a problem with it. For example, they might go bananas when it is suggested that a book like this might be represented in a private school library, but don't mind when books like the Golden Compass go in.
Most other Christians don't really care. Plenty enjoy the books with gusto and laud them as their favorites. Frankly, to be offended by the use of the word "demon" is foolishness incarnate--not just because the definition of the word and its use in context is completely different from a spirit of hell, but also because the point of such a word is to illustrate the attitudes of the nasty humans dragging them out of their home in the first place.
I agree. I'm Catholic, and there's really nothing to be offended about in the series 'cause its not like Jonathan Stroud is trying to convince the reader that, as an example, Solomon had the help of djinn not God. Thats a seperate point from what you were talking about, of course, but the same idea that there is no religious objection to the series.DeskRage wrote:Definitely appears to be the UK cover. The Phoenix thing is clearly in the style of the American ones.
As for objections with the church concerning the nature of the books, it is typically post-menopausal church ladies/soccer moms and/or preachers who haven't actually read the books in question that have a problem with it. For example, they might go bananas when it is suggested that a book like this might be represented in a private school library, but don't mind when books like the Golden Compass go in.
Most other Christians don't really care. Plenty enjoy the books with gusto and laud them as their favorites. Frankly, to be offended by the use of the word "demon" is foolishness incarnate--not just because the definition of the word and its use in context is completely different from a spirit of hell, but also because the point of such a word is to illustrate the attitudes of the nasty humans dragging them out of their home in the first place.
QFTDansariki wrote:This is the greatest introductory post I've seen.DeskRage wrote:Definitely appears to be the UK cover. The Phoenix thing is clearly in the style of the American ones.
As for objections with the church concerning the nature of the books, it is typically post-menopausal church ladies/soccer moms and/or preachers who haven't actually read the books in question that have a problem with it. For example, they might go bananas when it is suggested that a book like this might be represented in a private school library, but don't mind when books like the Golden Compass go in.
Most other Christians don't really care. Plenty enjoy the books with gusto and laud them as their favorites. Frankly, to be offended by the use of the word "demon" is foolishness incarnate--not just because the definition of the word and its use in context is completely different from a spirit of hell, but also because the point of such a word is to illustrate the attitudes of the nasty humans dragging them out of their home in the first place.
cabbagenathanielandbartimaeus wrote:Er, you are talking about DeskRage? It is she.
I think the problem is more with adults who refuse to even consider things because they're categorised as "children's". I mean, you can see why the books are labelled that by the marketers - they don't want to put kids (or more accurately, kids' parents, in my experience - it never bothered me reading adults' books...) off them. One of the things I think Harry Potter did quite well was making it more socially acceptable for adults to be reading kids' books.DeskRage wrote:I find it terribly depressing when books like these get lumped into "children's literature". I mean, granted they're relatively easy reads, but the lack of any definite, black/white moral stance concerning its characters is quite uncommon and complex. And frankly, the idea that they're just for kids if just kind of silly. Who else but fairly well-educated teenagers and adults are going to get jokes/references to fairly obscure characters in history? Remember the Tycho Brahe jokes? What kid would even know about that? Same with the Gilgamesh and even Gladstone/Disraeli stuff. It's a shame they have to pidgeonhole such a book as this, but such are the marketing suits. -eyeroll- In any case, I find that as an adult I can appreciate the books a whole lot better.
