I've always wondered about Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy versus C.S. Lewis Narnia books. I've read neither, although I understood that the Narnia books were meant to be understood as a Christian metaphor. The only Lewis book I've "read" is a narration by John Cleese of The Screwtape Letters - I enjoyed that, although I'm not sure how much of that was due to Cleese or to Lewis. Likewise, I've heard that the Dark Materials books have encountered a lot of opposition from organized religion, which I supposed is where the banned/supressed aspect comes in.
Can anyone who has read both series comment on how they compare, both as fantasies and ideologically?
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