The skill of Philip Pullman as a writer that has garnered his success, is perhaps his fluid ability to hone his works to appeal to children, yet still be stirring for adults who get equally entranced by his epic tales. This skill was perhaps finessed during Pullman's career working as a teacher, as well as teaching teachers to teach. His passionate love of the English language and literature, enamored by masterpieces such as Milton's Paradise Lost and Coleridge's epic Poem The Ancient Mariner, unbeknownst even perhaps to himself, sowed the fertile seeds for the great children's fantasy novels he would eventually write.

Initially, it could be said he cast his net too wide his output included works aimed distinctly at either adults or children, although his talent for crafting plays that could be enjoyed in school by both the adults and children gained him success and publication of such works as 'Ruby in the Smoke'. Although enjoyable these pale besides The Northern Lights series of books that would gain him his most outstanding critical acclaim, winning such accolades as the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Book Prize, The 2001 Whitbread book of thbe year award as well as a suprising nomination for a children's book, for the greatly respected Booker Prize.

Since these novels were published in the early 2000's we have journeyed with Lyra many times as we continued her story through the epic creation that began with Northern Lights, His Dark Materials and led to other companion novels as the world fell in love with his character Lyra and her riveting journey through life in her strange world.

The books have been broadly adapted into TV, Radio and Film with great success, cementing their position as modern day classics of children's fantasy fiction, that due to Pullman's supreme skill and passion as a writer, endure in their appeal to both children and adults.