His Dark Materials is the latest book to be turned into a tv series - and it’s not the first time, either. Phillip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy has already been adapted for the big screen, but the new series seems to be succeeding where The Golden Compass failed. One of the major areas where the two adaptations differ, of course, is in how faithful they are the original source material. Although His Dark Materials is faithful to the heart of the books, it is happy to take liberties when it comes to specific plot points - whatever it takes to translate the story in the best way possible.
While there are plenty of minor moments that the series changes or leaves out, there are definitely some bigger ones that will make book purists gnash their teeth - and these are the ten biggest changes from book to screen.
The Alethiometer
‘The Golden Compass’ is the name of the first book in the original trilogy, and it’s one of the most important items in the series. However, the Alethiometer (the real name for the golden compass) is a little bit different in His Dark Materials. For one thing, it’s square, rather than round - a minor cosmetic difference - and includes an extra engraving, of the last name of the Alethiometer’s inventor. This may be an aesthetic addition, or it may mean that the provenance of the device is more important in the series. However, there is one other major difference - in the series, the Alethiometer is actually illegal, whereas in the original books, it is only rare.
Mrs. Coulter And Her Daemon
At first, it seems as though Mrs. Coulter and her daemon are just like they are in the books - a beautiful woman and a golden monkey. However, as the show has progressed, it has become apparent that there is one major difference: the series version of Mrs. Coulter is severed from her daemon. In the books, this is something done experimentally with children and adults in the North, but in the series, Mrs. Coulter can go far from her daemon, and doesn’t feel pain when he does (as evidenced by her hitting him).
Will’s World
In the books, the only ‘other world’ introduced in the first book is theoretical - the city in the lights, or the worlds talked about by a witch’s daemon. However, in the series, the ability to pass between the worlds is introduced in only the second episode, when Lord Boreal crosses over into Will’s world (and not for the first time). This is a wildly different way to introduce Will’s world - not just in terms of timing, but in terms of making Will the central figure of this very different Oxford.
The Reporter’s Daemon
In the books and in the series, Lyra meets an interesting woman at Mrs. Coulter’s cocktail party - a journalist with a butterfly daemon. In the books, however, her encounter is very different. She first sees the woman when she is flirting with a man, and it is this conversation that reveals to Lyra that her mother is involved with the Gobblers.
Although the woman tries to ask her more questions, she is kicked out of the party by Mrs. Coulter. In the series, however, the reporter’s fate is far worse. Instead of simply leaving (and ruining her career, from the sounds of Mrs. Coulter’s threats), Lord Boreal escorts her into his car… and crushes her daemon, killing her instantly.
Touching Daemons
Another difference that is clearly seen in the moment that Boreal crushes the reporter’s daemon is the difference in the prohibition on touching daemons in Lyra’s world. In the books, this is so ingrained that no human would ever touch another’s daemon, and vice versa. Even when Lyra is attacked, and Pantalaimon could change into a bear and kill the attacker, he cannot - it’s just too taboo. However, in the series, this seems lessened. While people don’t habitually touch other daemons, it seems that Boreal has no issue with it - and Mrs. Coulter is later seen being attacked by a bird-daemon when the Gyptians break into her home.
The Opening Scene
The books open with Lyra sneaking into the Retiring Room at Jordan College, ready to spy on the scholars. This scene does come at the start of the series, but first we see her being delivered to Jordan College as a baby, during the Great Flood.
This scene does actually happen (sort of) in the books - but not in the original trilogy. It is part of La Belle Sauvage, one of a follow-up series that covers Lyra’s earliest history.
The Gyptian Ceremony
The time when a daemon settles on a form is a big deal, in both the series and the books - but the series has created an entirely new ceremony to mark this moment. In His Dark Materials, there is a Gyptian ceremony where everyone celebrates the time that a young person’s daemon settles. Of course, this is a great way to bring up this element of the mythology, so it makes sense to add to the series, but it definitely doesn’t exist in the books.
The Magisterium/Scholastic Sanctuary
While the Magisterium is a looming presence in both the original series and the TV version, there’s no denying that they are significantly more powerful (and dangerous) on the small screen. While the books don’t see the Magisterium much more than mentioned in the first book, the series jumps straight in with introducing major characters, intensifying Mrs. Coulter’s connections to them, and giving them far more legal standing in this world. Anything that goes against the Magisterium is illegal, and only colleges have the ability to even ask questions, thanks to the new invention of ‘scholastic sanctuary’.
Billy Costa/Tony Makarios
It’s not uncommon for adaptations to combine two or more characters to make life a little easier - and that seems to be what His Dark Materials has done with Billy Costa and Tony Makarios. In the books, these are two distinct characters, both of whom are taken by the Gobblers - Billy is the Gyptian connection to the Gobblers, and Tony shows the reader how Mrs. Coulter tempts children away. However, in the series, Billy is introduced with a daemon named ‘Ratter’ - the name of Tony’s daemon - and Tony is nowhere to be seen.
The Journey North
The entire first book of the series focuses on the journey North - and even here, there are some major changes made. First up, in the books, Lyra has no initial intentions of taking Roger with her (she actually forgets about him for a little while there!), but in the series, they discuss it several times, and she asks to take him. Later, she finds maps and plans in Mrs. Coutler’s apartment, and the Gyptians break in to steal them - giving them an idea of where to go… whereas the book just sees them going blindly ‘North’.
