His Dark Materials Alert!

If you know me, you would know that, for a few years, I was a tad obsessed with the series, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I just found the world he wrote fascinating and I enjoy reading something more "meaty", something that was lacking at the time in YA.

But now, today, Audible.co.uk has released a new short story from the His Dark Materials world/Lyra's Oxford, just in time for Christmas! The details for this new tale - The Collectors - is below as I have copied and pasted the Press Release (why keep it a secret from you guys?) but we have a new story, new characters, Bill Nighy reading it (OMG!) and it sounds very intriguied.

But most fans of this series will wonder (like I did) if this will have some connection to the long-fabled The Book of Dust that Mr Pullman has mentioned writing for the past few years now? Only time will tell (or the press release, if you believe THAT line...).

Oh, I hope to get my hands on a copy soon so, if all goes to plan, shall review this if/when I can...

And now, onto the press release!

Fans of the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy can return to Lyra’s Oxford this Christmas, as Audible.co.uk offers members the free gift of an exclusive new short story written by Philip Pullman and performed by Bill Nighy.

The Collectors is an original short story by one of the most well-loved and admired British novelists of recent times. It is available from 17 December as a free download for Audible members.

Set in the Senior Common Room of an Oxford college on a dark winter’s night, The Collectors follows the conversation of a pair of new characters, Horley and Grinstead, as they discuss two new works of art that Horley has added to his collection. Little do they know that these pieces are connected in mysterious and improbable ways, and that both of them are about to be caught in the crossfire of a story that has travelled through time and between worlds.

The Collectors marks the first time that Pullman has returned to the universe he created for the beloved His Dark Materials trilogy since the publication of Once Upon A Time in the North in 2008. Written exclusively for Audible as a standalone story, it introduces new listeners to the His Dark Materials books, while revealing a little something extra to fans of Lyra and her world.

The Collectors is narrated by Bill Nighy, the Golden Globe and BAFTA award-winning actor whose work on stage, screen and radio has included Love Actually, the Pirates of the Caribbean series and a multitude of TV, stage and radio appearances.

Laurence Howell, Audible’s director of editorial and merchandising said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our listeners another glimpse into the spellbinding world of the His Dark Materials trilogy. The Collectors is a perfect story for the Christmas season, written by a master of storytelling and narrated by the mellifluous voice of Bill Nighy. We love it and can’t wait to share it with our listeners.”