The Collectors

A His Dark Materials Story

by ,
No cover

Philip Pullman, Bill Nighy: The Collectors (AudiobookFormat, 2014, Audible)

Audiobook

English language

Published Dec. 10, 2014 by Audible.

3 stars (1 review)

D'you - er - have you seen her before?' 'Yes. I know who she is.' 'But, Grinstead, this painting is seventy years old - probably nearer eighty! You're not being serious - I mean . . . What do you mean?'

On a dark winter's night in 1970, Horley and Grinstead huddle for warmth in the Senior Common Room of a college in Oxford. Conversation turns to the two impressive works of art that Horley has recently added to his collection.

What the two men don't know is that these pieces are connected in mysterious and improbable ways; and they are about to be caught in the cross-fire of a story which has travelled time and worlds.

3 editions

reviewed The Collectors by Philip Pullman

An intriguing short story

3 stars

The Collectors in an audio version read by Bill Nighy was Audible' Christmas gift to its members this year and I enjoyed Nighy's narration of the tale. It is a short story at only just over thirty minutes so there isn't much time for character development, but the language Pullman uses means that we do get amazingly detailed portrayals of people and places. His expert use of few words, perfectly chosen, is practically a masterclass! The suspense builds nicely and I liked the knowing nod to Lyra's alternate universe. The ending is expectedly bizarre for a seasonal horror tale, but I didn't really buy into it, hence the drop in stars. However a fun listen all the same. Thank you & Merry Christmas Audible!