His Dark Materials: The Collectors

By: Philip Pullman

Narrated by: Bill Nighy

This companion story to His Dark Materials is a chilling Gothic tale with a revealing glimpse of the iconic Mrs. Coulter--one of Philip Pullman's most enigmatic characters.

In this darkly delicious tale, internationally acclaimed author Philip Pullman invites listeners to meet the mysterious girl who will one day become the sinister Mrs. Coulter.

On a cold winter's night, two art collectors are settled before a fire in the senior common room of a college in Oxford, discussing two new unusual pieces--a portrait of a striking young woman and a bronze sculpture of a fearsome monkey. How could they imagine that they are about to be caught in the cross-fire of a story that has traveled across time and worlds…

Watch the HBO adaptation of His Dark Materials, an original series starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dafne Keen, Andrew Scott, and Ruth Wilson!

Cover art: © Balthus, Portrait de la jeune fille en costume d'amazone, 1932 (modified 1982), Oil on canvas, private collection, 52 x 72 cm.

Critic reviews

"This elegant edition, with black-and-white linocut illustrations by Tom Duxbury, marks the print debut of Philip Pullman's gothic novella, which is about "the girl who will become the dangerous Mrs. Coulter" in His Dark Materials." —New York Times

"Readers will be left with a renewed appreciation for one of our most sublime storytellers." —Wall Street Journal

"The slow burn from curious mystery, to the increasingly darker and ultimately horrific ending, is the classic stuff of late night gothic. With Tom Duxbury’s lovely spare illustrations on nearly every page, The Collectors is a gorgeous visit to a much-loved literary landscape. It’s a quick read, but one to be savored, and certainly a treat worth indulging." —Locus

Chilling

A masterwork in Horror fiction. An absolute must companion piece to Northern Lights. A glance into the window of one of literature's most intriguing characters that makes me tremble.

Excellent

A very short little story that gives a very tiny ghostly glimpse into the afterlife of a very crafty Dark Materials character. It was very good but I wish it had been longer and given more detail! Alone it's like one of those three sentence horror stories that leaves more questions than answers. I do recommend this story!

A heart pounding 30 mins

I am convinced that Marisa Coulter will thrill and terrify readers until the end of time. She is quite possibly one of the most powerful characters I have ever come in contact with. This story was so unassuming yet captivating. Throw on top of that a wonderful performance by the incomparable Bill Nighy! Philip Pullman has my heart forever.

This is a short story.

Love Philip Pullman's storytelling and Bill Nighy's narration. Hate that it was not obvious that this was a very short story, which still cost one credit.