Customer Reviews
The First is the best!
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is a wonderful, edge-of your seat fantasy/adventure story set in a world parallel to our own. The hero of the book, Lyra Belacqua, and her daemon, Pan, orphaned residents of Oxford College, find themselves in the middle of a plot by the College and by the Church to discover the nature of Dust. A plot which means the death of many children, maybe even Lyra's!
Ostensibly a young adult fantasy novel, some of the issues and philosophies brought up in the book were more geared towards adults who have perhaps had World Philosophy 101 or Comparative Religion 101 in college. Written in Chapter Book format, The Golden Compass uses the third person narration technique, while also giving us first-person views into Lyra's thoughts.
The Golden Compass is set in a world parallel to our own, at Jordan College, where science, theology and magic and taught as one. Lyra Belaqua, orphan and ward of the Scholars of Oxford, and her daemon (in this world daemons are the physical manifestation of a person's soul. They can change their forms (usually animals) to reflect the mood or disposition of their "mate". They are not to be mistaken for demons, servants of evil.), Pantalaimon, are well-known among the people of oxford who regard her not only as a joy but as a major trouble-maker. Lyra becomes involved in a plot to uncover the nature of Dust (a supposedly evil substance that hovers near children and their daemons) when she runs afoul of The Gobblers - people who kidnap children and only children - who have taken her best friend, Roger. Things become worse when she is kidnapped by Mrs. Coulter, a woman who claims to be Lyra's mother.
Mrs. Coulter is a member of the Oblation Board - more famously known as The Gobblers - which has been kidnapping children and performing experiments on them, specifically severing the bond that exists between a human and its daemon. When the bond is severed the daemon disappears and the child dies soon afterwards. Mrs. Coulter and her group believe they are saving children by making them "immune" to Dust, and thereby killing them.
Working against the Board is Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel, a Scholar of Jordan and explorer. He believes he can find the source of Dust and make its power his own. While Lord Asriel is against Mrs. Coulter and the Board, he is not altogether on Lyra's side, either. Eventually, he traces the source of the Dust and uses its power to declare war on Heaven, opening a gateway to another dimension and stepping through it.
This is the first book in a trilogy (the sequels being The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass), and it derives its name from an artifact of power given to Lyra - an alethiometer, which can detect the truth of any situation. Lyra uses this "golden compass" to aid her friends - the witch queen Serafina Pekkala; Lee Scoresby, a Texan aeronaut; and Iorek Byrnison, a brave bear and king of his people - on her quest to save her uncle from Mrs. Coulter and find out what Dust really is.
The Golden Compass is not what many would consider an "instant children's classic" due to the heavy amounts of theology and mysticism presented therein. Many people may pick it up thinking they are getting a Harry Potter offshoot, but instead wind up with The Divine Comedy. It is abnormally dense for a young adult book, much denser than any of Philip Pullman's other books, and yet it contains themes that would be universally accessible - Trust, Adventure, Independence, Good vs. Evil., etc.
I found this to be totally fascinating and couldn't wait to find out if there really were worlds hidden behind the curtain of the Northern Lights, and if Dust was good or evil or just Natural. The problem, however, is that most teenagers are not equipped, I believe, to read and understand such dense riddles as The Nature of Life, The Universe and Everything, which is put forward in this book.
Contrariwise, there are some very powerful, non-cerebral, emotional moments in which the characters are not just "talking heads" but are "flesh and blood", fully developed people. This is the strength of Philip Pullman's writing - to have powerful characters that the audience can relate to and like and be engaged by.
Lyra is, of course, the most powerful of these characters, as she drives the entire plot along by her actions. She is a passionate girl who has deep seated feeling of compassion and anger and conscience and mischief. Do not expect her to be a "good little girl" who goes blithely to her destiny. Lyra confronts her fate as only a warrior could.
Among the many other human characters Pullman created in this world, there are a host of non-humans who are no less engaging than their mortal counterparts, and indeed are more interesting at times. We meet Sarafina Pekkala - the witch queen, who knows of Lyra's destiny and who proudly and bravely fights by her side; Iorek Bjornsen, deposed King of the Bears whose soul rests in his armor; and Pantalaimon, Lyra's Daemon, her soul and best friend in the world.
The Golden Compass is supposedly geared towards young adults, but the issues and theories dealt with in its pages are not (to my mind) easily understood by young adults. I have no doubt that the story and characters are intriguing, but the major conflicts that develops in the book - that of Lord Asriel declaring war on Heaven, Dust being Fallen Angels - may be to much like Paradise Lost for most teens to understand. The Devil may be in the details, but it's the Philosophy "there is no good or evil but what saying makes it so" wherein many characters "fall". The depth of The Golden Compass sets it apart from Harry Potter or even Buffy.
In conclusion, I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who is interested in pseudo-mystical, religious, fantasy thrillers. The plot is well developed, the characters are engaging, and even though it reads a bit "older" than Young Adult The Golden Compass is nevertheless fascinating. I enjoyed every page. My best friend would get a copy for their birthday.
An thrilling adventure, but not for everyone
Before reading this book, I admit I was both thrilled and frightened by the reviews given. I read it anyway, and I am glad I did.
The book features Lyra Belacqua, a 12-year-old living in a parallel universe that looks like our earth around 1880-1910. Most countries have counterparts there: England is very similar as is Oxford as well as Norway (spelled Norroway) and Svalbard. Tartars apparently rule over parts of Russia and offer their services for hire. There are gypsies (spelled gyptians); witches; and intelligent, armored bears.
All humans (but not bears, much to the chagrin of the bear king) have daemons: like intelligent, animal familiars, their "better half" so to speak.
When Lyra hides in a wardrobe and overhears her uncle, Lord Asriel, a powerful British noble, talk to his colleagues about his adventures in the North, she can't wait to go there. He isn;t so keen on her going there, and everyone seems plotting to keep her out of the action. Her guardian, the Master of Jordan College, gives her an alethiometer, a device that read the truth and answer seemingly any question she asks it. She is let go to serve Mrs. Coulter, the head of the Church's Oblation Board, but when Lyra finds out what her employer really does, she runs away to the gyptians who protect her. With the help of the gyptians John Faa and Farder Coram, they launch an expedition to the North to both recover children that have been stolen away and find Lord Asriel. In her final quest, Lyra gains the help of Texan (Texas is apparently and independent nation) aeronaut Lee Scoresby, armored bear prince Iorek Byrnison, and witch clan Queen Serafina Pekkala.
Important to the story is the concept of "dust:" elementary particles that exist inside people when they become adults (and their daemons settle on one form). The existence of daemons (in their linked forms) seems to have an effect on dust, too. What is this myserious dust and what has it to do with the Auroras and other worlds?
I really did like the story. Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, who could change shape (since her was the daemon of a child) were good characters (though not the best). Mrs. Coulter and her henchmen were properly despicable (especially that golden monkey daemon). Lord Asriel was properly mysterious (an excellent scholar; a lousy father). The geogragphy of the novel is very good -- I liked the settings and different lands. My favorite characters by far were Farder Coram and Iorek Byrnison. Lyra was OK, but that street slang grated on me (even though I know that it was just part of the setting). I have to admit that the way she tricked the bear king Raknuson into fighting Iorek was wonderful.
The book is a good story, but there are problems. I really didn't sympathize too much or like the characters, except Farder Coram and Iorek Byrnison. So many people were so selfish, but I guess that is the real world for you. Also, I agree with some reviewers that Lyra's world isn't too well fleshed out. Is their history similar in the past, too. What about the rest of the world? Also, what of the Church? It's based in Geneva? A Pope was named John Calvin? We have Protestant elements but still a unified church?
I agree that the "Church" in the book is very self-serving and reprehensible. If Church fathers were more like "Farder" Coram, the world would be a better place. Mrs. Coulter and the Oblation Board are so frightened of "dust." They equate it to "origianl sin" and seek to stamp it out my cutting the link between daemon and child. Lord Asriel believes the same only he seeks to step into another world where dust comes from and eliminate it there. Both are fools. People alienate themselves form God through their actions (sin). Some elementary dust is not going to do that! That attitude is just an attempt to avoid responsibility. So, Asriel is defested before he can begin. Dust is really good! Adults need to teach children and guide them to maturity, but just being an adult does not make one right.
Regarding those who felt that the book is anti-Christian, I am not so sure. The "church" in the book is not the same as that in our world or in reality. Even in this world, God can still be good. That is because the Bible, though inspired by God, was written by people with their own agendas. The Oblation Board has its own agenda: its concept of "God" is affected by the preverted beliefs of its members. So the true God still exists, and He has created dust which is just another manifestation of His power and glory. Unfortunately, neither Mrs. Coulter nor Lord Asriel have this proper understanding (nor does just about anyone in the story). The most noble characters are Farder Coram and Iorek Byrnison (Serafina Pekkala is noble enough, too). We will hope that Lyra will grown into a noble person.
Is this a children's book? No. It could be read by young adults, but adults would understand all the imagery better.
Read the book for its story, and take the theology with a grain of salt. I know that some of Pullman's thoughts bog the story down a bit (hence a lower star rating), but his other worlds do have potential. I hope he develops them better in the sequels.
And now for something different
If you're tired of the fantasy novels that don't seem to be able to leave Tolken behind, then brace yourself. This book is the start of something wonderfully different in the fantasy genre. This epic story has it all, magic, evil, goodness, innocence, and action. I was astounded at the intricate plot, wonderful imagery, and completely unique style. Hold on as you race through this one, because once you start you won't be able to put it down until you've read all three.
