The Golden Compass

I've had about a bazillion people tell me I need to read the His Dark Materials Trilogy. Supposedly, they're the best fantasy books out there. I'm not sure if I would go that far in expressing my appreciation of The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, but I did really enjoy the first installment of the three part series. The Golden Compass is about a young girl, Lyra, and her quest to save her best friend, who was captured by an intimidating, powerful and sickly cruel society. Along the way, she makes many intriguing friends. Her enemies, who were ambiguous at first, become more defined. The book is full of adventure, plot twists, and lots of lovable characters. It was a pure fantasy story. If fantasy's your thing, The Golden Compass is a must read. If not, I suggest you give it a try anyways. The book is very driven by emotions. I cried once or twice. The other two stories (The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) I have yet to finish. Based on The Golden Compass, I am very tempted to declare the series over-hyped, but I need to finish all three before I make that claim. The first book, though very good, did not live up to its praise. Keep in mind, these stories are geared towards children and I've kind of outgrown that age group. Maybe if I’d read the book when I was ten or eleven, it may have been as amazing as people say it is (not to say this book couldn't be enjoyed at all ages). I don't know. I really did love it, but be skeptical about what you hear from fans, and even me. You’re best bet would be to find out for yourself and read it.

This series has caused quite a bit of controversy in the church, which surprises me now that I've completed the first book. People have criticized that the books are anti-Christian. Based on The Golden Compass, these ideas are ridiculous because the book can (and was probably meant to) be seen as very pro-Christian theology. The church is not on the side of our hero, Lyra, but that doesn't imply Pullman was attempting to rob children of their faith. In the book, the church is suppressing children. This doesn't signify the church itself is evil; it means the church suppressing people is wrong. The Golden Compass does have many Christian themes throughout the story and I think if there's a point the Philip Pullman is trying to make about faith, it is more strongly presented in the pro-Christian light.

The Golden Compass has also been published under the alternate title The Northern Lights.

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