The Golden Compass
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) Philip Pullman,
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
ISBN: 0440238137
Edition: Paperback; 2003-09-09
Summary:
Some books improve with age--the age of the reader, that is. Such is
certainly the case with Philip Pullman's heroic, at times
heart-wrenching novel, The Golden Compass, a story ostensibly for
children but one perhaps even better appreciated by adults. The
protagonist of this complex fantasy is young Lyra Belacqua, a
precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Oxford
University. But it quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not
precisely like our own--nor is her world. For one thing, people there
each have a personal dæmon, the manifestation of their soul in
animal form. For another, hers is a universe in which science,
theology, and magic are closely allied: As for what experimental
theology was, Lyra had no more idea than the urchins. She had formed
the notion that it was concerned with magic, with the movements of
the stars and planets, with tiny particles of matter, but that was
guesswork, really. Probably the stars had dæmons just as humans
did, and experimental theology involved talking to them. Not that
Lyra spends much time worrying about it; what she likes best is
"clambering over the College roofs with Roger the kitchen boy who was
her particular friend, to spit plum stones on the heads of passing
Scholars or to hoot like owls outside a window where a tutorial was
going on, or racing through the narrow streets, or stealing apples
from the market, or waging war." But Lyra's carefree existence
changes forever when she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, first
prevent an assassination attempt against her uncle, the powerful Lord
Asriel, and then overhear a secret discussion about a mysterious
entity known as Dust. Soon she and Pan are swept up in a dangerous
game involving disappearing children, a beautiful woman with a golden
monkey dæmon, a trip to the far north, and a set of allies
ranging from "gyptians" to witches to an armor-clad polar bear. In
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman has written a masterpiece that
transcends genre. It is a children's book that will appeal to adults,
a fantasy novel that will charm even the most hardened realist. Best
of all, the author doesn't speak down to his audience, nor does he
pull his punches; there is genuine terror in this book, and
heartbreak, betrayal, and loss. There is also love, loyalty, and an
abiding morality that infuses the story but never overwhelms it. This
is one of those rare novels that one wishes would never end.
Fortunately, its sequel, The Subtle Knife, will help put off that
inevitability for a while longer. --Alix Wilber
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