Author: Phillip Pullman
Status: Purchased Kindle Version 10/16/10 on vacation
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Goodreads Info:
In a landmark epic of fantasy and storytelling, Philip Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea, or Redwall. Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called "Gobblers"—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved.
"His Dark Materials" is listed on my reading list, so I decided to check it out. After a quick google, I learned that this is actually a trilogy which includes "The Golden Compass." Reading three books in order to cross off one book on my reading list is a bit frustrating, but I was still happy to find learn that this was "required" reading, since I had heard that these books were very controversial. In fact, I remember reading a memo a few years back about how "The Golden Compass" had anti-religious messages in it.
Although usually I like to read the book before seeing the movie, I saw this movie (with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig) a few years ago. So it was a nice change reading through the book and visualizing all of the actors and scenes from the movie.
I didn't really notice any controversial concepts in this first book. In fact, I was entertained by this quick read. Looking forward to checking out the next books...
Rating 4/5
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