Nothern Lights or The Golden Compass

Northern Lights / The Golden Compass
Author: Phillip Pullman
Rating: 3.75/5.0


So as I told my friends as I read this book over the last week or so, I do believe I'm the last person who wanted to read this book, but still had not. I think I went into it with high expectations - of either fantasy like I've never read, or some kind crazy anti-religion zealousness. It wasn't really either, but it was still an interesting read.

So the main character is a 12-year old girl named Lyra, and she and everyone else in this parallel world wear their souls on the outside of their bodies in the shape of an animal.

An animal that doesn't eat or drink from what I can tell, but does like to sleep.

As a child, a person's daemon (as they are called) can change forms and this is quite fun to read about - bird, dolphin, cat, insect, for whatever the situation or mood requests.

So there are politics in this world, influenced heavily by religious groups, perhaps more or less than our world, but definitely more obviously. But the bigger story is following Lyra. A couple of her friends have gone missing so she's trying to rescue them, while simultaneously escaping from some baddies, stumbling into some science experiments, befriending bears, and generally venturing into the Northern lights area above central Europe.

My sister said something that I definitely agree with about this book:

"It reads like a movie script"

There is action without pause really, for the entire length of this first novel (first of three). In some ways this is good, but I do think it misses some of the magical pauses that let the imagination go where it will. The example that comes to mind is Harry Potter (I think it's a fair comparison for this novel). There are points in the Harry Potter series where you are presented with something fantastic to think about, and given enough time to enjoy the experience - like the sorting hat in the great hall, or the candy shop in the wintery village, or Ronald Weasley's crazy lop-sided house. Anyway, this book does give you some great chances to escape, wondering what type of daemon you'd want for yourself. At least I know I had that thought once or twice while I was reading it.

So as I said, this was the book everyone was talking about at the end of last year because it was turned into a movie. The controversy was the theme of the book which was supposed to have an atheist undertone. Book 1 at least is mild in this respect, maybe later in the trilogy the more anti-Christianity themes get more page-time. I didn't feel bogged down by this, there is only one point towards the end of the novel where it feels like we've somehow stumbled into two people talking about philosophy on their coffee break. It felt a bit strange in this book that rarely slowed down for idle chat, but not creepy.

All in all, I will be wanting to follow up with the next two in the series. It's an interesting book and I am curious if we ever find out what Lyra's adult daemon form will be.

By the way, I did just watch the movie over last weekend too - didn't enjoy it much though. It could have been just me (since I literally finished the book and an hour later was watching the movie) but the story felt disjointed in its movie form. I thought Lyra would be pronounced (Leer-ah, not Lie-rah) but I did enjoy Nicole Kidman as Ms. Coulter.