The Golden Compass

From the book cover

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle - a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle.
Beautifully crafted and thrillingly told, this first book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is now hailed as a modern fantasy classic. Along with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, The Golden Compass is a masterwork of storytelling and suspense, beloved by readers of all ages around the world.
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The Golden Compass (published as The Northern Lights in the United Kingdom) is the first book in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials.

The Golden Compass is fantasy at its best. In this fantasy world, set in another era, every human has a daemon, a animal manifestation of their soul. Before children reach puberty their daemons change constantly to reflect their mood, after puberty the daemon adopts one form that is thought to be reflective of the person's true personality

When Lyra's best friend Roger is kidnapped by Gobblers, a group that's been travelling through England kidnapping poor kids, Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, embark on a quest to rescue him and the other kids. In her journey, Lyra comes into contact with gyptians, talking armored bears, witches and mad scientists, sanctioned by the church to experiment with ways of stopping Dust (original sin) by separating children from their daemons.

This book is marketed as young adult fantasy, but many have expressed concern that it is anti-christian and have even gone so far as to refuse to let their children read it. As a true book lover, I can never advocate banning books. I didn't find this book to be too heavily anti-religion. There are definitely a few areas where the subject matter is focused on christian views, but I think this type of literature serves a purpose in providing a jumping off point for discussion. At the end of the day, this novel is fantasy and should be read with that fact in mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters are fascinating and original and the action sequences come off the page. There's just the right amount of foreshadowing so you're constantly wondering if the characters are what they appear to be. This is the type of book that one could easily read in a day or two, schedule permitting. Once you start reading you'll be so riveted you won't want to put it down.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone.

5

Trailer for the major motion picture The Golden Compass.