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The Golden Compass
(His Dark Materials #1)
by
Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.
Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and ...more
Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and ...more
Hardcover, 399 pages
Published
April 16th 1996
by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
(first published July 9th 1995)
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Start your review of The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)
This novel is an absolute work of pure genius, and is in my top ten reads of all time. Before I go into the depths of character and plot, let me start by saying this book is up there with other fantasy hard hitters: by this I mean books like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia: the books that define the genre. This is high praise indeed, and this novel is worthy of it.
The protagonist of the book is Lyra, a young girl, who is parentless and seemingly friendless. She has grown up i ...more
The protagonist of the book is Lyra, a young girl, who is parentless and seemingly friendless. She has grown up i ...more
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: A solid story and well written, but very much a children's tale with one child going on a quest to save other children.
Notes: A solid story and well written, but very much a children's tale with one child going on a quest to save other children.
I don’t love the Beatles.
*Ducks as he is castigated by the seething masses*
I also don’t love green vegetables, punches to the face, or going to the dentist, though I don’t think those revelatory disclosures will elicit much in the way of rage-fueled attempts to slit my throat with the jagged edge of a broken CD (compact disc, kiddos—look it up).
So, why risk a severed jugular on the day before I’m going to stuff myself so full of turkey that I’ll have a snood coming out of my ear? Well, because ...more
*Ducks as he is castigated by the seething masses*
I also don’t love green vegetables, punches to the face, or going to the dentist, though I don’t think those revelatory disclosures will elicit much in the way of rage-fueled attempts to slit my throat with the jagged edge of a broken CD (compact disc, kiddos—look it up).
So, why risk a severed jugular on the day before I’m going to stuff myself so full of turkey that I’ll have a snood coming out of my ear? Well, because ...more
2.5*
I never read this as a kid and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had, but it was just okay for me!
I never read this as a kid and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had, but it was just okay for me!
the golden compass trilogy seems like a natural progression in christian literature. yes, it is christian literature, the same way the chronicles of narnia are. aslan is only a lion when the reader is about 10 or so in the united states. after a point, he unrepentantly becomes jesus. and the four children are like, the gospels or something. and the story is somewhat ruined then, because as an adult, you can't just shoehorn jesus into a lion outfit without snickering a little.
pullman however, has ...more
pullman however, has ...more
i first read this when i was like 10 or 11 and i remember really liking it. i recently came across an online thread about this book/series and the message(s) the author was intending to convey, and i was taken aback. i honestly really didnt remember anything except for talking bears that wear armour. lol.
after the reread, i am suprised that i read this as a child. this is definitely a ‘childrens book’ that is not meant for children, in my opinion. the deeper meanings are pretty subtle but, rega ...more
after the reread, i am suprised that i read this as a child. this is definitely a ‘childrens book’ that is not meant for children, in my opinion. the deeper meanings are pretty subtle but, rega ...more
“You cannot change what you are, only what you do.”
“So Lyra and her daemon turned away from the world they were born in, and looked toward the sun, and walked into the sky.”
...more
I enjoyed the premise and theme of the book. Pullman created well thought out and memorable characters. It was a little too technical for me in regard to the depths of fantasy, i.e. I had to go back and look up the meaning of some of the made up words in the book to stay focused on what was actually happening. But great imagery. I'm not sure if I will read book 2 or 3 of the series yet... thoughts?
9/8/17:
1. I cleared my rating. If that doesn't sufficiently refute the claim that I "just wanted" to give THE GOLDEN COMPASS 1.0 star, then you're irrational, and further discussion is pointless.
2. I am a BOOK REVIEW BLOGGER. That's what I do. If you want to make cracks about being a trophy wife, go right ahead, but to insinuate that I would "skim" a book to have the minimum knowledge required to give the appearance of having read it so that I can give it a bad review b/c reasons, is an attack ...more
1. I cleared my rating. If that doesn't sufficiently refute the claim that I "just wanted" to give THE GOLDEN COMPASS 1.0 star, then you're irrational, and further discussion is pointless.
2. I am a BOOK REVIEW BLOGGER. That's what I do. If you want to make cracks about being a trophy wife, go right ahead, but to insinuate that I would "skim" a book to have the minimum knowledge required to give the appearance of having read it so that I can give it a bad review b/c reasons, is an attack ...more
Before quantum mechanics and Schrödinger’s cat’s paradox, alternate universes were inherently accessible post-mortem, either Heaven or Hell: that whole “other side” business had a strong moral and religious bias, obviously. However, contemporary science fiction has introduced new possibilities of experimenting with alternate realities, e.g. travelling through time (Wells’ Time Machine) or through space (Stapledon’s Star Maker). More interestingly, it introduced the possibility of parallel worlds
...more
Rating: 3.5 stars
Listened to this on audio, which was a lot of fun!
Listened to this on audio, which was a lot of fun!
May 13, 2010
notgettingenough
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens
Later....A friend said to me today that if you read this book properly, it should make you a better person. I'd just earlier in the day been thinking pretty much the same thing. When I asked S. in what way was he made better, he said he couldn't say, just that it had. Exactly. I think you have a sense as you read this book that Lyra's goodness has rubbed off on you, she's made you better in an entirely non-specific way.
M. then said that she didn't think a book, to be special, necessarily had to ...more
M. then said that she didn't think a book, to be special, necessarily had to ...more
Northern Lights = The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1), Philip Pullman
Northern Lights (known as The Golden Compass in North America and some other countries) is the first book of "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Set in a parallel universe, it features the journey of Lyra Belacqua to the Arctic in search of her missing friend, Roger Parslow, and her imprisoned uncle, Lord Asriel, who has been conducting experiments with a mysterious substance known as "Dust". Northern Lights is a young-adult ...more
Northern Lights (known as The Golden Compass in North America and some other countries) is the first book of "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Set in a parallel universe, it features the journey of Lyra Belacqua to the Arctic in search of her missing friend, Roger Parslow, and her imprisoned uncle, Lord Asriel, who has been conducting experiments with a mysterious substance known as "Dust". Northern Lights is a young-adult ...more
March 2020: Looking at this again as we begin to see the tv series of His Dark Materials, which looks very good. I really liked the 2007 movie with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, wish that it had continued, heard the Catholic Church denouncing Pullman was part of it, dunno. We are continuing to read in this house the second trilogy.
9/25/2020:
This is a second reading of Pullman's classic, accomplished on vacation in a car, with the family, by listening to the 9 cd audio collection, with Phillip ...more
9/25/2020:
This is a second reading of Pullman's classic, accomplished on vacation in a car, with the family, by listening to the 9 cd audio collection, with Phillip ...more
Hello friends! We're reading THE GOLDEN COMPASS together throughout the next few weeks as part of our goal to read more classic YA/MG books this year.
Please join us if you can!
-- Discussion on blog: February 28th
-- Hashtag #tmgreadalong if you'd like to discuss as you read on Twitter.
More details on the blog: http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My review:
Wildly imaginative and thrilling, this complex and be ...more
Please join us if you can!
-- Discussion on blog: February 28th
-- Hashtag #tmgreadalong if you'd like to discuss as you read on Twitter.
More details on the blog: http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My review:
Wildly imaginative and thrilling, this complex and be ...more
This book was recommended to me somewhere in fandom as a children's book that is also interesting to adults. I admit that I wasn't particularly impressed with it, and I can't see it as something that I would give my kids to read. My main complaint is the "means to an end" style the author uses. A bit like in a computer game, our main character Lyra runs from one wise man to another in her quest to find some missing children. This is practical, because except for one scene in the beginning, she d
...more
Oct 15, 2007
mark monday
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-modern,
inbetweenworld
fantastic. pullman introduces readers to his sophisticated world view slowly, and this first novel in the trilogy has an ideal narrative focal point in the mean little liar who is the protagonist. i have never seen lying in children portrayed so explicitly as a positive thing, and after this novel, i'm all for it! the settings are wonderfully strange and surreal yet rooted in an eventually understandable reality, and the supporting characters are oblique and enigmatic without being tiresome. the
...more
When a film was made of this book, they did the book a real disservice. This book is amazing. Lyra is the feisty protagonist, an inveterate liar, clever, passionate and loyal. She achieves the impossible, rescues an armoured bear, befriends the witches, and rescues children from a fate worse than death- literally. Pullman does a great job realising this alternate world where everyone has a daemon- like the other half of your soul - and these creatures stay with you through your life. As adults t
...more
In this case is the new tv show his dark materials on hbo better then the book and would 100% recommend the show than the book but still the show did follow the book so it is a good book and lyra is a great child with realy bad parents and I love iorek , the best bear character in the book and show and would love to see more of lord asriel and ms. Coulter because they are realy intresting, and the ending is realy good , 3⭐⭐⭐
I really liked this book! I think it is easily among the best of the crop of Potter-era YA lit (even though it actually came out first!).
The movie was just ok. I thought the lead kid did a good job playing Lyra, and Nicole Kidman made a very menacing Ann Coulter. But my very favorites were Daniel Craig as the zealot Lord Asriel and Eva Green as badass witch Serafina Pekkala.
Serafina Pekkala is one of my favorite witches in literature: she's grounded in her connection to the earth, she's beautif ...more
The movie was just ok. I thought the lead kid did a good job playing Lyra, and Nicole Kidman made a very menacing Ann Coulter. But my very favorites were Daniel Craig as the zealot Lord Asriel and Eva Green as badass witch Serafina Pekkala.
Serafina Pekkala is one of my favorite witches in literature: she's grounded in her connection to the earth, she's beautif ...more
Jan 29, 2019
Charlotte May
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade,
epic-fantasy
Read when I was younger (about 8 years ago I reckon) didn't really think much of it and only made it half way through book 2. Reckon I would like to try it again if that day ever arrives.......
I never added a review of this but I'm going to now. I'll admit that this one was a bit slow for me at parts (especially compared to the sequels) but what kept me reading was the fascination with the daemons. I liken them to the patronuses (patronii?) from the Harry Potter series in that they are the animal totem of a character, and can change until someone is "set in their ways". How many other people have held conversations about what their daemon or patronus animal is, and then changed it fre ...more
I really like that the Iorek Byronison, the bear, is always referred to by full name. When I'm Bear King, I definitely want to be on a full-name-all-the-time basis. Then I will battle challengers to mortal combat, tearing through armor, swiping off heads with my massive paws, slicing open chests and devouring hearts. And as I gorge myself on bear blood, I will cry out "Bears! Who is your King?" And my name will roar from a thousand bear throats.
it's going to be awesome.
(My name has got that sam ...more
it's going to be awesome.
(My name has got that sam ...more
I struggled with this one. I felt the story was very slow and I understand that it's the first in a trilogy and the author had to do some world building, but even so I felt there were details that were left unexplained, details that needed explaining.
I'm having a problem understanding why this is considered a children's book. I can't imagine a child fully understanding all the political banter that takes place in the first section of the book. Also there are things like Daemons that aren't full ...more
I'm having a problem understanding why this is considered a children's book. I can't imagine a child fully understanding all the political banter that takes place in the first section of the book. Also there are things like Daemons that aren't full ...more
4.5****
”You cannot change what you are, only what you do.”
So begins the story of a fantastic invention of a parallel world to the one we live in and the adventures of a brave-hearted young girl.
Lyra is bound to stay in Oxford to learn and play with her friends, however, when talk of Gobblers arise with children disappearing, and with her close friend Roger being one of those children, Lyra, along with her daemon, Pantalaimon, set out and are determined to find his whereabouts.
Their quest leads ...more
”You cannot change what you are, only what you do.”
So begins the story of a fantastic invention of a parallel world to the one we live in and the adventures of a brave-hearted young girl.
Lyra is bound to stay in Oxford to learn and play with her friends, however, when talk of Gobblers arise with children disappearing, and with her close friend Roger being one of those children, Lyra, along with her daemon, Pantalaimon, set out and are determined to find his whereabouts.
Their quest leads ...more
Re-read, 11/4/19:
I think I might have been a bit unfair to the book in my original review. Or maybe I was a bit disgruntled with YA literature in general at the time. Or maybe I was getting tired of the whole chosen one with the miraculous oracle bit driving the plot forward.
But let's back up a bit here. In the particulars, I liked running around like an urchin. I did like all the Daemons. I liked growing up among all the academics. I liked running around and being a very English nuisance and g ...more
I think I might have been a bit unfair to the book in my original review. Or maybe I was a bit disgruntled with YA literature in general at the time. Or maybe I was getting tired of the whole chosen one with the miraculous oracle bit driving the plot forward.
But let's back up a bit here. In the particulars, I liked running around like an urchin. I did like all the Daemons. I liked growing up among all the academics. I liked running around and being a very English nuisance and g ...more
The BOOK is called Northern Lights and the FILM is The Golden Compass and it ain’t even a compass 😂
I should have read this book years ago so thank you BBC for the current production of His Dark Materials which is gripping us on Sunday nights, for finally prompting me to pick up this book. It’s a buddy read with the husband (faints with shock, so thank you Aunty Beeb for encouraging him to read something other than The Times from cover to cover, I swear he even reads hatches, matches and dispatch ...more
I should have read this book years ago so thank you BBC for the current production of His Dark Materials which is gripping us on Sunday nights, for finally prompting me to pick up this book. It’s a buddy read with the husband (faints with shock, so thank you Aunty Beeb for encouraging him to read something other than The Times from cover to cover, I swear he even reads hatches, matches and dispatch ...more
After all the talk about Pullman's supposed anti-Catholicism or anti-Christianity or atheism or whatever one wants to label it, I approached The Golden Compass (known originally as Northern Lights) with an open mind and found something other than what I'd been told to expect.
I found elements that questioned Christianity and Catholicism and the nature of God and its works, but I also found elements that questioned parental authority, the ethical and practical roles of Science, and the nature of ...more
I found elements that questioned Christianity and Catholicism and the nature of God and its works, but I also found elements that questioned parental authority, the ethical and practical roles of Science, and the nature of ...more
I do not remember much of this book, nor why I gave it 2 stars
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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In 1946, acclaimed author Philip Pullman was born in Norwich, England, into a Protestant family. Although his beloved grandfather was an Anglican priest, Pullman became an atheist in his teenage years. He graduated from Exeter College in Oxford with a degree in English, and spent 23 years as a teacher while working on publishing 13 books and numerous short stories. Pullman has received many awards
...more
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His Dark Materials
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“You cannot change what you are, only what you do.”
—
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“That's the duty of the old,' said the Librarian, 'to be anxious on the behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old.'
They sat for a while longer, and then parted, for it was late, and they were old and anxious.”
—
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They sat for a while longer, and then parted, for it was late, and they were old and anxious.”
May 17, 2020 03:02PM
Sep 17, 2020 03:51AM