Genre:
Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Book Summary:
Lyra is an orphan who lives among scholars at a college in a time when scholars are revered as
Pullman, P. (2006). The golden compass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Impressions:
Normally a fast reader, Pullman's book was difficult for me to get into. However, once Lyra began her journeyto find Roger, I was hooked. The story was confusing at times, because so much of it was similar to our world. Still, the addition of daemons to each human told my brain that we definitely weren't in London anymore- at least not London as I know it. Perhaps London as a parallel universe. I think this was one reason I had such a difficult time, at first; in a way, the story reads like historical fiction, and yet, there are fantstical elements that prove it is not. My brain battled with this paradigm quite a bit.
However, this struggled seemed to play into the novel, as the characters were also coming to grips with the possibilities that other worlds existed- that for each choice made in their world, an opposite choice was made elsewhere. Who is to say we aren't that alternate world, or one of them, at least.
The world that Pullman creates is idyllic and brutal, all at once, mirroring similar aspects of our own history, depending on what one focuses on. As Lyra and her daemon meet new people and explore new places, it is easy to feel her excitement and wish you were right along with her. When she learns about the injustices to the young and the poor, it is hard not to cry out right along with her. Because the fantasy world within which she lives is so similar to ours, the literary bridge is created, connecting the protagonist with the reader in a kindred bond. Whether dust is involved is yet to be determined.
Professional Review:
Pullman (The Tin Princess, 1994, etc.) returns to the familiar territory of Victorian England, but this time inhabits an alternate Earth, where magic is an ordinary fact of life. Lyra Belacqua and her daemon familiar Pantalaimon spend their days teasing the scholars of Jordan College until her uncle, Lord Asriel, announces that he's learned of astonishing events taking place in the far north involving the aurora borealis. When Lyra rescues Asriel from an attempt on his life, it is only the beginning of a torrent of events that finds Lyra willingly abducted by the velvet Mrs. Coulter, a missionary of pediatric atrocities; a journey with gyptian clansmen to rescue the children who are destined to be severed from their daemons (an act that is clearly hideous); and Lyra's discovery of her unusual powers and destiny. Lyra may suffer from excessive spunk, but she is thorough, intelligent, and charming. The author's care in recreating Victorian speech affectations never hinders the action; copious amounts of gore will not dissuade the squeamish, for resonating at the story's center is the twinkling image of a celestial city. This first fantastic installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy propels readers along with horror and high adventure, a shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe. (Fiction. 12+)
Kirkus (1996). [Review for the book The Golden Compass]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/philip-pullman/golden-compass/
Library Uses:
Just recently, a graphic novel version was released of The Golden Compass. There is also a movie version that was released in 2008. It would be great to have students read a chapter or two of the book and create what they visualize through some art form. After they finish, comparing the creations to each other as well as to the graphic novel interpretation and/or movie interpretation of the story would give opportunity to discuss how well the author conveyed time and place by how similar the interpretations are to one another. The text is complex, so it would probably work best with high school students.
Readalikes:
The Golden Sentence by S.E. Grove
Land of Nod, The Artifact by Gary Hoover
Oathtaker by Patricia Reding
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