Ok just finished golden compass and I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. First of all Pullman has a great writing style, his sentence structure is done in such a way that it grips you and makes you share the suspense and the ambience of that world.
But even better than his writing style are his ideas! First of all this takes place in an alternate reality, the main difference from our own is that every human has a daemon accompanying them. A daemon is described as the human soul in animal form which serves as more than a companion but probably half of a whole. As such the animal is a best expression of a persons character- for example the meek and subservient have mice and pups for daemons while the devious and deceptive have serpents as daemons. Also before a human reaches adolescence their daemon much like their personalities often change form with their emotions- and believe this device is used very well to describe Lyra (the main character's) state of mind.
Also their is the concept of Dust- which i wont spoil. Basically Pullmans world is one which is a joy to discover as you read on.
The plot for this is all but simple but the gyst is that it follows the main character Lyra Belaquia. Shes a twelve or eleven year old girl who has a daemon called Pantalamion. In her adventures around her home of Jordan College she witnesses a murder attempt on her Uncle Asriel, but warns him before any damage is done. Then after eavesdropping on the meeting between her Uncle and the other professors she finds out about the mystery of Dust and so forth. From that point her uncle leaves, and shes given this althieometer (the golden compass) which is a mystical item which allows one to read the future. However the item is rare and shouldnt be allowed to fall in the wrong hands. Meanwhile this clandestine group called the Oblation board (AKA Gobblers) have been behind the mysterious disappearance of children all across england, including Lyras dear friend Roger. And the head of the organisation; Mrs. Coulter has taken a special interest in Lyra and thus an adventure begins with Lyra being on the run from the Gobblers while searching for her kidnapped friend and her Uncle.
Now this is a bad synopsis really the plot is actually pretty great with a huge twist which caught me offguard and the movie didnt get a chance to show. Part of why the plot is deep is that it incorporates many races and cultures *Polar Bears ROCK!!!!!!!* and witches for example. Furthermore the secondary characters are very intriguing example Iorek Bynirson- the falled Polar Bear Prince, Lee Scoresby the happy-go-lucky yet enigmatic aeronaut, John Faa and Father Coram- the Gypsy Heads, Serafina Pakkala- one of the century old witch clan leaders etc etc all just make me wanna check the sequel to see if any light is shed on them. Though I have my doubts if that'll actually happen-_-
Anyway- all I'll say is that its a great book im dying to read the sequels as the world has sucked me in much like Potter. And one more thing I must add Lyra has to be one of the most likeable main characters ever- shes brave and crafty with a bit of a stubborn brat streak but man she just doesnt give a damn about adults. The ending especially just has me so excited considering how much of a harda** she could be lol.
Anyway 4 and a half stars !!!
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