The Time Will Come (6)
The Time Will Come is a weekly meme hosted by Jodie at Books for Company, where we can highlight the books on our shelves that we’ve been meaning to get to for some time, but have been put on the back burner for one reason or another.
The book that I chose for this week is:
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1)
Philip Pullman
1996 by Random House Children’s Books
Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford’s Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however,nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called “Gobblers”—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person’s inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved. (From Goodreads)
I haven’t had this series on my shelf for too long, but I’ve been meaning to read them for a while. I’ve heard that these books are really good, so I really want to get to them someday!
What books have been pushed back for you? Let me know, or leave a link to your post if you’re participating in this meme and I’ll be sure to stop by your blog!
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Bittner
April 26, 2012 at 6:01 amI know that there is a lot of controversy around this books, but I have always wanted to read them. I liked the movie.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 26, 2012 at 6:28 pmI didn't even know there was controversy until I read this comment! So I looked it up. Now I understand. I haven't seen the movie, but I'd like to someday! I'll probably wait until after I've read the book, though.
fakesteph
April 26, 2012 at 12:49 pmI LOOOOVED this book. And the audio is SERIOUSLY good. I want to reread this series… again.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 26, 2012 at 6:29 pmHmm, maybe this could be a series for another readalong? ;)
Jessie Marie
April 26, 2012 at 6:51 pmThis comment has been removed by the author.
Jessie Marie
April 26, 2012 at 6:53 pm…Yes?! I've wanted to read them for quite some time as well!
Controversial, or no, I've heard many amazing things! Not to mention, Wither/Fever are kind of controversial, too, no? I smell a theme on the horizon!
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 26, 2012 at 7:16 pmHahaha! It's settled then! His Dark Materials readalong coming in the future from The Daily Bookmark and The Overstuffed Bookcase! (And maybe The Fake Steph Dot Com, too?) Now Jessie just needs to come up with some catchy readalong name! ;)
Briana
April 26, 2012 at 4:44 pmI liked the series even though I completely understand where the controversy is coming from. They are anti-Catholic/Christian and you can Google quotes from Pullman admitting as much. The funniest defense I've heard of the books is that the villains aren't a religion, they're the "Magisterium!" (Apparently these people are unaware that the "Magisterium" is actually "the teaching authority of the Catholic Church," and Pullman is probably laughing at them. :D )
Anyway, my point is that I didn't really care. Pullman is allowed to be an atheist, and I thought the plot of the books and the way he incorporated science was really interesting. I'm also not convinced that his books have torn anyone away from their faith. They seem to assume that Christianity is wrong and "a mistake" more than try to persuade readers of the fact. I don't expect them to turn anyone into an atheist more than I expect something like "The Song of Roland" to turn anyone Christian.
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 26, 2012 at 6:32 pmI didn't know anything about the controversy until Bittner's comment above. But I looked it up so I see what you're talking about. I personally lean more towards agnosticism so it most likely wouldn't bother me as much as it might someone else. But it's nice to know that the books can be read and enjoyed without those aspects being a problem!
Sally@Always Lost in Stories
April 26, 2012 at 7:43 pmThese books are one of my absolute favourite series ever! Read them soon, they are AMAZING! Don't watch the film though, it's crap! I think read-along is a really good idea too,it gets people talking about the books again.
x
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
April 26, 2012 at 8:25 pmYeah, I've heard the movie isn't a great adaptation, especially for those who have read the books. So I'll definitely hold off on watching it until I've read the books!
LHughes
May 15, 2012 at 2:48 amI read the Golden Compass when I was in middle school… about 15 years ago. I loved it then. I loved the polar setting, the magic of the compass, a city in the northern lights, and Iorek the polar bear.
But the next two books are drastically different in setting, narrator, and complexity. I read book 2 (Subtle Knife) but it didn't come close to the original. And then book 3 (Amber Spyglass) was a did-not-finish.
So, I'd definitely recommend Golden Compass. It's fantastic all on it's own. But I don't have any strong recommendations about the entire Dark Materials trilogy.
Lauren @ Hughes Reviews
Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase
May 16, 2012 at 7:06 pmI've heard some similar things about the 2nd and 3rd books, but then I've also heard from some people who just think the whole series is fantastic. So I'm interested to see what I think about them when I finally do get around to them!