It was no ordinary life for a young girl: living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College and tearing unsupervised through Oxford’s motley streets on mad quests for adventure.  But Lyra’s greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she heard hushed talk of an extraordinary particle.  Microscopic in size, the magical dust–found only in the vast Arctic expanse of the North–was rumored to possess profound properties that could unite whole universes.  But there were those who feared the particle and would stop at nothing to destroy it.

Catapulted into the heart of a terrible struggle, Lyra was forced to seek aid from clans, gyptians, and formidable armored bears.  And as she journeyed into unbelievable danger, she had not the faintest clue that she alone was destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle… (Cover image from Goodreads, synopsis from back of book)

Almost a Blind Read…

When The Golden Compass first came out, I was in my “Dark Days” of reading, where I didn’t actually read.  At all.  Well, maybe a book here and there, but that was it.  Anyway, I had gone all these years without reading it, and I never saw the movie, so the only thing I really knew about it was that it was about a girl and a polar bear.  And magic or something, since it was a fantasy book.  So when I read it this month, I really didn’t know much more than that, except for the fact that there were three books, and that they were pretty controversial.  So since I didn’t get the chance to do a Blind Read this month, The Golden Compass is my Unofficial Almost-Blind Read for September.  I make the rules, I can do what I want.  ;)

Wonderful Writing, Plot, and Characters, Oh My!

I really enjoyed The Golden Compass, although the ending was what really made the book for me.  I loved the twists and turns that I totally didn’t see coming, and even the ones that I did predict!  I think the plot itself was really original and interesting, and quite intricate.  And I think the writing was really fantastic, and much more sophisticated than I expected, since it was a Middle Grade book.  Of course, I should know not to assume anything when it comes to the quality of Children’s books, since I myself am constantly touting how well-written YA books are these days.

I also really enjoyed many of the characters, especially the armored bear, Iorek Byrnison.  He was definitely my favorite.  And for some reason, I just love the name Lyra Belacqua.  Such a cool name!  And I love how Pullman made all these characters so different, not only in their personalities but in their forms as well.  We have humans, dæmons, armored bears, witches, gyptians, etc.  It’s a very thorough and inventive world, and I really fell in love with Lyra’s alternate universe.  Although I do have one complaint–I was really confused as to the time period.  It seemed as though a lot of things were similar to events and circumstances that happened during the early 20th century in our world.  So I kind of thought that this story took place then, too, but I really have no idea.  I’m hoping that maybe I’ll find out more as I read the rest of the series.  

Also, since I still have two more books to read, I don’t think I’ve fully grasped the controversy that surrounds this series.  I mean, I caught a few things in The Golden Compass that I could see as sparking a controversy, but to me, it really was kind of grasping at straws.  But of course there could be more in the next books.

Great Quotes…

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from The Golden Compass: