The Golden Compass

Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass was an interesting book. I wasn’t going to read the book until someone in class said it was really good (I saw the movie thought it was terrible). I was pleasantly surprised with the book though, absolutely does not compare to the movie. The book delves into spirituality and religion (daemons and souls) personally I think the whole religion debacle is nothing but ridiculous there are plenty of great values and morals to be learned in the story instead of just feeding on one thing. Furthermore the story displays loyalty, friendship and courage; Lyra has all three along with some stubbornness. The story plays with the position of power and innocence. It was beneficial to have the story through a child’s eyes, given children are so innocent which is a nice contrast to the power hungry adults who are anything but. The story starts out with Lyra being powerless while at the College but then throughout her journey this little girl ends up becoming increasingly powerful but using it in a heartfelt way with some added childlike tendencies. Personally I think it’s a great book that teaches some valuable lessons including some great principles and people who dismiss it due to the “religious undertones” need to unwind.