In anticipation of the forthcoming movie version, I finished reading The Golden Compass over Thanksgiving. What a fun fantasy novel this is! It is set in a parallel universe, very similar to ours but definitely NOT ours. Lyra is our main character; she's a young girl living in a boarding-type situation in Oxford, England who has a tendency to listen in where she probably shouldn't. She ends up going on a quest to save a friend from a serious torture situation and in the end, she winds up in a position to change the fate of this universe. I will warn you that this book, while it does come to a sort of conclusion, cliff-hangs into the next book. I have been tearing the library apart looking for the second book, The Subtle Knife; the system says it's checked in, but it is Missing in Action. As you can imagine, it's driving me nuts, and I have a replacement copy on order. :) I'm picking up a copy from the public library that I put a hold on over break!
Some of you may be familiar with the controversy brewing over the movie (and therefore the book). The author, Phillip Pullman, is a well-known atheist, and so there is a great deal of protesting going on about this story. All I can say is that it must get more sensitive in the following books, because I picked up on very little in Compass that seemed offensive. That's not to say it's not there-- I might have missed it-- but very little threw up red flags to me. If you would like to find out more about Pullman and the controversy, start with the Wikipedia article on the books which the title of this post is hyperlinked to. From there, you can do more research if you're interested.
Has anyone else read this? Would you like to chat about it?
:)
Mrs. P
15 comments:
i personaly don't like to read the books first, i see the movies first because sometimes the book has stuff that i realy like and i can't wait to see the movie, and then i see the movie and it's not in there. i get so upset. :-(
so now i just se the movie (and it also helps me see it beter in my head) and then read the book. then i am happy! ;-)
Great book with exciting characters and Lyra puts a thrill in you. Golden Compass is a great book so far.
O,o I love this book! I am now onto the third book!
I think the second one is just a filler...
Not that great!
Funnily enough, the second book is my favorite. Lee/Hester, Will, and Iorek absolutely ROCK. */random fangirl moment*
You probably could figure out that this is the one book that I can read for the rest of my life. This, or Mists of Avalon. Maybe LOTR--not because I'm in love with it, but because it's such a big book and I think it would take me the rest of my life to finally get all those family trees straight.
Anyway, the book is absolutely fantastic. Pullman really make his characters alive, and I love the style of his writing. I'd love to have a daemon; what kinds of daemons do you think y'all would have?
I cannot wait for the movie, which is coming out FRIDAY!! Reviews are already circulating, and if you've read the book, you should be fine if you want to read those. (Maymay, I prefer to read the book first because I can always say that I like the book better, and with my experience with LOTR, the movie ruins the book. But it may also have been the fact that I was in fifth grade at the time that the third movie came out, since that wasn't the case with "Pride and Prejudice". But I digress.)
You better find "Subtle Knife" soon, Mrs. P! ;-)
Yes, I did a couple times when i post I put links in
I have not read th Golden Compass but it seems like a good book.
i would like to read this book. it seems nice. what do you think the drifferences between the book and movie? which do you think will be better?
To answer everchanging's question about daemons, I think mine might be a monkey, unfortunately! Everyone says I'm like a monkey. :)
To answer Link's question, there have only been a few times that I have thought the movie was better than the book, so all my money would be bet on the book being better! The reviews have been REALLY mixed, so I'm concerned the movie version isn't going to live up to the hype. The review in the Daily Camera gave it 3 and 1/2 stars, though, so I'll probably go see it anyway. :) Who am I kidding? I know I'll go see it.
I'm about halfway through The Subtle Knife right now... things are heating up! I'll post when I'm finished.
Okay, so what about the rest of you? What would your daemon be? For those of you who haven't read the His Dark Materials trilogy, daemons are sort of like a piece of yourself in animal form that stays with you always. When you are young, the daemon can change forms, sometimes depending on your mood. As you get older, however, the daemon assumes one form and stays that way. Just like you, your daemon can think and talk. Pretty cool, hunh?
:)
Mrs. P
i really want to see this movie but i havn't read the book. should i read it first
Hey badboy,
I went to see the movie with a friend of mine who hadn't read the book. She leaned over a few times and asked me clarifying questions; when it was over, though, she said she really liked it. What to take from that? There may be gaps if you haven't read it, but you'll probably still enjoy it!
Who's gone to see it? What did you think?
:)
Mrs. P
Hi soccergirl23!
I'm afraid I agree with everchanging; I really liked The Subtle Knife. I thought it was adventurous and exciting throughout. You thought it was filler, hunh? Interesting! We should discuss.
:)
Mrs. P
I'm almost done with the first book, and it's really good. Iorek is my favorite, he is so awesome! My name is Drew, I don't have any of those fancy e-mail accounts. I can't take my eyes off the book. It's so exciting. You never know what's coming up around the next turn. I think that I would like to have a ferret as a daemon, because they are cunning and quick and exciting. Much better than a moth or a skunk. What do you think Lyra's daemon would be if her's ever settles?
Hi Drew!
I know what Lyra's daemon is; I finished the trilogy. :) You have to do the same! I'm glad you're enjoying the series.
You don't have to stay anonymous, BTW-- above that radio button you have one called "nickname". Once you click it, it asks for a URL, but you can leave that space blank and just put in your name (or a blogger name, of course). See me if you need a little help!
Good to have you blogging!
:)
Mrs. P
Thanks Mrs. Pulley!
You are very welcome. :) Where are you in the book now? Finished?
:)
Mrs. P
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