The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, 399 pages
So fun to come back to a beloved favorite! A friend asked me if I'd read this book because it's streaming as a show somewhere (not a streaming service I use and this is an endorsement for the book anyway!). I responded enthusiastically that this is one of my absolute favorites. I've read or listened to the series many, many times and it's always enjoyable to come back to it. There are scenes and chapters that I absolutely love revisiting. Rereads of this series both help me gain new perspective while still feeling as though I'm reading it for the first time.
This book begins in a world similar to ours with one big difference: all humans are born with a daemon that takes the shape of an animal. Daemons change shape when children are young and when a child enters puberty and becomes an adult, the daemon takes a fixed form. Often the character of a person can be gleaned from their daemon. Servants in this world always have dog daemons, for instance. I probably would be wary of a person with a snake daemon, or a monkey daemon. We'll get to the monkey daemon in a moment. First: meet Lyra. Orphaned and living at Jordan College in Oxford, Lyra is a tough, streetwise little girl and a natural leader among the children she befriends. She is always getting into trouble. Her daemon, Pantalamion, of course joins in but also represents the thoughtful side of Lyra's nature and tries talking her out of her worst transgressions. By spying on a meeting of the Masters of Jordan College, Lyra starts a chain of events that lead her to travel to London with Mrs. Coulter, whose daemon is a beautiful but fierce monkey with golden fur. While she's at first besotted with Mrs. Coulter who is smart, glamorous, and well-traveled, she begins to mistrust her and particularly that nasty, sneaky, golden monkey. Lyra's escape from Mrs. Coulter brings about a series of adventures and daring escapes from death, and introduces the reader to some truly unforgettable characters, including Iorek Byrnison, the polar bear on the cover of this book. In addition to Iorek, Lyra befriends the Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby, the witch Serafina Pekkala, and many others who will play roles in the second and third books of the trilogy. The events point to troubling abuses of power by adults in the name of Theology and Lyra is known to be destined to play an important role in future events. Lyra knows nothing of this prophecy as her main goal is finding her friend Roger, abducted by a powerful and mysterious group known as The Gobblers.
This book is best for mature teens and adults. There are some truly upsetting and frightening scenes as well as discussions of theology and human nature that are weighty and thoughtful. Those who love it will know after the first book if they want to continue on with the trilogy, which is rewarding and heartbreaking and gorgeously plotted and written. I loved it and I'm so glad to be reading it again. I also highly recommend the audiobook version. The author Pullman narrates it, and the other characters are voiced by a full cast and it is amazing.
