The Golden Compass, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 1)(Rough-cut)
by Philip Pullman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Philip PullmanBrand: Dutton
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 2006-10-24
ISBN: 0375838309
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Book Reviews of The Golden Compass, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 1)(Rough-cut)
Book Review: A "kid's book" that an adult can carry with pride
Summary: 5 Stars
For all its charms, the fantasy genre can be a difficult one for an adult to enjoy with a clear conscience. Walk around with a classic novel from George R.R. Martin, C.S. Lewis, or Lian Hearn under your arm and you can hear the snickers from other adult readers - what an overgrown child you are! Too bad he can't read Serious Literature!
Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" is a rare "kid's book" that enables the adult fantasy fan to carry it boldly (no hiding it behind a copy of The New York Review of Books). This is serious stuff.
The story revolves around Lyra, a twelve-year old tomboy who resides at Oxford under the (occasional) tutelage of the Masters. Lyra believes she is orphaned, so her friends are whichever local lads and gals who can keep up with her insatiable desire for adventure. Well, those kids, and her daemon, Pan, a shapeshifting extension of her soul. Every person has a daemon, and before kids reach puberty the daemon can assume any form it wants. At puberty, the daemon chooses a single form that it will have for the rest of time. There is no closer bond for any person than that with your daemon.
And so one can imagine the horror when the mysterious, unseen Gobblers descend upon England, snatching children and their daemons. Rumors run wild - the kids are slaves toiling in the far North, the kids are goin to be ransomed, the kids are being eaten . . . or worse.
All Lyra knows is that the Gobblers have some of her friends, and so she has to go save them. And so an adventure is born, one that involves her mysterious, noble uncle, the local gypsies, the sinister and beautiful Mrs. Coulter, and other spectacular creatures. Before the book is over, Lyra will befriend the king of the polar bears, learn the truth about witches, and uncover the darkest chambers of the human soul. All while armed with the titular golden compass, a device that allows Lyra to learn the truth of any question she asks.
Highly allegorical, "The Golden Compass" is a dark, gorgeous journey of discovery for young Lyra, who is one of the greatest heroines ever to grace the pages of a novel. Pullman writes beautifully, but his writing is always accessible, so despite its darker, more religious themes, this is a wonderful book for the child who wants to branch out beyond J.R.R. Tolkien and Harry Potter.
This 10th-anniversary edition is a wonderful book, complete with page-saving ribbon and helpful diagrams and notes taken from Lyra's uncle.
If you have a young reader in the family, or you're a reader yourself, it's a simple matter - get this book. Now.
More The Golden Compass, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 1)(Rough-cut) reviews:
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