Book Review
Oct. 24th, 2015 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman
Set in an alternate late-Victorian England, The Golden Compass follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an orphan who lives as a ward of Oxford University. A visit from her powerful and enigmatic uncle, Lord Asriel, with evidence of a phenomenon called Dust and the existence of alternate worlds sets Lyra on a path of adventure and danger. First, children begin disappearing all over England. Then Lyra is taken in by the glamorous and clever Mrs. Coulter, who lavishes attention on Lyra. However, all is not as it seems and Lyra soon begins a quest to rescue her kidnapped friend Roger. She heads to the frozen north, meeting witches and intelligent bears along the way.
I greatly enjoyed this YA novel. The characters were very interesting and well-developed. Lyra is very smart and resourceful, but still has the lack of sophistication and heedlessness of a child. The pacing and plot development were quite good; I enjoyed the way the pace and tension built towards the end. I'm really curious to see how the nature of Dust plays out throughout the series, and where the various characters end up.
by Philip Pullman
Set in an alternate late-Victorian England, The Golden Compass follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an orphan who lives as a ward of Oxford University. A visit from her powerful and enigmatic uncle, Lord Asriel, with evidence of a phenomenon called Dust and the existence of alternate worlds sets Lyra on a path of adventure and danger. First, children begin disappearing all over England. Then Lyra is taken in by the glamorous and clever Mrs. Coulter, who lavishes attention on Lyra. However, all is not as it seems and Lyra soon begins a quest to rescue her kidnapped friend Roger. She heads to the frozen north, meeting witches and intelligent bears along the way.
I greatly enjoyed this YA novel. The characters were very interesting and well-developed. Lyra is very smart and resourceful, but still has the lack of sophistication and heedlessness of a child. The pacing and plot development were quite good; I enjoyed the way the pace and tension built towards the end. I'm really curious to see how the nature of Dust plays out throughout the series, and where the various characters end up.
