The Golden Compass

My dear friend D. practically insisted, ahem, suggested I read the first book The Golden Compass, convinced I’d enjoy it. It sat on my nightstand for a year.

“It’s YA”, I told myself, “I’m too old for YA”.

Yet I, and the great masses, have gobbled down Harry Potter, an example of YA spun to massive K, YA, and A success. And yes, of course, I’ve pre-ordered the last of the last.

One day, feeling guilty, I picked it up and before I knew it I was 100 pages in and asking D. for the second volume. It takes place in an alternate universe Oxford University. That hooked me right away. I spent a year of college at Oxford; the city and that year holds a very dear place in my heart. In the alt. Oxford, all humans have a living, external embodiment of their emotional lives: a Daemon, in the form of an animal. [ Wonder Twin powers activate indeed.] Our young heroine is "the chosen one"; an exceptionally smart and wiley child who constantly outwits her numbskull elders. Who doesn’t love that? Oxford, animals, smart children, and oh yes, it’s dark, heart of darkness dark, end of the world dark.

D. was right, it won me over in a ways I couldn’t have anticipated. And now there’s a movie coming out December 2007, woo hoo!

Comments

Heather said…
I want to read it, too. I've heard the same things about it. It's been on my list of things to read forever, but I never get around to it.
Allergic Girl® said…
truly it was guilt that finally got me started but worth it. it's dark, darker than i would have thought, esp book three. go read, so much fun!
Anonymous said…
You mean you hadn't read the His Dark Materials trilogy before? For shame!

They are absolutely fantastic (also Lyra's college reminds me quite a bit of Jesus, except that Hall doesn't had a anteroom off the side of High Table unlike in Lyra's college).
Allergic Girl® said…
stevie--i had a feeling you'd weigh in on this one. no hall has that anteroom with evil doings -- but even that jericho scene with the barges and gypsy boys, i could totally see it. helps the author lives there.
ByTheBay said…
i'm reading it right now and i LOVE it! can't wait for the movie
Allergic Girl® said…
oh how funny! how did you stumble across it?

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