xirtam
09-26-2002, 09:13 PM
This is a book that is not too popular but I think very well should be. It is a trilogy of books (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) and in my opinion, although I do love Mr. Potter very much, it is much better. It was recommended to me by a friend who told me it is better than my favorite book in the world, Lord of the Rings. Considering the fact that this friend had never read Lord of the Rings, I was skeptical. The fact that the cover of the first book, The Golden Compass, has a cover that consists of a little girl sitting on a polar bear and looks very much like girly/kiddie book didn't help at all. But I had faith and started reading it. And I am glad.
First of all, don't expect a kid's book. It is very violent and bloody, especially in the second book, The Subtle Knife. Some of the main characters don't even make it to number 3, The Amber Spyglass, which adds to the drama and suspense. Harry Potter had a certain surprise death in Book 4, but it's not near as good as in this one.
The plot is straightforward and doesn't take any wrong turns (i.e. the characters having a certain idea, going to great lengths to prove it or go through with it only to find out they were wrong and end up back in square one) and mostly everything you see is important to the plot in some way. It's about a girl named Lyra who lives in a world where every single person has a daemon--the animal form of themselves, sort of like a pet that is spiritually connected to them and can talk to them, and being separated results in great pain/death. Lyra discovers she must go on a long journey away from her home at a school, but before she goes she is given a golden compass--called an alethiometer, it supposedly tells truth, and has 36 symbols around it and three arrows, but Lyra is unsure of what exactly it does, she only knows that to use it requires great skill that not everyone has. But what Lyra doesn't know is that she, eventually, will have to make a decision, and that decision will decide the fate of the entire universe.
Many twists and turns occur, many new characters are introduced, and many exciting and unexpected things happen that never cease to astound--read this book, especially if you are a fan of Harry Potter or fantasy of that sort. You will not be disappointed.
First of all, don't expect a kid's book. It is very violent and bloody, especially in the second book, The Subtle Knife. Some of the main characters don't even make it to number 3, The Amber Spyglass, which adds to the drama and suspense. Harry Potter had a certain surprise death in Book 4, but it's not near as good as in this one.
The plot is straightforward and doesn't take any wrong turns (i.e. the characters having a certain idea, going to great lengths to prove it or go through with it only to find out they were wrong and end up back in square one) and mostly everything you see is important to the plot in some way. It's about a girl named Lyra who lives in a world where every single person has a daemon--the animal form of themselves, sort of like a pet that is spiritually connected to them and can talk to them, and being separated results in great pain/death. Lyra discovers she must go on a long journey away from her home at a school, but before she goes she is given a golden compass--called an alethiometer, it supposedly tells truth, and has 36 symbols around it and three arrows, but Lyra is unsure of what exactly it does, she only knows that to use it requires great skill that not everyone has. But what Lyra doesn't know is that she, eventually, will have to make a decision, and that decision will decide the fate of the entire universe.
Many twists and turns occur, many new characters are introduced, and many exciting and unexpected things happen that never cease to astound--read this book, especially if you are a fan of Harry Potter or fantasy of that sort. You will not be disappointed.