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Ivana Books Are Magic's Reviews > The Golden Compass
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)
by
by
This review might contain some minor spoilers. Not spoilers in the sense of telling you what exactly happenedd or what is going to happen at some point in the book, but the kind of spoilers that are of a vague kind. Nevertheless, this review might make you see some things coming. Hence do avoid it if you want to dive into this book blissfully unaware of just about everything- as I did actually. I only read a few reviews of this book and none of them contained any spoilers so I experienced a few surprises as the plot unfolded. If you want to get the same reading experience, feel free to skip this review.
While I was reading the Golden Compass I kept thinking: “What a shame I didn't have the chance to read it as a kid. I would have loved it!”. The world described is wonderfully imaginative. It seemed like the perfect book for children to me. Lyra is such a charming protagonist. Her portrayal is very believable, her thoughts absolutely logical for a child of her age. Moreover, you really things developing from the point of a view of a child. This was handled very well in the novel. The language is simple enough, I imagine it would be easy enough for children to read it. However, as the narrative progressed things started to get a lot darker. However, by the time I finished the first part of this book, I was glad I didn't read it as a child. I'm pretty sure I would have found it disturbing. I might be wrong; it is quite possible that what disturbed me might even go unnoticed by children. Let’s say it like this. If I had a young child, I wouldn’t want it to read this book. I imagine that a sensitive kid could be genuinely shocked by the amount of cruelty that is to be found in this book.
So, in my opinion this is NOT a book for children, or more specifically young children. Is it suitable for teenagers? Yes, I would say it is a great read for both teenagers and adults, but for very young children I don’t think it is very suitable. Most adult characters to be found in this novel wouldn’t stop at nothing to get what they want and lives of children don’t seem to matter to them at all. If anything, it seems like they care less about children. This is something I found believable but disturbing. Unfortunately, children are often mistreated in this world. Generally speaking, I would say that the rights of children are the most endangered ones in our world, in a far greater scope than the rights of women that are more often talked about. Children are quite defenceless, that is why any kind of violence towards them is very disturbing. In today’s world, I think that neglect is a very high of the list of offenses towards children, but I’m straying away from the subject. For me personally, there is nothing more distressing than reading about children being subjected to harsh treatment or abuse. Towards the end of the book, there were parts that were very hard to read because I was quite shock by the way adults were treating children.
It is not that it is adults vs. children kind of perspective, this novel is a bit more complex than that. It is just that a very sensitive child might not feel very trusting towards adults after reading this one and not in that cute ‘peter pan’ sort of way. So, I don’t think it is the best kind of book for young kids. There are no graphic scenes of violence in this novel that I can think of, but there is psychological and physical violence present in it. Sometimes it is just hinted at, but at other times it is described (not in detail, but it is pretty clearly shown). It is, however, always well connected with the plot. You never have this sense that something unpleasant is being mentioned just for the sake of it. It is always there to convey a message of some kind. Machiavellian aspect of The Golden Compass seems quite credible and its politics well developed. It is after all, a world very much like our own. How much of that would a child pick on, I’m not sure, but as an adult reader, I could see a lot of sinister and dark motives behind character’s actions.
I have a few more paragraphs to write before finishing reviewing the novel and those paragraphs will be about three things: the setting, the characters and the plot.
The setting 5/5
The setting of this novel was perfect, one of the best I’ve found in fantasy literature. Slowly, we got to learn more and more about the world of The Gold Compass. I love the concept of parallel worlds and how it was played out in the book. The daemons are such an interesting concept! Very original and well developed idea. I love the way the connection between humans and daemons was portrayed. It was simply ingenious. In a way daemons are people’s souls, but that doesn’t quite explain it. It’s a mystery, one might say, all the ways in which a daemon is connected to a human, but it is surely well played out in this novel.
The characters 5/5
Lyra is a wonderful protagonist. She is immensely likeable. A silver tongue child of no imagination (or so the author claims but she must have had some to be able to come up with some of her ingenious ideas towards the end). I quite like her character development. She is very loyal friend and is capable of great tenderness, contrary to what it might seem. I really like how her daemon Pan seems to be a separate character, quite independent in some way, but still his character development paralleling her own.
Lyra’s parents are very well drawn characters as well. I won’t comment on them separately despite the fact they are very different- and yet in some ways quite similar. Certainly not very caring and loving parents, but interesting characters nevertheless.
Iorek was a very likeable character as well. Iorek looks like a polar bear but he is actually a panserbjorn. The whole concept of paserbjorns was quite fascinating. They’re not like people because they obviously don’t have daemons (i.e souls), but they’re also not animals. They have their code of behaviour and honour; they live for war. It is said that their soul rests within their armour.
Serafina the witch- I really liked her character. I felt the way she described things to Lyra revealed a lot about the world itself. Her character gave us insight into what it means to be a witch and what it feels like to outlive those you love. Her romance with the gypsy was very touching too. If I understand well, she plays a part in the sequels. I can’t wait to read them and learn more about her.
The plot and the story 5/5
The plot was great and the story made for a very interesting read. It is an eventful novel and what makes it even better is the way it slowly draws you into its world. The world of The Golden Compass is described as the story unfolds in a way that is both simple and logical. So, as far as what
What is it that I didn’t like about the novel? I explained that in the second and the third paragraph. There were parts of this book that were either challenging to read (I know it is all fiction, but we read because we feel what fiction makes us feel) or I’m simply being overly sensitive and driven by maternal instincts. That all being said, the Golden Compass is a well written novel indeed. It is a wonderfully imaginative work of fantasy literature that feels quite original and fresh.
While I was reading the Golden Compass I kept thinking: “What a shame I didn't have the chance to read it as a kid. I would have loved it!”. The world described is wonderfully imaginative. It seemed like the perfect book for children to me. Lyra is such a charming protagonist. Her portrayal is very believable, her thoughts absolutely logical for a child of her age. Moreover, you really things developing from the point of a view of a child. This was handled very well in the novel. The language is simple enough, I imagine it would be easy enough for children to read it. However, as the narrative progressed things started to get a lot darker. However, by the time I finished the first part of this book, I was glad I didn't read it as a child. I'm pretty sure I would have found it disturbing. I might be wrong; it is quite possible that what disturbed me might even go unnoticed by children. Let’s say it like this. If I had a young child, I wouldn’t want it to read this book. I imagine that a sensitive kid could be genuinely shocked by the amount of cruelty that is to be found in this book.
So, in my opinion this is NOT a book for children, or more specifically young children. Is it suitable for teenagers? Yes, I would say it is a great read for both teenagers and adults, but for very young children I don’t think it is very suitable. Most adult characters to be found in this novel wouldn’t stop at nothing to get what they want and lives of children don’t seem to matter to them at all. If anything, it seems like they care less about children. This is something I found believable but disturbing. Unfortunately, children are often mistreated in this world. Generally speaking, I would say that the rights of children are the most endangered ones in our world, in a far greater scope than the rights of women that are more often talked about. Children are quite defenceless, that is why any kind of violence towards them is very disturbing. In today’s world, I think that neglect is a very high of the list of offenses towards children, but I’m straying away from the subject. For me personally, there is nothing more distressing than reading about children being subjected to harsh treatment or abuse. Towards the end of the book, there were parts that were very hard to read because I was quite shock by the way adults were treating children.
It is not that it is adults vs. children kind of perspective, this novel is a bit more complex than that. It is just that a very sensitive child might not feel very trusting towards adults after reading this one and not in that cute ‘peter pan’ sort of way. So, I don’t think it is the best kind of book for young kids. There are no graphic scenes of violence in this novel that I can think of, but there is psychological and physical violence present in it. Sometimes it is just hinted at, but at other times it is described (not in detail, but it is pretty clearly shown). It is, however, always well connected with the plot. You never have this sense that something unpleasant is being mentioned just for the sake of it. It is always there to convey a message of some kind. Machiavellian aspect of The Golden Compass seems quite credible and its politics well developed. It is after all, a world very much like our own. How much of that would a child pick on, I’m not sure, but as an adult reader, I could see a lot of sinister and dark motives behind character’s actions.
I have a few more paragraphs to write before finishing reviewing the novel and those paragraphs will be about three things: the setting, the characters and the plot.
The setting 5/5
The setting of this novel was perfect, one of the best I’ve found in fantasy literature. Slowly, we got to learn more and more about the world of The Gold Compass. I love the concept of parallel worlds and how it was played out in the book. The daemons are such an interesting concept! Very original and well developed idea. I love the way the connection between humans and daemons was portrayed. It was simply ingenious. In a way daemons are people’s souls, but that doesn’t quite explain it. It’s a mystery, one might say, all the ways in which a daemon is connected to a human, but it is surely well played out in this novel.
The characters 5/5
Lyra is a wonderful protagonist. She is immensely likeable. A silver tongue child of no imagination (or so the author claims but she must have had some to be able to come up with some of her ingenious ideas towards the end). I quite like her character development. She is very loyal friend and is capable of great tenderness, contrary to what it might seem. I really like how her daemon Pan seems to be a separate character, quite independent in some way, but still his character development paralleling her own.
Lyra’s parents are very well drawn characters as well. I won’t comment on them separately despite the fact they are very different- and yet in some ways quite similar. Certainly not very caring and loving parents, but interesting characters nevertheless.
Iorek was a very likeable character as well. Iorek looks like a polar bear but he is actually a panserbjorn. The whole concept of paserbjorns was quite fascinating. They’re not like people because they obviously don’t have daemons (i.e souls), but they’re also not animals. They have their code of behaviour and honour; they live for war. It is said that their soul rests within their armour.
Serafina the witch- I really liked her character. I felt the way she described things to Lyra revealed a lot about the world itself. Her character gave us insight into what it means to be a witch and what it feels like to outlive those you love. Her romance with the gypsy was very touching too. If I understand well, she plays a part in the sequels. I can’t wait to read them and learn more about her.
The plot and the story 5/5
The plot was great and the story made for a very interesting read. It is an eventful novel and what makes it even better is the way it slowly draws you into its world. The world of The Golden Compass is described as the story unfolds in a way that is both simple and logical. So, as far as what
What is it that I didn’t like about the novel? I explained that in the second and the third paragraph. There were parts of this book that were either challenging to read (I know it is all fiction, but we read because we feel what fiction makes us feel) or I’m simply being overly sensitive and driven by maternal instincts. That all being said, the Golden Compass is a well written novel indeed. It is a wonderfully imaginative work of fantasy literature that feels quite original and fresh.
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Reading Progress
October 7, 2016
–
Started Reading
October 7, 2016
– Shelved
October 10, 2016
–
Finished Reading
