His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

 

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass

Bibliography

Pullman, Philip.  1995.  His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass.  New York, NY: Yearling.  ISBN 9780679879244.

Plot Summary

Lyra, the niece of Lord Asriel, has been raised her whole life at Oxford's Jordan College.  Children from the area, both gyptians and her friend Roger, start disappearing, and there are rumors that a group called the Gobblers are doing horrible things to these children.  Meanwhile, a beautiful and captivating woman named Mrs. Coulter comes to Oxford and takes Lyra with her as her young apprentice.  Lyra enjoys a lavish life for a short time, until she realizes that Mrs. Coulter is one of the Gobblers, officially known as the General Oblation Board.  She escapes and is rescued by the gyptians, who head North to rescue the missing children, and they enlist the help of an exiled armored bear named Iorek Byrnison.  She discovers from the gyptians that Lord Asriel is actually her father, and Mrs. Coulter is her mother.  Lyra's hope is that on their journey they will also be able to rescue her father who has been imprisoned by the Oblation Board and guarded by the armored bears because of his research on Dust, and she thinks it is her duty to take him the alethiometer that the Oxford Master gave her, which will always tell the truth and might help Asriel's research.   Along the way Lrya is captured and taken to Bolvangar where they are keeping the kidnapped children, and she realizes that the Oblation Board is separating the daemons from their children before reaching adolescence to keep them free from the effects of Dust.  Lyra ultimately escapes with the children, who are found by the gyptians.  Lyra and a few others, including Iorek Byrnison and Roger, continue their journey to Svalbard where her father is being held captive by Iofur Rakinson, the king of the armored bears.  Thanks to Lyra's trickery and Iorek's strength, he is able to reclaim his rightful throne as king and gets Lyra to her father.  Asriel takes Roger in the night with the purpose of using the energy from severing his daemon's bond in order to create a bridge to the other world visible in the Aurora.  It turns out this was his research all along, and he wants to go there to destroy Dust.  Realizing that Dust could be a good thing, Lyra follows Asriel to the other world to try and stop him. 

Critical Analysis

Pullman has meticulously crafted a rich world much like our own with real places like Oxford, yet there are magical creatures like witches and armored bears that don't exist in our world.  Plus, all humans have an animal-like daemon that is like part of their soul, and their daemon can change forms until the person reaches adolescence, when the daemon then settles on one form.  The time frame is not stated, but from the people and places and vehicles that are described, it seems like it takes place in the beginning to mid 1900's.

Lyra is an admirable character, full of spark, wit, and ingenuity.  She puts the safety of others above her own and is resilient and persistent in the face of danger.  She does not yet come of age in this book because her daemon can still shift forms, but she learns a great deal about herself and the world and begins her journey through adolescence.  She leaves her childish pranks and games at Oxford behind and realizes she serves a greater purpose, and whether or not she is afraid, she pushes herself onward for the greater good. 

The idea of Dust is very complex and philosophical in nature. It is explained that Dust is almost like sin, and innocent children are not affected by it when they are young and their daemon is still able to change forms.  What the Oblation Board is searching for is almost like looking for a fountain of youth, except instead of wanting to keep people young they are wanting to keep their innocence and prevent Dust from accumulating.  In a way, a person's daemon is like their conscience, so by disconnecting the two, they will not feel the guilt of their sins.

Awards & Review Excerpts

1995 Carnegie Medal Winner

Kirkus Reviews 3/1/1996

"The author's care in recreating Victorian speech affectations never hinders the action; copious amounts of gore will not dissuade the squeamish, for resonating at the story's center is the twinkling image of a celestial city. This first fantastic installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy propels readers along with horror and high adventure, a shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe." 

Publishers Weekly 2/19/1996

"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures." 

Connections

Readers who enjoyed this book will want to continue with the other books in Pullman's His Dark Materials series, The Subtle Knife, ISBN 9780440418337,  and The Amber Spyglass, ISBN 9780440418566.   Another steampunk fiction novel involving alternate universes that readers might be interested in is Laura Ruby's The Shadow Cipher, ISBN 9780062306944.