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A review by bittersweet_symphony
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
4.0
This fits into what has become one of my favorite fantasy sub-genre's: speculative/alternative history with magical elements.
While The Golden Compass is extraordinarily light on character development, the plot is compelling and I found the world-building to be imaginative. Pullman creates an interesting cosmology in this "anti-Chronicles of Narnia" tale, that leaves readers wishing they had daemons of their own.
As has been noted elsewhere, the film version failed due to it's watering down the religious/anti-religious themes that feature more prominently in the book. I remain optimistic that the new His Dark Materials tv series will do it greater justice.
While The Golden Compass is extraordinarily light on character development, the plot is compelling and I found the world-building to be imaginative. Pullman creates an interesting cosmology in this "anti-Chronicles of Narnia" tale, that leaves readers wishing they had daemons of their own.
As has been noted elsewhere, the film version failed due to it's watering down the religious/anti-religious themes that feature more prominently in the book. I remain optimistic that the new His Dark Materials tv series will do it greater justice.