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A review by simonev
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
5.0
I first read this trilogy in London in 2004, during a long winter of delicious unemployment and travel. I remember spending hours curled up on a spare bed by a window, using the brief hours of sunlight to delve into this mysterious universe of humans with animal daemons/familiars/spirit animals, of gypsies and witches, yet somehow with a twist steampunk as well. Pullman does a great job of bringing together a range of philosophical/theological questions and anchoring them to his plot with a sense of wonder, and my first reading (of all three books) took me a matter of days.
None of the magic was lost in re reading this first book over last summer, not even after the appalling film adaptation of a few years ago. I was more aware of the intricacies of the web of stakeholders in the world of Lyra's Oxford this time, and I found Lord Asriel more disturbing (knowing his motives) than on my first reading. Again, I felt a powerful pang of jealousy at the bond enjoyed by the characters and their daemons. I want one!
It left me hungry for the next two books, but sadly I believe I will be unable to spare the attention for some time yet. This trilogy should be compulsory reading for all teenagers.
None of the magic was lost in re reading this first book over last summer, not even after the appalling film adaptation of a few years ago. I was more aware of the intricacies of the web of stakeholders in the world of Lyra's Oxford this time, and I found Lord Asriel more disturbing (knowing his motives) than on my first reading. Again, I felt a powerful pang of jealousy at the bond enjoyed by the characters and their daemons. I want one!
It left me hungry for the next two books, but sadly I believe I will be unable to spare the attention for some time yet. This trilogy should be compulsory reading for all teenagers.