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A review by sgyawriter
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Reading this as an adult was an interesting experience, because I remember when the trilogy was popular as a kid and my mom didn't let me read it. The funny thing is that I have no idea how much my mom knew about it - whether it was the story's violence and implications about religion/the institutional church, or whether it was just little things like "demons" and "witches." As I read it, I kept seeing things that not only she wouldn't have liked, but also would have been shocking or heavy for me as a kid - so part of me is actually grateful I wasn't exposed to it, because I might not have had the maturity to deal with heavy questions, not to mention the surprising amount of violence and death for a kids' book.
Anyway, sheltered childhood reflections aside, I enjoyed the story. Somehow I managed to avoid spoilers for all these years, so I was pretty invested in the story and the stakes. The writing style wasn't what I expected - much more serious, gritty, and down-to-earth, when I think I expected it to be sort of whimsical or fantastical. I liked how the characters' dialogue and dialects were so colloquial and unpolished, giving a sense of being in a real, varied, coarse world. Plot-wise, I was annoyed by the final ending twist - a side character who got used as a plot device, with no development of their own... I felt like this character got a really unfair, raw deal just for the sake of the plot.
Also, a huge reason I had a fun experience was that I listened to the original 2003 audiobook, read by the author and a full cast. The voice acting was amazing and made it such an immersive experience! Probably the highest-quality audiobook I've ever listened to.
Anyway, sheltered childhood reflections aside, I enjoyed the story. Somehow I managed to avoid spoilers for all these years, so I was pretty invested in the story and the stakes. The writing style wasn't what I expected - much more serious, gritty, and down-to-earth, when I think I expected it to be sort of whimsical or fantastical. I liked how the characters' dialogue and dialects were so colloquial and unpolished, giving a sense of being in a real, varied, coarse world. Plot-wise, I was annoyed by the final ending twist - a side character who got used as a plot device, with no development of their own... I felt like this character got a really unfair, raw deal just for the sake of the plot.
Also, a huge reason I had a fun experience was that I listened to the original 2003 audiobook, read by the author and a full cast. The voice acting was amazing and made it such an immersive experience! Probably the highest-quality audiobook I've ever listened to.