The Golden Compass

[mitsuki lover]

This thread is limited to the novel The Golden Compass and not the movie.
Answer the following questions:
1.Have you read it?
2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?(Please keep this to a literary level and not 'it stunk because Pullman was pushing atheism,etc.')
3.Who was your favorite character?
4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels?
7.If the answer for #6 is yes,then which ones.
Thanks.:angel:

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

1.Have you read it?
Yes, I've read Northern Lights (and I'm re-reading it at the moment)

2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?
Yes, it's very reminiscent of the Narnia books in some ways, it's very original, quite deep and philosophical but still accessible and really well written.
The main characters are particularly interesting.

3.Who was your favorite character?
Lyra probably. Lord Asriel was pretty good too.
Ms Coulter is a fascinating if evil character.

4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
That children lose much of their innocence when they become adults, the church has done terrible things in the name of God, our souls are vitally important to living.

5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
That witches are on the side of the good, the church is always evil, sin is essential to being a real human, animals have souls. That sort of thing.

6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels?
Yes, I've only read the other two books in the series - The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The Subtle Knife is good (but Will just isn't as compelling a character as Lyra, neither is his story), and The Amber Spyglass wanders too much and gets caught up in it's atheistic agenda. It's not a good read at all and it loses the plot.

[Ashley]

1.Have you read it?
Yes

2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?(Please keep this to a literary level and not 'it stunk because Pullman was pushing atheism,etc.')
It was alright. I have read much better, and I have read much worse. It was a fun world he invented, though, I give him credit for that. But I felt the major gut-wrenching scene in the end was just too unrealistic. And I was very confused on where the story was supposed to be set.

3.Who was your favorite character?
John Faa. He was pretty rad.

4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
Um....I can't really think of any

5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
That all adults are stupid, that all authority is bad, that self-sufficiency is best

6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels?
Yes

7.If the answer for #6 is yes,then which ones.
The Subtle Knife, and I'm working on The Amber Spyglass

[ClosetOtaku]

Answer the following questions:

1.Have you read it?
Yes. I finished it in 2001.

2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?
I enjoyed it immensely. From my Amazon review: "Pullman draws you into a fantastic world of heroic beauty and heartless cruelty as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Some have compared the work to Tolkien's trilogy, but whereas Tolkien leads you to believe in the lush reality of his world, Pullman makes you FEEL every glorious victory and crushing defeat viscerally, as if you were there. Intrigue, betrayal, heroic figures, despicable evil -- Pullman pulls no punches from start to finish; this book is as engrossing as it is emotionally exhausting. I have never grown to admire (or hate) fictional characters as much as the ones that I met in this book."

3.Who was your favorite character?
I really liked Lyra, although Ms Coulter's insidious nature was perfect in an anti-heroine sense.

4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
I really felt at the time that he was still developing his various philosophies in his work, so I held back from drawing conclusions. I thought he would complete some of his thoughts in future works, and I was right...

5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
I had no objections at that particular moment. I was too enraptured in what I thought was fabulous and imaginative story telling.

6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels?
Yes

7.If the answer for #6 is yes,then which ones.
The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

In writing his anti-Narnia books if you will, Pullman actually does the opposite. Lyra puts full trust in the alethiometer (the mysticism of science), sure her devotion is misplaced in a Christian view but it shows that humans crave some direction in life from another source (and only God can fill that).
Anyone that's what I took away from reading the first book after reading.
Just finished my second reading - brilliant book!

For an atheist, Pullman sure places heavy emphasis on the importance of humans having souls.
That's all I have to say to all the Christians who lam blast it without reading it or even researching their sources better.

[Maledicte]

I've only read Pullman's I Was A Rat, but didn't like it very much. It seemed to stretch the joke out too thin.

[the_wolfs_howl]

1.Have you read it?
Yes.

2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?(Please keep this to a literary level and not 'it stunk because Pullman was pushing atheism,etc.')
Very much so. The world is quite imaginative, and once I understood what the daemons are, I really liked them - entertained the inevitable thought of, "What would my daemon be if I were in that world?" It was very exciting, and one of the things I found interesting and appealing was how there were really three climaxes instead of one. I've never seen that before (and no, Tolkien's long, drawn-out end of LotR doesn't count ). I also liked the mix of magic and technology; it reminded me of Final Fantasy, but in a very Western way.

3.Who was your favorite character?
Actually, I think my favorite was Pantalaimon. I liked how he had a personality that was very like Lyra, yet separate at the same time, and how he complemented her so well. And just the thought of having a mink daemon curling around your throat when you go to sleep.... *cuddles up in a warm, happy ball*

4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
Children are often underestimated, childhood should be treasured, humans are not meant to have their souls torn from them.

5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
The Church is by its very nature evil, children are without sin, rejecting authority is to be commended, etc. The more blood-boiling of the themes hadn't come up in this book, so I could still enjoy a good story without being distracted by it all. I basically just heaved a sigh at the way the Church took on the form of just about every last antagonist, and continued on with the story.

6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels?
Yes.

7.If the answer for #6 is yes,then which ones.
The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass - like everyone else who answers this question, it seems.

[Bobtheduck]

Hmm... Funny how many people here read and loved these books... One paragraph in "The Subtle Knife" drove me away from the series, and I'm probably never going to even bother reading it now... The one about the circumcision... I won't even bother quoting the whole thing, just the real thesis of the paragraph, "That is what the church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling..."

As Northern Lights is meant as an introduction to the other two books, I'm gonna have to say that it's worthy of mention.

Next, please.

[uc pseudonym]

1.Have you read it?
Roughly eight years ago.

2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?
Somewhat. It was not my type of fantasy, though perhaps I was merely too young to appreciate it.

3.Who was your favorite character?
Hm, the trilogy blurs for me somewhat. None of the witches are in the first book, correct? Probably Iorek Byrnison - he made an impression with his ability to know perfectly a person's intent.

4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
A novel is not exactly a list of talking points, so any answer to this question would be rather complex.

6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels?
7.If the answer for #6 is yes,then which ones.
See all the other posts.

[rocklobster]

1.Have you read it?
yes
2.Did you enjoy it?Why or Why not?
Not really, but I read it for Spiritual Warfare.
3.Who was your favorite character?
So far, it's Pan.

4.What points did you agree with Pullman on?
Children need to be protected from the evils of the world, which aren't always that easy to see. They are also in danger of losing their innocense.
5.What points did you disagree with Pullman on?
That Christianity is evil and wants to steal your soul, turning you into a mind-numbed drone.

6.Have you read any of Pullman's other novels? yep
7.If the answer for #6 is yes,then which ones.
I'm currently reading the rest of the trilogy.