The Golden Compass Blog Tour: Review

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1)
Author: Philip Pullman
Genre: MG/YA Fantasy
Release Date: May 22, 2001
Publisher: Yearling

Description:

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jodan College, with her daemon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle.

Philip Pullman's award-winning The Golden Compass is a masterwork of storytelling and suspense, critically acclaimed and hailed as a modern fantasy classic.

This Yearling paperback edition includes 15 pages of bonus material: some found letters of Lord Asriel, his scientific notes and other archival documents. This edition also features artwork by Philip Pullman at the opening of each chapter.

A New York Times Bestseller
A Newsweek Top 100 Book of All Time
An Entertainment Weekly All-Time Greatest Novel
Winner of the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction

"Very grand indeed." --The New York Times
"Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling." --The Washington Post
"A shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy / adventure stories that I have read. This is a book no one should miss." --Terry Brooks  

The Golden Compass is the first book in the award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy - a middle grade/young adult fantasy adventure series. Surprisingly, this is the first time I've read this book. I'm not sure why I've never gotten around to reading it before, but after finishing it - I don't feel like I've been missing as much as I thought. I know this is a highly acclaimed book and series, but it didn't blow me away. I found it well written and full of adventure and excitement - but it just didn't grab me the way I wanted. I can see why it's so popular - the book is wonderful and has lots of interesting characters, places, and story lines. Lyra is a great main character - she's brave, smart, full of determination and strength. I enjoyed watching her traverse the different settings and overcome the obstacles in her path. The story was well written with lots of rich detail and vivid imagery that helps to bring Lyra's world to life for the reader. I loved learning all I could about the different places, the various creatures and people, and all of the problems plaguing this wonderful world. One thing that I think hindered my reading experience was the writing style. It was done in the third person point of view - which isn't my top choice. I love the connection that comes with the first person POV - and this was definitely lacking for me in this book. If it had been done in the first person, then I probably would've had a more positive experience. Since it was done in this way, I felt it left something lacking from the story itself and I just couldn't slip inside Lyra's world like I wanted. These are solely my own personal opinions, and I know other readers won't have the same issues. I just wanted to make a note of them to explain why I didn't rate it higher. I do recommend it for fans of MG, YA, and children's fiction and those who enjoy fantasy, adventure, and action.

Coming Fall 2017 - La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust #1)

Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them; a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua...