The Golden Compass

Alrighty then. I picked these books up because of the back lash the series received in my [former] Pentecostal Protestant circle. I still get infos trickled through my mother, and the backlash intrigued me. Needless to say, I haven't yet seen the movie (I make it a habit to never see a movie before I've read the book), but all the indignant outrage got me more than slightly curious.

Before I begin my own review, let's look at what others are saying.

...it has clear anti-Christ overtones and a message that can only drag young minds further into a media driven pool of emptiness where life is hopeless and the future is bleak.

We live in a time when radical secularists will stop at nothing to advance their
agenda. It is one thing to be indifferent toward religion, quite another to unleash an
anti-religion crusade. This is exactly what the new atheism is all about-a dogmatic
plundering of religion, especially Christianity, done in the name of tolerance.

Pullman may have been offensive in his treatment of Christianity, ignorant of every tenet of the faith, and pitiable in his sad little mutiny against heavenly authority, but at least he was honest about his aims.

This is, of course, about the movie, and I'll be talking about the book. Anyway, let's begin.

The basic premise of The Golden Compass is simple. Extraordinary girl, foretold about in mystic prophesies, is caught up in a multi-world, Super-String-Theory invoking battle between the Authority [read : God] and the non-believers.

The Golden Compass, the first book in Pullman's His Dark Materials series, deals with quite little of that. In this novel we meet Lyra (the extraordinary 11 year old girl), Pan (Lyra's daemon - we'll just call him her familiar), Lord Asriel (Lyra's father), Marissa Coulter (Lyra's mother), Iorek (the great armored bear) and Roger (Lyra's dearest friend). Also introduced are several groups : The Magestarium (strikingly similar to the Catholic Church), the Gyptians (water-faring gypsies), the Witches, the armored bears, Scholars (some of which are aligned with the Magestarium), and the General Oblation Board (Gobblers, a brand of the Magestarium).

The Golden Compass is relatively mild, showing some of Pullman's outright hatred of organized religions or any sort and the institutionalized brain washing of children into said religious orders. Throughout the novel, there are several very obvious digs at Christianity, the most notable being the reference to children being offered up as nuns or priests without consent. However, all in all, there was very little that made my Protest fur rise in righteous protest.

Lyra begins her journey by doing what adventurous 11 year olds do best - breaking rules and getting themselves in sticky, dangerous situations. While exploring a room that is off limits to all but a select few (and no, she is not one of them) she uncovers an assassination plot, initiated by the Master of Jordan College against Lord Asriel. She also discovers the existence of a mysterious substance, known in her world only as Dust. What this Dust does, where it comes from, and what its greater purpose is is totally unknown to people.

However, Lyra's view of the world is forever changed. She thinks constantly about Dust, and, along with her familiar Pan, tries to work out a way to venture North with Lord Asriel to learn more. In the midst of her thinking, she also learns that new problems are arising among her friends, as children are being taken by Gobblers and never seen again. Her friend Roger is one of the children taken.

Not long after learning of this, Lyra is taken into the care of Marissa Coulter, although at this point she is unaware of their relationship. The Master gives her a gift, the golden compass (or alethiometer : truth meter). Soon after, Lyra and Pan discover that Marissa is actually in charge of the Gobblers, and take flight. This leads them on a journey with their Gyptians friends, as they travel North to free the children and learn the purpose of the General Oblation Board. Along the trip, Lyra and Pan meet Iorek, the Witches, and other allies.

This journey leads Lyra and Pan right to the heart of the GOB, at Bolvanger, their research facility. It is here that they learn of the GOB's true purpose : to successfully separate human from familiar, in an attempt to ward off Dust, which is believed, by the GOB at least, to be a physical manifestation of original sin. After successfully destroying Bolvanger, Lyra, Pan, Roger and Iorek head still farther North, along with Lee Scoresby who pilots a balloon. Throughout this journey, Lyra references her alethiometer for guidance and wisdom, and it always leads her faithfully.

This end-of-novel sequence is the point at which Pullman begins to lose credibility as an author. Most of his attention now turns towards the over whelming evil that inhabits religion. Lyra meets her father again, and learns of his plan to destroy Dust by opening a window to another world. There is much sadisism and disregard for life, that is played up, seemingly, to undermine religion. However, it is hardly persuasive as Pullman loses the artful flow of the novel and begins proselytizing as a religious atheist. The final exchange between Lyra and Pan includes feeble attempts at conversion, including the fallacious argument "If they're bad, then what they hate must really be good."

In closing, if you love fantasy, buy the book. Most of the three hundred some odd pages are written artfully, with minor lapses as Pullman lets his agenda get ahead of his fiction. The lapses, though glaring, would do little to persuade anyone over the age of 6 to succumb to his arguments, so don't fear for the impressionable mind of your consistently argumentative 13 year old. I personally found the affronts to Christianity laughable, at best, which added an ironic humor to the novel. If you still have issue supporting an atheist novel, visit your local used book store and purchase it there - they don't pay royalties for reselling.