A Compass, A Knife, and a Spyglass (read: Telescope)

Book Review
His Dark Material Omnibus

Philip Pullman

I came across this book thanks to a certain movie trailer called 'The Golden Compass'. The movie is set to be released sometimes in December 2007. 'The Golden Compass' is actually part one of a trilogy called 'His Dark Material'. The trilogy contains 3 books, and they are 'The Golden Compass', 'The Subtle Knife', and 'The Amber Spyglass'. I was lucky to have found this book that contains all three and bought it on the spot without thinking twice for the trailer of the movie looked very promising.

The story starts with the tale of a 12-year old girl named Lyra who lives in Jordan College in Oxford, England. However, Lyra's Oxford exists in a different world than ours, where a person's soul dwells not within his or her body, but lies without. It is represented in an animal form, and is usually of an opposite sex than the person. These are called daemon (yes, pronounced just like demon). A child's daemon changes shape many times, until the child reaches adulthood when the daemon will settle into a permanent form, reflecting the person's true self.

Daemons are not the only thing unique in Lyra's world, as the readers will soon find out in this trilogy. Lyra's adventure starts when she accidentally stumbled across a plot by the Master of Jordan College to poison her uncle, Lord Asriel and the sudden disappearances of children all over England. The story will take her to the North, where witches reside and talking bears in armors rule the icy land, and to an encounter with a formidable and cunning lady named Mrs. Coulter. She will come across plots involving the Church and science, not realizing that she plays a big part in a prophecy long told among the witches.

Philip Pullman has created a trilogy that in concept reminds me of a certain other movie trilogy. Involving concepts relating to Christianity such as creation/genesis, original sin and the holy trinity, at times this book doesn't seem to read like a children's book (the category in which this book is put into), eventhough if some of the main characters are children. Add to that the fact that the book also put forth scientific theory such as quantum theory and anti-matter, then you have a book whose blend of religious and scientific concepts (in my opinion) can make children literally scratch their heads. Not only those, the book's many characters and events are hard and fierce, aspects that children might not be able to relate to.

Doesn't mean that it's not brilliant, though. Pullman has created a wonderful and smart trilogy whose characters and their worlds will delight readers and are quite memorable. The plot twists are also quite interesting, at least for 'Compass' and 'Subtle Knife'. I found 'Amber' to be a bit of a let down nearing the end. It's as if the story wasn't fleshed out well enough and the writer in a hurry to end the book. When it concerns the third and last part of the trilogy, more developments are possible, in my opinion. However, the most brilliant aspect of this book aside from the story is, as mentioned before, Pullman's blend of concepts revolving around science, theology and fantasy as the underlying background of the story.

One of the aspect of this book that is worthy of mention is its reference to many aspects of Christianity. Devout Christians might find this rather disconcerting. I have my own opinion on it, and it leans toward the author's view reflected in this work of fiction. However, fiction is the key word here, and this is how the readers should view this book. A work of fiction, a science fiction to be exact, which is to be enjoyed and not to be taken too seriously.

All in all, 'His Dark Material' is a brilliant story of science fiction that should not be missed by any of the genre's fan. Not a recommended read for children, this book's audience leans more towards teenagers and adults.