A Review of 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman (Audio Book)

"Lyra is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with daemon familiar always by her side.  The arrival of Lyra's fearsome uncle, Lord Astriel, to Jordan College draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle-- a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears.  As she hurtles toward danger in the far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth...


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

I've had this book recommended to me by an IRL friend (she's the one who lent me the book in the first place) and also by a blogger who reviewed the entire "His Dark Materials" trilogy.  Click HERE to pay him a visit!

I'm glad that I read this book.  It was a good adventure story that left me wanting more at the end (good thing there are two more books!).

I listened to this book as opposed to reading a hard copy of it.  This is another excellent audio book because there is an entire cast of voice actors that make the book seem more like a radio show (I use 'show' loosely here).  I loved the voice of Lyra and now I want an armored bear ("BEARS!!!")

(I don't know about you, but I think they're kind of cute... in a slightly terrifying way)

I wasn't quite sure why I wasn't allowed to read these when I was younger.  I'm still not quite sure why-- I know that there are atheistic themes in this book, but they're just that.  Themes.  It's nothing new-- people struggle with this every day.  But it's important to think and talk about it, as Philip Pullman did moreso towards the end of this installment.  Any way, I found myself focusing more on the actual plot rather than searching for the themes.

This was a beautiful first installment to the series.  I feel like I can't write an awesome review until after I continue the series, but I will still write about the individual books in the series.  I can't wait to read the rest!

I give 'The Golden Compass':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude