The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass and His Dark Materials Trilogy (which The Golden Compass starts) are a few of my all time favorite books. Philip Pullman pens these novels in such a way that your thought process teeters along the line of reality, philosophy, and pure fantasy/science fiction. Recently, I reread The Golden Compass (not long after finishing The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ) and was once again reminded of why this book is so good.

The story centers around Lyra Belacqua, an orphaned girl living amongst the bookish scholars of Jordan College in Oxford, England, in a world utterly unlike our own, but eerily similar, where the people are just like us, but different, with their very souls bared for all to see (daemons) in the form of animals. One evening, after sneaking into a gathering only meant for the top mean of the college (where her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, was speaking), she hears of the North, fierce panserbjorne and Dust. Thus begins Lyra's journey. Children are being kidnapped for unknown purposes. Witches are aflight, preparing for war. Lyra's best friend is missing and she has made it her mission to find him.

Pullman manages to mix a gripping adventure story with a searing critique of organized religion (or at least the beginning of one), a unique look at childhood, innocence, the psychology and biology of growing up and how that effects society. He really manages to capture what Lyra is--a little girl and a born liar and actress. So often authors who write from the perspective of children sound ridiculous, but Pullman has shaped a serious but entirely childlike little girl. And he easily slips from character to character, making each pitch-perfect. You hear Lee Scoresby's Texas lilt and feel the rumble in Iorek Byrnison's throat. And there is a slight chill that runs up your spine each time Pullman introduces the completely seductive and fairly evil character of Mrs. Coulter.

What's more, the book puts forth, in a really interesting way, the idea of soul and faith and the purpose of religion in society. Pullman very subtly calls institutions in society into question by looking at certain things through the lens of an alternate universe and the eyes of a child. The book (and the sequels) allow for a number of questions that beg for discussion and thought.

Comparable Reads: I think C.S. Lewis' Narnia books offer a really great counterpoint to The Golden Compass (and subsequent books), particularly if you're interested in the concept of religion, organized and otherwise, and children's place within it, but you must read with an open mind. Also, A Wrinkle in Time has similar qualities (alternate universes, fantasy/sci-fi) and is a very fun read, though old school. 

Who is this book for?: While it's typically marketed as a YA book (and it certainly has YA elements), it is a novel that children and adults can both enjoy. It must be read with an open mind, I believe, because Pullman does go out of his way to challenge the reader's beliefs (if those beliefs align with Christianity), particularly in the two books after "Compass." I think parents and teachers who have children/students who are reading this book should be prepared to potentially have a discussion regarding the books, because there is some serious religion and philosophy discussed within the pages.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

 Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: YA Fiction, Fantasy


 So, I'm a sucker for a good kids' fantasy/sci-fi book, and it's really rare for me to find one I don't like. Well, I did. I had picked up the book because I saw the movie and thought it was cute and figured the book was better. I, a huge Harry Potter snob, had heard a few people say, "Oh, it's like Harry Potter! It's really good." All I can say is, "Percy Jackson, I knew Harry Potter, and you are no Harry Potter."

The book, for the record, wasn't horrible. It accounts the adventures of demi-God Percy Jackson, from his bizarre final days of sixth grade, when he discovers his dad is one of the "Big Three" Olympian gods (Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus), and that his learning disabilities (ADHD and dyslexia) are actually his battle reflexes and what allows him to read ancient Greek (yet his dyslexia still affects him when he reads ancient Greek, which confused me) to his high adventure arrival at Camp Half-Blood, a camp for the gods bastards (to put it nicely). From there, Percy is given a quest to retrieve Zeus's master lightning bolt and prevent massive amounts of disaster befalling the human race.

Okay, I'll give you that it's an interesting idea. And Riordan does a really great job in explaining why Mount Olympus is currently located in New York City, and even tackles sticky ideas like "God" versus folks like Athena or Apollo. In all, I like how Riordan works this really crazy world of ancient Grecian gods and goddesses into our modern America. This is where a similarity to Harry Potter can be made.

What I wasn't into was the general campiness. Yes, Harry Potter (sorry I'm harping on this) is campy, but Percy Jackson managed to be more so. The voice of Percy (the book is in first person) felt like it was trying too hard to sound young. The benefit of writing from third person, when your main character is a 12 year old, and you, the writer, are not 12, is that you don't necessarily have to sound like it. It felt really corny in parts and there were certain times when Percy didn't sound like...Percy, I guess. That really bothered me and made the narration feel unauthentic. I also felt like some parts moved too quickly. Riordan should have spent more time in locations or gave more information or something. But then other parts would drag a bit. This definitely wasn't a book I raced through.

Comparable Reads: Like I said, there are some comparisons to Harry Potter, but don't go and read this expecting the same kind of stuff. In my opinion, Harry's better. I can't think of anything I've read that is similar, but if I can think of anything else later, I'll toss it here.

Who this book is for: This is definitely for a younger set, like upper elementary and middle school. That's not to say older folks won't like it (there are a few people in my teacher's ed. program who have loved this book), but I have little doubt that this book would be a hit with a lot of 11-13 year olds, particularly boys--although, the book does have a really strong female character (like, if Hermoine was interested in getting into street fights), so girls would have someone to connect to as well.

Sabriel

Title: Sabriel

Author: Garth Nix

Genre: Fantasy

Price: $5.95 (paperback)
ISBN: 0064471837

My copy of Sabriel is about five years old and pretty beat up. Some pages are ripped or a bit faded. Every once in a while, as you roam through the book, you'll see my name written in dwarvish runes written here and there, vestiges from my fascination with Lord of the Rings, which coincided with my first reading of Garth Nix's first book in his Old Kingdom Trilogy. This book has been loved and it shows.

The novel centers around Sabriel, a young woman freshly graduated from her girls' school in the land of Ancelstierre. The country has a turn of the century kind of feel (Nix says it's meant to be like our world's 1918), with some electricity and cars, but also an element of the old. Sabriel, however, is not from Ancelstierre, the Old Kingdom, which is separated from the rest of the world by a wall governed by a living magic referred to as charter magic (there is also free magic, but is very dangerous and used by Sabriel's enemies). Sabriel's father, the Abhorsen (more of a title than his name), a necromancer who, instead of raising the dead, puts them to rest and prevents them from running a muck in the living world. When Sabriel's father goes missing and sends her his sword and his bandoleer of bells (the instruments of magic by which the Abhorsen sends the Dead back into Death), Sabriel goes in search of her father, knowing he must be in danger.

Nix's fantasy novel has a lot of different things going for it, not the least of which it doesn't read like it's fantasy. The best fantasy novels have the element of realism to them, where the author allows his reader to sit back, digest the astounding information they've just received (like that simple movement of the hand can produce light or create a protective barrier) and think, "Yeah, that could happen." Through solid characters and believable reactions, he makes fantastical events appear plausible. While it's unlikely that any of us would ever have the opportunity to fly an aircraft made entirely out of paper and flown by whistling in the kind of wind we need, as Sabriel does, her reaction (nervousness, excitement, fear) seems entirely right.

Sabriel is artfully complex, as are all the major characters (Mogget, the cat and servant to the Abhorsen, and Touchstone, a man rescued from Death after being imprisoned there for 200 years). Enough background information is given so that the reader can understand why the characters act the way they do without it seeming odd. Nix is able to skillfully insert information about the characters without bogging the story down in excess detail. It is also helpful that the storyline is very tight, it is clear what is going on without too many pit stops placed to allow pertinent information to catch up. There are also only three characters with which one is really interested in (Sabriel, Mogget, and Touchstone), making tons of extra information unnecessary.

The one downside to the story is something I only really noticed once, the first time I read the book. I recall feeling as though the beginning was too slow. Rereading the book earlier this month, I didn't feel this way at all, and felt as though things moved along pretty quickly. While I did get frustrated the first time, and even stopped reading for a couple of weeks, when I did finally return to the book, I was quickly pulled in and couldn't put the book down (much like this past time reading).

Comparable Reads: The best comparison I can make is Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials Trilogy. The idea of multiple worlds, the realism behind the fantasy, and the solid and thoughtful characters are concurrent in both. The concept of making inexperienced young people the heroes of the book runs between both as well.

Who this book is for: It's for those who truly enjoy a solid fantasy novel, not the grocery store fluff (someone who likes Pullman or C.S. Lewis or Lloyd Alexander). The richness of the storytelling could also pull in those who are not typical fantasy readers, because the story isn't blatantly fantastical--no big puffs of smoke and bolts of lightening as magic is performed, no strange races of creatures with ridiculous and hard to pronounce names, and the story is very human and has been used before in all sorts of genres. And it is not as message oriented as other fantasy books are, as it's not an allegory or a reinterpretation of another work. This makes it quicker to read and digest along with being very fun.

Happy reading!!