Northern Lights

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Summary: Northern Lights
Review: "Northern Lights" by Phillip Pullman is thankfully the first of the Dark Materials trilogy. Within the first five pages its adventurous plot captured me totally. This book combines elements of fantasy, thriller and an adventure story into a novel that can be enjoyed on many levels.
This book is set in a parallel universe where the idea of human is to have a "daemon". Daemons take the form of animals, they and their human are intimately, including telepathically, linked. Human and daemon can never be more than a few feet apart, but can both think and act independently. The daemons of children can change themselves to and from any animal whilst those of adults are fixed at puberty into a permanent form.
Northern Lights takes the classic form of a quest where our heroine, 12 year old Lyra, as always accompanied by her daemon Pantalaimon, must battle overwhelming odds to save her world.
Lyra is a wild, spirited girl who charges through this book on a foolhardy mission to rescue her friend Roger, the kitchen boy. She delights in mischief and lies like a champion. Lyra is helped on her mission by many different characters. Amongst these characters is the Master of Jordan- torn between his genuine love for Lyra and his priority of preserving the college against a background of serious political and religious intrigue. Another major part of the plot is Lord Asriel a proud, arrogant man set on achieving nothing but his own goals which will change Lyra's world irrevocably. Lyra's chief supporters are Lord John Faa, the king of the Gypsies, a people who were once her enemies, and a solid good man.
Starting from an alternative Oxford College, the fictional Jordan college, the plot moves us through London to the frozen wastes of the Arctic.
This book grips you from beginning to end and leaves you desperate for the next book in the series. Although it is set in a parallel world unlike our own it is astonishingly convincing and strangely moving. Reading this book leaves readers, of all ages, eagerly awaiting book two.

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Summary: FYI
Review: "Northern Lights" (British title) is published in the United States as "The Golden Compass" and is the first volume in Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.

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Summary: Northern Lights - I loved it! ^_^
Review: For Lyra and her dæmon, Pantalimon, a dream of going to the North sets in motion an incredible adventure in a fantasy world parallel to our own, yet vastly different. Her journey takes her in search of stolen children, the discovery of her real parents and encounters with strange creatures.

Northern Lights is the first part of the trilogy "His Dark Materials" a wonderful series written by Phillip Pullman. The main characters are Lyra Belacqua and the physical manifestation of her soul, her dæmon, Pantalimon. They live in a world parallel to ours. When a series of child kidnappings, that include her best friend, Roger occur, by the feared "Gobblers", Lyra sets out on a quest to help rescue them. In the doing this, a greater task is revealed, although she does not yet realize it. Along the way she encounters, tragedy, loyalty, and friendship with many loveable and unlikable characters. All the while never knowing for certain who is good and who is evil.

Despite Lyra's immature behaviour at times, she learns to makes wise decisions and ultimately begins grows up
With the help of her friends. Her friends are a little unusual: The armoured bear; Iorek Byrnison, The Witch Queen; Serafina Pekkala, The aeronaut; Lee Scorsby and her dæmon. Dæmons are the physical form of a person's soul. Every person has a dæmon; they reflect the emotions, feelings and personality, by form and actions of their host. They also act as our conscience. A Dæmon is able to take the shape of any animal. Even the people in our world have Dæmons (referred to in later books), though we cannot see ours.

Northern Lights is not always a happy adventure, there are tragic and shocking events and even deaths.

These tragedies and betrayals make the reader question their own beliefs, you're not sure as to whether a character is good or evil. The author encourages the idea that the world is not just black and white, but many shades of grey. Most people between the ages of ten and thirteen will enjoy this.

I wrote this for an english assignment. I got an A- for it too. @^_^@ Though I'm not sure as to wether this is my final copy. ^_^; Any way I hope you enjoy what I have written. My spell check stopped working about halfway through doing it so I hope there's no errors. That's all. Cya. ^_^

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Summary: Eat Your Heart Out Harry!
Review: I'm reading this book because it(His Dark Matierials) ranked SO highly in The Big Read (number 5).I read it over a couple of days so it's easy to read,compulsive, and good fun.The prose,every paragraph is concise and not as disordered and messy as J.K.Rowlings. NOT as great as the media suggest(so far!).Also I'm forty and this is obviously a childrens book which is why I've maybe been a little generous with the mark.Am I alone also, in thinking Harry Potter can't cut the mustard when up against Lyra?I found it better than the Harry Potter books and, I think ,would have loved it when I was younger.I'm also hoping that it(the whole trilogy) will merit a 5/5 when I've finished.The concept of Daemons/severed children is clever and,emotionally,gives you something to 'hang on to'.I've found with some adult fantasy books that I've read recently that the respective authors really struggle to get you to care that much for characters outside the 'main cast' spectrum.I.E.Although HP's parents are dead,I've read too many of that type of cliche d device for it to really pull me in,though this could be due to age and too much experience again.Reading this,my first childrens book for a year,was very enjoyable but,as I said earlier,I hope for better in the next two volumes.

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Summary: it will draw you into their worlds
Review: In a world, not that different from ours, lives an 11-year-olf girl with the name of Lyra Belacqua. Like every human in that world she possesses a personal daemon that protects and guides her through life. As an orphan she was taken under the guidance of Lord Asriel, who did send her to Jordan College in Oxford for her education. But something is clearly amiss when she secretly witnesses a special gathering in which Lord Asriel plays a remarkable role. Although Lyra does not understand what they are talking about, she is overwhelmed by curiosity to find out more about the main topic of that meeting: the Dust. When later children start to disappear, Lyra starts to suspect that it might all be linked to the Dust.

Northern Lights is the first part of the His Dark Materials-trilogy and this becomes very obvious while reading the book. The story-line in itself is mainly the glue that holds together the introduction of the characters and the description of the remarkable universe they're living in. But in no way does this hinder the enjoyment of the book. Philip Pullman overwhelms the reader with such a fantastic narrative that it is hard to stop reading. It is a real treat to find yourself cut of from all daily troubles and to dive into the beautiful and unforgettable magic of Lyra Belacqua.

Not yet having read the second part of His Dark Materials, I am sure that in that part the story will get up to speed and the thrill of Lyra's quest will be even more enthralling. Needless to say that that book is already lying on my nightstand.

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Summary: Fully
Review: Like i fully like luved this book it is fully like the bomb baby. How much do yous fully luv this book? It is fully like the 1st and fully like the best bk ive eva read! How fully awsoeme am i? Luv yas alls.

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Summary: KeWl Bo0K!
Review: This book in really good. I read it in year 4 and now I had to read it 4 english. I think that I got more out of it now than bak then. The plot is really interesting but slow at some points. If ur not in to fantacy u won't enjoy this book (Melissa!)

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Summary: Simply... WOW!
Review: This book is just... WOW! It is the story of Lyra and Pan, in a world similar to our own, yet vastly different. However, Pullman is clever and subtle in revealing this world to us, and by the end of it, it feels like this world could be our own, because we know it so subconsiously. The thing that really captivated me about this book, however, was Pan and daemons. It made me feel so lonely, like I wanted to have a daemon all of my own (and it wasn't til the next book that I found out I have!).