Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

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Thu, 2002-08-15 22:34

Just finished reading Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, the first part of a story set in three volumes, including The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

I knew little about this book, or the author, but my wife had heard it was a kind of Harry Potter for adults. Well, I enjoyed the first three Harry Potters, even though I felt they cheated a little in just re-vamping the first two or three chapters every time before getting on with the adventure, so I looked forward to this book.

I was not disappointed, and would recommend it to anyone. The book has a couple of central themes (Dust and parallel universes) which are explored through the eyes of 10-year-old Lyra and her daemon. In the book everyone has a daemon, a kind of subconscious twin brought to "animal" form, so no one is ever alone. Children's daemons can take any form they choose, but by the time they reach adulthood they've settled on one particular form that best suits their personalities.

The ideas and imagery are marvelous. Part of the story involves the baddies capturing children and taking them to the far north to separate them from their daemons. There are armoured bears (polars), Gyptians (canal boat Gypsys), witches, cliff-ghasts, you name it. And a compass-shaped alethiometre, which answers Lyra questions for her as long as she asks the right ones.

Thoroughly recommended. I can't wait for the film (if there is one).

Mon, 2002-08-19 21:42

funky_seagull

Yeah I'm currently reading this now. I think it is a good piece of writing. He's a good author man.

Sun, 2003-10-19 18:19

Jason Sheppard

i'm only 12 and i am supposed to read this and do an essay on it for school. but i just cant get into the book, sorry to all those northern lights lovers.

Sun, 2004-03-14 17:31

neil_the_auditor

Just finished the trilogy; I don't read a great deal of fantasy nowadays but I'm glad I made an exception for this. Marvellous scope of imagination, great descriptions and if you get through "Northern Lights" and enjoy it you should certainly read all three. The idea of "daemons", as Karl says, is a brilliant one. Christians might find it disturbing, not because of "daemons" - which is nothing to do with demon-possession - or witches, which are nothing to do with modern occultism, but because of the central 'theology' of the worlds described. But a faith isn't up to much if it can't risk being disturbed by fantasy fiction. The ending of "The Amber Spyglass" is quite emotionally painful, at least it was for me, and I cried, but my wife found it hard to identify with the main characters and remained unmoved - maybe that's a weakness? I only think these are "children's" books in the sense that the two main characters are children and there isn't any "adult content"; much more complex than the Harry Potter stories (which I also like), possibly too much so for most 12-year-olds.

Sun, 2004-03-14 19:17

purplehaze

I cried too, and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them and am obviously not the only person who sees animals in people... I thought these were fantastic books and they are on my top ten, IF IT EVER GETS POSTED, ahem... [%sig%]

Sun, 2004-03-14 23:29

d.beswetherick

I ran aground on "The Subtle Knife" and didn't finish it. The daemons got on my wick. But I think the real trouble was that I couldn't fully identify with the two children, particularly Lyra. I'm a fussy reader, though. For the record, I read one book of Harry Potter and thought it was rubbish. Markedly inferior to Pullman, apart from anything else. I love children, and I love reading about children; but I tend not to like books written *for* children. Too much of life has to be left out.

Mon, 2004-03-15 11:41

sheepshank

I agree with everyone about the imaginative scope of these stories. They are so clever, and the daemons are great. But... I never felt like I cared about the characters, they just seemed to amble along the storyline without being real. I thought the best bits were with the Gyptians. That bear character was a pain in the arse. I gave up at the end of book 2. For some reason I just didn't care what happened to them all.

Mon, 2004-03-15 15:22

d.beswetherick

Exactly where I gave up.

Tue, 2004-03-16 10:19

martin_t

i loved all three, you should go back and read the last one....

Tue, 2004-03-16 12:10

#10

sheepshank

Only if the bear gets killed! [%sig%]

Tue, 2004-03-16 14:02

#11

andrew pack

I have to be honest and say that if you didn't like Subtle Knife, you certainly won't like Amber Spyglass, it is very slow-moving. Indeed. I liked the first two a great deal and thought the characters were well-done. However, I'm not sure whether I would have liked them as much had I read them post-hype. Seems to me a little as though people enjoyed reading Harry Potter as adults until Rowling lost the plot and then gave this series a bit more praise than might have been warranted. I would include myself in that condemnation - Northern Lights is a cracking read, but I wouldn't rate it above Charmed Life or the Ogre Downstairs as an example of this genre. Another odd thing is that in my mind, daemons is pronounced "Damons" which made me hungry for ribs and steak every time I was reading these books... Perhaps only Liana will get that reference, being a Lincolnshire lass. Are there any other books which oddly make people hungry while they are reading ?

Tue, 2004-03-16 14:22

#12

purplehaze

Like Water for Chocolate. it's about a woman who is a fantastic cook but whatever emotion she is feeling becomes 'infused' into the food she's preparing at the time - the emotion is then experienced by the people who ingest the food. Some of the descriptions made me long for an al fresco sunshine meal somewhere gorgeous where I didn't speak a word of the language and didn't care either. I also had a notion to make bread while reading it. Reading Terry Pratchett makes me want to have tea and home made scones by an open fire, I'm not sure why, probably coz I think of them as Winter 'reads'. I need a holiday... [%sig%]

Tue, 2004-03-16 16:33

#13

andrew pack

Reading Terry Pratchett always makes ME yearn for an open fire too, preferrably one buring at 451 Fahrenheit...

Tue, 2004-03-16 16:36

#14

Liana

OOOooooooooh, me TOO Andrew. Sometimes I feel I'm the only person who does feel that way...

Mon, 2002-09-30 18:07

#15

James Andrews

Absolutely bloody marvellous. I even went looking for the gate to the other universe on the Oxford ringroad.

Thu, 2004-12-02 17:41

#16

Pop Bach

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