In a word: breathtaking. I've heard this trilogy compared to Harry Potter many times, but it really goes beyond the wizard at Hogwarts. It's not so apparent in the first book, but by the second, you start to get the feeling that there are a lot more levels to the story.

Book one, The Golden Compass, focuses on a young girl named Lyra. The world she lives in is similar to ours, but there are significant differences. It's old-fashioned and every human has an animal companion called a daemon. There are bears in armor in the north and witches who live forever.

Book two, The Subtle Knife, focuses on a young boy in our world named Will. Both Will and Lyra are full, rounded characters who evolve over the course of the trilogy, which is very refreshing.

I'm not even going to get into the plot, because it's so incredibly amazing as you read and slowly realize what everything is leading to. There are parts where I just burst out crying, especially the ending. It's gutwrenching, but still incredibly satisfying.

This is not for the overly religious Christian, since Pullman has some very strong opinions about the Church (notice I said "the Church" and not "the religion").

Breathtaking. Amazing. Gutwrenching. Go read it.

10-17-2002

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