The Golden Compass – Reviewing Classics
Laurel Leaf, 1995
Fantasy Fiction
ISBN-10: 0375838309
368 pages
The Carnegie Medal for Children’s Fiction
Synopsis
In a parallel earth, all people have their own personal daemon a physical manifestation of their soul in animal form. Trouble seems to be brewing in this world, and there’s talk about this invisible material called Dust. Thinking this as the link to original sin, the scientists of experimental theology are trying to find a way to rid people of it, even going as far as separating them from their daemons, essentially ripping them from their souls.
None of this seems important Lyra Belacqua, a young, troublemaking orphan adopted by the precincts of Oxford University. However, soon she realizes that she’s right in the middle of a fight between a man she learns is her father, Lord Asriel, who is trying to use the Dust for a different purpose, and the woman she learns is her mother, Mrs. Coulter, who works for the Church. She must discern friend from foe as she seeks to rescue a boy who has been taken to have his soul severed and ends up journeying with gyptians, witches, a balloonist, and an armor-clad polar bear who used to be the king of the polar bears.
Critique
All three of these books are a fun read, and each story is able to stand on its own as unique and interesting apart from the others, even though it’s one story spread over three novels. There is definitely some obvious anti-Judeo-Christian themes, but if you really drill down to what Pullman is communicating through them, they work more as a satire intended to be a mirror to people who hold onto self-righteous and bigoted beliefs that isolate and abuse others. Ultimately, though these are fun stories born out of a creative mind that was able to construct an entirely original fantasy that critiques our own culture. It’s a rare gem, blending both an imaginative fantasy with a pointed social commentary. I recommend this series to all readers 9+ and I also recommend rereading them as you get older, because alike books such as Wrinkle in Time, and The Narnia series, the layered conflicts, references, and commentaries will grow with you as a reader.
The other books in this series are The Subtle Knife (book 2), The Amber Spyglass (book 3) and Lyra’s Oxford and Once Upon a Time in the North as companion novels.
Rating Rubric
Enjoyable Read: Original Fantasy: Original Plot: Language: Asthetics: Depth In Characters: 
Depth In Story: Social Commentary: Layers/Complexity: Classroom Text: Overall Rating:
For the Classroom
These books aren’t relevant to any classroom subject, per se, but so many elements regarding religion, historical/social structures, and inventive sciences are rife throughout that they could serve as interesting companion materials for any of the above subject or a general English course, especially considering the amount of essays and study books have been written about them just in the past 10 years.
Here is a short list of some of the companion books seeking to study and deconstruct elements of the trilogy in order to expound on some of Pullman’s ideas:
