In the first chapter of The Golden Compass, we are introduced to Lyra and her dæmon, Panatalaimon, some sort of spirit animal that can take different animal forms. The two of them get stuck in a room while exploring Lyra’s school, and she witnesses a dire threat to her own uncle. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Golden Compass.
Gosh, I love starting a new project. There’s a rush of excitement and anticipation that comes with this, and I’ve meant to read this trilogy for a long time because of C.S. Lewis. And I will explain that at some time in the future when it’s right. I know very little about this series, and whenever I start a new project, it inevitably brings new folks around here, so let’s get down to the details before I begin my proper review.
- YES, I AM USING THE GOLDEN COMPASS.
It’s what the book is called in North America and it’s probably an inferior title, but that’s what my book is called and it’s just easy to remember that way. DILL WITH IT.
- DO NOT SPOIL ME
Years ago, I do vaguely recall seeing the movie adaptation of this book, but all I can remember of it was that:
- It was incredibly confusing.
- There was a polar bear fight.
- IT WAS REALLY CONFUSING. And Daniel Craig was really hot as Lord Asriel.
That being said, we are treating this like all other series. Please read the site rules, which include a detailed spoiler policy. Half the joy of this place is allowing me to innocently plow through a series/book without knowing what happens. So, do not answer my rhetorical questions. Don’t give me hints for the future. Don’t tell me your favorite scenes or characters. Does it happen in the future? Don’t post anything about it THE END.
- BE RESPECTFUL TO ONE ANOTHER
If I’ve learned one thing in the many years I have lived on the Internet, it’s that discussions revolving religion, especially the Western world’s version of Christianity, rarely end well. This site is not going to be home to a theism war in any sense, so please do not post comments like “LOL CHRISTIANS R DUM†or “ALL ATHEISTS R DOUCHES†and take a moment to be respectful of another person’s beliefs and please take the time to have discussions, not raging arguments, ok? DON’T RUIN THIS FOR ME. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS SERIES HAS TO SAY ABOUT RELIGION AT ALL SO PLEASE DON’T TRY TO HAVE ARGUMENTS RIGHT OFF THE BAT AND INADVERTENTLY SPOIL ME.
Ok. Onwards we go!
CHAPTER ONE: THE DECANTER OF TOKAY
With the exception of Harry Potter, every book series I’ve read has a female protagonist. Huh.
The first chapter of The Golden Compass jumps into the action more so than anything I’ve read in the past, dropping us into the middle of a bit of an exploration on the part of Lyra and her dæmon, Pantalaimon. Now, a lot of what happens here is an exposition of sorts, but Pullman also flat out references things that make absolutely no sense to me, and I imagine this will all be much more coherent later.
It sort of feels like starting Harry Potter in that sense, too, because this is a fully imagined, alternate world, full of its own language and colloquialisms and political systems, and while Pullman does define some of this, most of this is left for later. As far as I understand it, Lyra attends Jordan College, which is run by the Master. (No, not of Doctor Who lore, though that would be pretty fantastic.) There’s a very specific order in terms of class/power, including Lords and Servants, and that women don’t seem to play into much of it. On top of that, every person has their own dæmon that walks alongside them, able to change forms, and….tell their owner stuff? I don’t understand what purpose they serve, but in no way am I complaining about that. I already want a dæmon myself to tell me not to get into shenanigans with a haughty tone and then gradually give in because I’m awesome.
Those shenanigans appear here in the first chapter, as Lyra’s curiosity about a place called the Requirement Room, where Big Important Men hold meetings of sorts in. Pullman’s an adequate writer so far, in the sense that it’s easy to imagine all of this in my head as he describes the functionality and physical space, but nothing he’s written has really jumped out at me. Stylishly, I do feel that this isn’t that a far of a stretch from Rowling’s style, actually, in that it’s third person, very matter-of-fact, and fairly basic. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to write home about. (That really is kind of an awful phrase, isn’t it? I never write home, anyway, so it doesn’t even make sense. STILL, YOU UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENT.)
Lyra and Pantalaimon are contrasted fairly well this early on in the story, as Pantalaimon is a much more practical and pragmatic character than Lyra is, who so far seems motivated to satisfy her own curiosity quite in conflict with her own personal safety. It was also hard for me to not think about how often Harry and his friends over heard major plot changes or twists by hiding in a cupboard or behind a corner or under the Invisibility Cloak, which…ok, this is certainly NOT Harry Potter, and I promise I’m not going to spend the whole book talking about the two.
But I will say that it feels like Pullman does something immediately with Lyra’s situation that Rowling generally didn’t. When the Master and his servant arrive in the Requirement Room and Lyra and her dæmon are forced to hide behind a chair, she overhears that her uncle, Lord Asriel, is on his way to the school. That excitement, however, is easily crushed when she watches the Master poor a white powder into a decanter of Tokay that is specifically for Lord Asriel. (I had to Google “Tokay†to see if it was a real thing or some sort of imagined alcoholic beverage. It’s totally real!)
Well, this book got to assassination pretty quickly, didn’t it? (I don’t know the intended age for this series, but I feel safe assuming it’s for young adults, probably early teens.) And while the characters in Harry Potter would have either kept this development to themselves, mulling on the possibilities, or perhaps planning things out for a much later time, it takes Lyra less than ten pages to outright tell Lord Asriel himself what just happened. I APPROVE OF THIS SORT OF PACING.
But I’m jumping ahead of myself, which I seem to do a lot these days. Pullman gives a lot more information about this world before that confrontation, and all of that helps me understand things a bit more. I learn additional info about dæmons and it seems whatever form yours takes denotes what sort of class you belong to. The Steward, as a servant, gets a dæmon that is a dog, and because he is a superior servant, his dog is more “dignified.†(Which, seriously, is an absurd concept, assigning class to dogs, but that’s how classism works, doesn’t it? You co-opt inanimate objects to visually denote your place in society, despite that those physical objects out of that context may have no meaning at all.) Then Lyra gives us this tidbit:
The dæmon seemed suspicious, and cast around as if she’d sensed an intruder, but didn’t make for the wardrobe, to Lyra’s intense relief. Lyra was afraid of the Stweard, who had twice beaten her.
what. Beaten her for what? I also noticed (and this is the case with the entirety of the first chapter) that every dæmon we see is a “female†dæmon as well, with Pantalaimon as the exception. I don’t know if that means anything at all at this point, but just something I noticed. Lyra also makes a reference to Pantalaimon being one to “know about conscience,†and it’s a phrase that seems so intentional, so now I’m wondering: are dæmons meant to act as physical manifestations of a person’s conscience? How will that work with villains involved?
More important, though, is Lyra’s constant assertion to Pantalaimon that she is sure something is going on, that it’s entirely reasonable that they may be witnessing a murder attempt. Pullman makes no qualms about introducing what feels like an intricately complex political system, full of drama and intrigue, right here in the very beginning. Lyra refers to some sort of “secret†set of “ritual[s]†that those in the Requirement Room participate in, but even that is brushed over and unexplained, though Pantalaimon is quick to tell Lyra that, “Hiding and spying is for silly children.â€
Which must be why it is one of the funnest things in the world. Duh, Pantalaimon.
But this silliness passes as Lyra is consumed by anxiety, both at the fact that she just witnessed the Master pour a mysterious powder into her uncle’s drink and because the very fact that Lord Asriel is coming to Jordan College is not a good sign at all:
It wasn’t often that he visited the college, and the fact that this was a time of high political tension meant that he hadn’t come simply to eat and drink and smoke with a few old friends. She knew that both Lord Asriel and the Master were members of the Cabinet Council, the Prime Minister’s special advisory body, so it might have been something to do with that; but meetings of the Cabinet Council were held in the palace, not in the Retiring Room of Jordan College.
Ok, so….where does this novel take place? Somewhere in Britain? Does it have the same governing system as it does now? (I hate having to say this, but please don’t answer my rhetorical questions. SRSLY.) Pullman tells us that there are rumors of invasions that are affecting the political nature of things in the world, but, again, I don’t really understand any of this. What is Lord Asriel’s place in all of this? What does he do in the “far North,†as Lyra puts it?
Lord Asriel himself is finally introduced properly at this point, and I will say that while I don’t know how I’ll feel about this book as a whole, I can already appreciate the interesting social dynamic of the relationship between Lyra and her uncle. (Where are her parents? She hasn’t mentioned them yet.) It strikes somewhere right between fear and respect, as she even says that his voice brings feelings of “pleasure and apprehension.†Lord Asriel inspires fear in Lyra, but not the kind that seems violent or detrimental, but mostly from the fact that he is a powerful person. Her fear seems more as if she fears disappointing him rather than anything else. I think that’s part of the subtext for her actions in this chapter, too, as she not only wants to save his life (obviously), but that she also wants to win his respect more than anything else.
He also doesn’t seem to fit the mold of a particularly nice person, either; moreso, I find him to be one who commands attention and who is more interested in honesty and integrity than to catering to a social construct of politeness.
On top of worrying about the powder in the decanter and nervous about Lyra’s hiding spot in the wardrobe (is that wardrobe a reference to C.S. Lewis?), Pullman adds another bit of intrigue: Lord Asriel demands Wren, the butler, to bring him a screen and a projecting lantern. He has something to show everyone and it cannot wait. Well…what the hell is so important that it cannot wait?
As I contemplated what on earth he could show these people (I have no guesses at all), Lyra cannot resist her hiding place any longer as she catches Asriel pouring a glass of the liquid in the decanter. She cries out “No!†to him and WELL I GUESS SHE CAN’T HIDE ANYMORE, CAN SHE
I will say that Lord Asriel scares the living hell out of me here, as he reacts with a violent fury at the revelation that Lyra is hiding in the wardrobe, grabbing her angrily and twisting her wrist, and PLEASE STOP I DON’T LIKE WHEN PEOPLE FIGHT 🙁
When Lyra flat-out tells him that the Master is trying to poison him, Lord Asriel immediately releases her and she tumbles to the floor, and the dynamic changes so suddenly that it makes me think that perhaps she did just earn some of his respect, despite that she’s doing something so painfully foolish. It helps that Asriel purposely spills the decanter when the Porter arrives and makes it look like the Porter did it himself. That can be the only explanation for why Asriel believes Lyra’s claim without question. Why else would he trust her so quickly? (I might be missing a large part of the story. I can admit that, but this is just what popped into my head right now.)
To add to this wonderful theory of mine, as the projection lantern is brought in, Lyra realizes that it’s being set up in the perfect spot for Lyra, hiding in the wardrobe, to see the entire thing. Yes, this is convenient to the story, but DON’T CARE. I need to know what he’s going to show the Master and all the other Very Important Men, and it’s a neat twist on the relationship of Lyra and Asriel at this point.
As soon as the door closed, Lord Asriel looked across the room directly at the wardrobe, and Lyra felt the force of his glance almost as if it had physical form, as if it were an arrow or a spear.
What an interesting way to introduce a character, I have to say. We’re not meant to like him right off the bat, but I get this weird sensation that I need to earn his respect, too, and then I remember that he isn’t a real person. I like when things are developed slowly and subtly at times, but I also like when a character is so distinct as Lord Asriel is here. If anything, it just keeps me intrigued. I want to know more.
“Master,†said Lord Asriel. “Yes, I’m back. Do bring in your guests; I’ve got something very interesting to show you.â€
Oh damn it. I have to wait until the next chapter? Immediately regretting this absurd reading method.
I remember reading Northern Lights (I just can't use the American name) years ago and never continuing on to the other books because I didn't have a chance to get them and then it slipped my mind, so I'm looking forward to reading along with you. I remember the big things and some of the world building (I may have a thing for His Dark Materials fusions) but I forget a lot of the smaller details so it's great reading and rediscovering some things and picking up others that I missed or went over my head all those years ago.
I really enjoy the world building and how it's already being woven in straight from the start. Everything seems very old fashioned in a sense with clear class divisions with the servants and possibly sex with women not being allowed in the Retiring Room and I'm completely fascinated by the daemons. I think the common lament throughout this series is going to be why don't I have my own daemon?
I think we should combine our laments from Mark Reads and Mark Watches, and be sad that we don't have flying bison daemons.
And Momo. I really want a Momo.
Best comment ever.
"sex with women not being allowed in the retiring room"
wait, what?
Yeah, I'm picturing lots of gay sex in the Retiring Room, too
You just made my afternoon
I meant divisions based on being a woman or a man. I probably should've worded that better. *facepalm* I blame being distracted.
And that's why you always use a comma.
And normally I have the habit of over using commas.
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To be fair, it almost certainly isn't allowed. ;P
Why don't I have my own daemon? Utter tragedy.
I really love world building too. I love reading YA Fantasy because they're often just the right kind of book to completely and totally forget yourself and just be in a different world.
Super excited for you to read these! It's a good opportunity to reread them, because I haven't for a few years (though I'll be away for most of The Golden Compass and won't be around in time to comment probably, oh well, reading them is fine).
Personally, I like The Golden Compass as the title more than the other one. I think it just fits better with the other titles.
When I was rereading the first few chapters, I realize that we don't find out about daemons right away or a bunch of other stuff. I mean, that's an obvious thing, but I've read all the books so I've got info from all of them swirling in my head, and your reviews are reminding my what I must have known when I was reading them for the first time. I'll think of something and realize that you don't know about it yet! Ah!
Can't wait for you to read more!
My reaction to the news Mark's reading HDM:
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Let me give you an idea of how long I've loved these books. I have The Golden Compass audiobook on CASSETTE. I have no real way of playing it anymore but I can't give it away, I love it too much. I first read it a little after I turned 13 (it was recommended to me because I love HP) and I'll be turning 23 next month, still loving it.
As much as I enjoyed reading along with The Book Thief, I very much prefer being able to say "You are not prepared" and know it's true.
Random side note, when I was 13, my brain refused to read Pantalaimon, so the narrating voice in my head always said Pandemonium.
Nothing else to really say right now except I'm glad you don't remember much about the movie. Although Daniel Craig was AWESOME as Lord Asriel and they used a lot of the same lines, it comes off much more epically in the book. Further proof that people who don't read are missing out on amazing things. I love being a bookworm!
Random side note, when I was 13, my brain refused to read Pantalaimon, so the narrating voice in my head always said Pandemonium.
My brain does this a lot. Once a name hits three syllables or roughly ten letters, my brain just gives up and goes by the first letter. It made my Greek Mythology class incredibly difficult.
Same here! Except my brain only handles the first 3 letters :/
Dumbledore was something like Do-bleh-dore for a while for me.
Hermione was Hermy-one (as in the number) for my 6th grade class. And I think Parvati was Pavarotti :/
Hahaha, yes, for my young self she was first Herm-oyn, and then when I realized that didn't make sense Herm-ee-own, and only some time later did I learn from my mother reading out loud to my little sister that it was Herm-eye-oh-nee.
Brains are strange.
I'd a teacher who swore up and down that she knew some girls named Hermione and it was supposed to be "her MEAN".
When I first read Harry Potter, I read McGonagall as McNaggle… stayed that way till the first movie came out
Okay, the spell, Accio. I always pronounced it "ASS-e-oh." I was really surpirsed (and somewhat mad, because I was older and felt my pronunciation was correct) when the 4th movie came out and Harry's all, "ACK-e-oh!"
I was a bit older when I read it for the first time, and while I didn't have a problem processing Pantalaimon, I always thought of him as Pantaloon. I'M MATURE.
heehee I'm imagining Lyra with mini pants whispering into her ear
Speaking of old-school… I named my starting Pokemon Pantalaimon. Well, I tried to. Because of character limits, it wound up being PANTALAMON, which incidentally is how I remember the name most of the time.
SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS.
Did a whole run through naming my Pokes after characters from His Dark Materials. Still one of my favourite teams, and I've been playing Pokemans since I was about six.
OMG Northern Lights at last!!
I love this book, right from the opening quotation of Milton -"Into this wild abyss…" and then the whole concept on daemons which is just so fascinating and I WANT MY OWN!!
As Lyra hides in the retiring room (is it requirement room in US version? I don't know why they'd change it, but I don't want to correct you if I'm wrong!), shit immediately get's real with POISON and LORD ASRIEL and then we get a big old cliffhanger!
It's the Retiring Room in the US version, yes. I think it's just a mixup on Mark's part.
Haha! I read requirement room and thought OMG just like the room of requirement, how did I not notice that?? And then I read this and remembered that yes it is in fact retiring room.
I thought that too! I had some sudden fear that a Requirement Room was an English Prep School Thing, and I'd missed yet another one of JK's jokes.
I think the only reason I can remember that it's "retiring room" rather than "requirement room" is that I used to go on answers.com to answer questions about the series and found a question about how to enter/exit the room in the video game under the label "retirement planning."
OH MY GOD, it's up! I actually stayed up quite late for this. I don't know around what time you usually post things.
Is now the appropriate time to start the Northern Lights vs Golden Compass debate? I'm pro-Golden Compass myself. It matches the other titles: Compass, Knife, Spyglass. They're all objects… or shall I say ~materials~.
I'm so excited for you to read this. Except for the bit of me that is scared that you'll hate/ be disappointed in His Dark Materials. Mostly I'm excited.
I never even knew it had another name. My book was with the name Golden Compass (well, Golden Compass in Finnish, as I'm from Finland), so I think I'm pro-Golden Compass. As you said, it goes better with the others.
I agree about the name, Golden Compass matches the objects so much better in a trilogy based story than just Northern Lights, but as that's the original name and the one I always had in my books, both original and translated version, I'll stick to the original Northern Lights. It will at least help me to separate the book from the movie attempt.
Personally I prefer 'Northern Lights' as the title because it's what I first heard it as and it's what my copy says so it feels right. Also it was the "original" title so it feels like it should be right! But then Pullman came to my school to do a talk once (oh my god best day of my life ever <3333333) and someone asked why the difference between the US and UK versions. And he said that he'd originally wanted to call it 'The Golden Compass' in the UK but his publishers didn't like it, so he changed it and then when it got a US publication and he had a bit more sway he could get it changed for the new market. But by then it was too well known in the UK to suddenly switch. Which is also why the subsequent titles in the series make more sense with 'The Golden Compass' as a title rather than 'The Northern Lights'.
So I suppose I should like 'Golden Compass' better as it's the authorial choice and fits in with the series theme. But I don't. XD Mostly for the reasons above, but also for ~spoilery~ reasons.
Very cool to know! And lucky to hear him speak!
So glad that you've started a new series! I'm finally on summer break, so I have lots of free time to read along with a completely new (to me) book 🙂
Oh, Mark, I've been waiting for you to read this! I read mine long ago, but never got to the second part (isn't it called the Subtle Knife?), but now I want to get my copy from my bookshelf and start reading along with you (maybe I should have done that BEFORE I read this review).
It's good time to start. It's not as if the opening chapter does so much that your re-reading will be influenced by Mark's review.
I'm amazed that you managed to stop after book one – I had to keep going, as quickly as possible (and yes the second book is called "The Subtle Knife"). It seems like this is a good opportunity to get the whole experience.
I got the second one maybe a year after I had read the first one, so my love for it had already begun to fade. But yeah, I think, too, that this may be my chance to finally have enough motivation to read the whole series.
I ALWAYS wanted a daemon too! I hoped mine would be something big, so I could ride on it everywhere!
Yes! I always thought my daemon would be an elephant. How badass would that be??
I spent far, far too long trying to figure out what my daemon would be – every time I looked at one of the books, I realized that I still hadn't settled on an answer. Even nowadays, when people ask random icebreaker questions* like "if you were an animal, what animal would you be?" I think "I don't know. I never decided on a daemon."
*aren't icebreakers just the most awkwardest ever?!
When I was younger I thought my daemon should be some kind of hawk, I thought they were so fierce and awesome. Now that I'm older, I remain convinced I'd probably end up with a cat: prone to general laziness with occasional frantic bursts of activity. This is okay: I like cats a lot.
That does make me wonder, what if you're allergic to cats and you get a cat daemon? Since they're well daemon would the allergy still bother you? ('m thinking not.)
Without going into spoilers, no, probably not.
Oh man, when you put it that way, I'd probably have a cat too — and I don't like cats all that much. That would be awkward.
OMG I have no problem with that! 😛
Not discussing upcoming plot points will definitely be difficult! I'm not sure if this will be considered a spoiler, but I think it has already been implied: It's a different society… Perhaps the "reputations" of the animals are the same? Maybe dogs (in this society) are seen more as faithful companions than a creature whose sole purpose is to please a master? I could be totally off, but it's just a guess 🙂
YEAH ALL OF YOU PLEASE STOP REPLYING TO THIS.
christ.
I apologize so much if I spoiled you! I rewrote that comment twice to try to avoid it, but I might have missed something. Sorry.
Oh man, I am so excited to see you read this. I probably won't comment much, because all I want to talk about is how everything relates to where the series ends up, but these are some of my favorite books. Can't wait to see what you and everyone else thinks of this.
I'll always be pro-Northern Lights, only because that's what I read and that's what Pullman chose. I hadn't thought about them being all objects before though.
Yes, it's the same for me … Northern Lights is the copy I own and so, naturally, I lean towards that title.
I am so excited that you're finally getting to read these! I don't know how you manage one at a time. As soon as I knew you were doing these next, I got them out so I could read along with you, glanced at them a few times, and had them re-read again for the fiftieth time by the end of the week.
But yeah, the first chapter is so confusing, isn't it? I'm looking forward to you working things out! I hope you fall in love with this as hard as I did. I love Lord Asriel as a character; he's so intense! And I want a daemon! When I first read the books, I created my own daemon. He was a horse, although I think my daemon for reals would be a cat or something.
Having a horse daemon would probably be really inconvenient. 😛
Must say I really enjoyed the beginning chapter, it certainly got me interested in not only the story, but the characters Asriel and Lyra.
I'm really, really tempted to carry on reading but I vowed to read along with the blog, I think I can wait a day but I make no promises if it continues to intrigue me like this chapter did.
I tried to read along with The Book Thief, The Hunger Games and watch along with Avatar. I failed miserably every time. So good luck and congratulations if you manage to stick it out, but no one would blame you for caving!
I managed to keep Mark's pace with The Book Thief (well until the last few chapters), and it was really rewarding to look at everything so in depth and take my time with the book. Of course, I only managed it by always having another book at hand to switch to. Best of luck to you!
Same here. Luckily, I don't mind (and actually enjoy, sometimes) reading more than one book at once. My brain can keep them separate.
I'm reading along too, for the first time!
(I caved while reading Harry Potter. Ah well, this time will be ~different~.)
I'm not sure yet how I'll manage. I really want to know what Asriel is going to show them. (No, I haven't read the books before. In fact, I hadn't even heard of them until Mark said he'd be reading them, isn't that awful? And I haven't seen the movie adaptation, either.) I also want to find out more about Jordan College, about Lyra and about the whole daemon thing.
Good luck to us, then!
I just hope there will be days with two reviews…
It's been a while since I read this and I expected more to happen in chapter one – it's truly a bad place to stop!
It's interesting, as well, how little information you are given in this chapter (and how much I filled in in my remembrance of it). Without spoiling, though, there is some information in the opening that you may have missed. Firstly, part one of the book is called "Oxford". Secondly, Lyra "had lived most of her life in the College".
I agree about the plainness of the prose style – I think that's a feature of a lot of young adult/children's fiction, I quite like the directness, though. We'll see how it pans out as the story progresses.
I do love the lack of exposition, we have daemons and anbaric light and a moth with "temporary antennae" and servants daemons always being dogs and no rule clues as to what any of this this means (beyond the introductory note that says we're in a universe like ours, but different in many ways). Also, there are casual mentions of poppies – which I take to mean that opium smoking is de rigeur, at least in academic circles. Again, I like the way that this detail is just observed and not explained.
Beyond that, there's not a lot to say at this stage. Except perhaps that I'd forgotten how exciting this journey is going to be and how magnificently unprepared you are for it.
Edit: on the point of "The Master" in the TV Inspector Morse and the follow-up Lewis they're often investigating Oxford colleges and so you get a ton of dialogue about "The Master" – you even get some top British actors saying, "I am the Master," which causes me no end of amusement.
I agree about the plainness of the prose style – I think that's a feature of a lot of young adult/children's fiction, I quite like the directness, though.
I like it, too. I tend to read two types of fiction: young adult fantasy and historical classics (e.g. Austen, Dickens). The YA fantasy does tend to be more direct, now that you mention it. I like how the author's are like, "Yeah, we're in another world (or another version of your world). Here are the facts, nice and straightforward. DEAL WITH IT." They just plop you in this world that's kind of like your own, but not really, and you have to deal with all these things that are mentioned offhand. It wouldn't be as effective, in my opinion, if it was incredibly purple prosy.
Which all basically boils down to: I like Pullman's writing style and I look forward to seeing how his straightforwardness deals with the inevitable shit getting realness.
lmao at someone else watching Lewis. I thought I was the only one. I own that shit on boxset.
When I lived in Oxford, they used the door of our house to film a scene. /My moment of fame
It's really popular in the UK, as was Morse. I'm not a massive fan – I hated the pilot – but it's grown on me, mainly because of the performances.
Also, the late great Alan Plater wrote for it. His episodes (Your Sudden Death Question, The Quality of Mercy, Old School Ties and, especially, And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sky) have typically wonderful dialogue and characters. If you like any of those, be sure to check out his Beiderbecke Trilogy.
Why would he trust her so quickly?
I don't know; it's been nearly a decade since I read this book.
Guesses:
-Past relationship created trust between them
-He already had reason to suspect an attempt on his life
-He reads people very well
-He READS MINDS
-He doesn't actually trust her, but he's ver
Y PARANOID all the time, as I was saying.
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!!
I LOVE ALL THE HP NERDS HERE SO HARD!
Number two was my main reaction, with a little one and three thrown in–afterall, he presumably knows her fairly well, and she's readily upset. 🙂
Do we know at this point how old Lyra is, even approximately?
The first time I tried to read this book I had NOOOOOOOO idea what a daemon was (obviously) and tried looking it up in the dictionary, asking my parents, etc. I couldn't figure it out and it annoyed me so much I stopped reading after the first page. However, I loved the image of Lyra flicking the crystal wine glasses so much that I would read the first page over and over and over. I wanted to read the book soooo much but I was too frustrated by the daemons! Finally, I gave in and read past the first page and, what do you know!, the author explained what a daemon was and I've been in love with the book ever since. I still love the first page though <3
In other news, I was an incredibly stupid and stubborn child.
A daemon is a modest, inobtrusive little computer program, slightly more or less helpful than a brownie depending on which cybergrimoirists you ask 😉
Yeah, that's what she wants you to think, then she deletes everything on every computer ever connected to the Internet.
HAHA I did almost the same thing! Except for I got about a chapter into it before I got seriously confused and annoyed with all of the things that I didn't understand right away, and put the book down for over a year.
Of course, by now I have read the whole series several times and love it dearly 🙂
Is it just me who had an explanation for the word 'daemon' on one of the cover pages? I don't have my copy with me at uni (woe!) but I seem to remember it being a couple of sentences telling you how to pronounce it and basically what it is.
I believe what you're referring to goes, "The word daemon, which appears throughout this book, is to be pronounced like the English word demon." So no definition/explanation, just a handy pronunciation guide!
Mine had the definition but I remember going Pan isn't a demon! He's a MOTH, DUH.
Ah okay, obviously fabricated the definition out of my own memory! Could have sworn it was there, but obviously not. Thanks for the clarification anyway. 🙂
I haven't been around since the Mark Reads Harry Potter days, but HERE I AM FOR HIS DARK MATERIALS. I'm so glad this is happening! Also, you are going to regret this reading method SO MUCH, the cliffhangers in this series are effing unbelievable.
OMG WELCOME BACK!!! <3
Well, damn, now what am I going to do with this 20,000 word Bible critique? 😉 Good ground rules, this book should be lots of fun to talk about.
I agree that the writing style is a bit direct (maybe that's why I don't remember a lot of small details from the books about five years on?) but you're also coming off of The Book Thief, which had an idiosyncratic style, to say the least. Still, I love the feeling of the Retiring Room; it's rich and lush, and I get a good sense of the atmosphere. By the way, Harry Potter on the brain with your calling it the "Requirement Room?" Hehe.
Did you read the epigraph from Paradise Lost, or did you skip everything before the first chapter?
About the female protagonists: I think you have a lot of readers who want to give you Anti-Bellas to read about. We care about them, and I really hope you love Lyra, too!
Well, damn, now what am I going to do with this 20,000 word Bible critique?
Publish it and call it "His Dark Materials." ZING
so excited you are reading this mark.i love these books.hate to sound clichéd but these books are just EPIC.
scope for great discussions and debates.
and i ve finished artemis fowl and percy jackson series in the past 2 weeks.loved them too.
I'm glad you picked out the bit about servants having dogs as daemons because that made me a tad uncomfortable. Most servants have dog daemons… by choice? By assignation? By personality-type? (I don't know how to word that better.) If the latter, hmmmmmmm. But shall reserve judgement until I know more. And, oh yes, I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT DAEMONS. All I know for sure thus far is that I WANT ONE AND I WANT IT NOW.
Is it too early to say that Pan is my favourite character? Sod it. Pan is totally my favourite character, because he is an unashamed coward and he is a moth and what's not to like, frankly? MOAR PAN.
"I'll break your arm first!" Not cool, Lord Asriel. Who are you anyway?
I am really really excited about this one! 😀
I hope/think/guess maybe it's just confirmation bias and/or ~folk wisdom~, as far as servants having dog daemons. Maybe even self-fulfilling prophecy, if the latter.
Yes, I get what you mean about the dog daemons–at face value it sort of makes sense. Dog's are traditionally depicted as utterly faithful to their "masters" – so it sort of matches the characterization. And then you think just an iota deeper for a moment, and realize that's a little off. More than a little off-that just because you're part of some particular class automatically denotes certain features or personality, it's pretty absurd. Somehow implying that a servant's personality must be a certain way? That's the most uncomfortable option for me…but I also thought about daemons possibly being assigned…how does that work? Do you get a choice if you're born in a high enough class? Agreed: Must know more about daemons now, please. I'm reserving judgement until I'm more well-informed.
I remember being iffy about this as well – so when I assigned some daemons with a friend of mine for fun, it was the Destined Hero who got a dog. =)
It is interesting to think about how confirmation bias and social standing would work with these sort of things. Onto the next chapter!
My mother always said, "You know a book is going to be good when it starts with an assassination attempt."
Okay, that's not true; my mother doesn't read books.
And even if she did, she wouldn't say that.
It's still true, though.
Some of the best writing advice I ever got was, "When in doubt, kill someone".
Obviously you and Joss Whedon had the same writing teacher.
I don't even like Northern Lights as a standalone title. It's too generic for me. I'm not sure if generic is the right word. Common? Basically there are other books called Northern Lights/ A Northern Light.
But Northern Lights was the title Pullman chose, so I think it's the right one for the book. But The Golden Compass is fine too ^^
I agree with this sentiment. Regardless of which name I like personally, to me the "right" name is the one the author chose.
Pullman himself wanted to call the book The Golden Compass originally, but his publishers wanted a different title (I just noticed that Hanah down below also goes into this, so read her post for better information). So if you want to use the title "the author chose", you would be using The Golden Compass, not Northern Lights! XD Oh, publishers, you so silly.
Anbaric is still a mystery at this point, but naptha is a real world thing – it's basically a paraffin lamp (as the description of the trimming of the wick suggests). Here's one on eBay.
I never even thought to look naptha up – I just assumed it was a made-up word. Shows what I know. Thanks!
I think that probably counts as a spoiler at this point. I'd delete your comment just to be on the safe side (I'll delete this reply if you do).
I think this is a spoiler. I've read the books. I know what it is. But it isn't revealed until much later.
Is it revealed at all? My understanding was always that 'anbaric' is a real word but very very very archaic. I googled it and most of the hits referred back to this series, but 'anbaric' and the equivalent word in our world share the same root.
I'm worried that answering this crosses into spoiler territory, in which case my last comment actually does, too. Discussing linguistics in fictional books is hard under this spoiler policy and I'm not entirely sure where to draw the line.
Is there a spoiler blog where I can go to talk about this?
There is, but there aren't usually posts put up to talk about the markreads posts. I'm sure they could be put up though, if there'd be enough people commenting on them.
http://markspoils.blogspot.com/
There's also a forum on the bar up top and there are spoilery comment threads.
I'd forgotten about the forum. I'll post my thoughts about this there a bit later (once I can get them sorted out and properly researched)
Mark, if you read more than one chapter a day, I will find it in my heart to forgive you.
My favourite character has to by Lyra because she is so . . . not stereotypical. I just re-read the first chapter and already you can see she's a risk-taker. I think one of the reasons I liked these books so much was just that Lyra wasn't this sweet, gentle main character that's so stereotypically girlish. You can already tell in Chapter 1 that she's a far cry from Bella, especially that bit where she sucks up the pain after going back into the wardrobe ("It might have been enough to make her cry, if she was the sort of girl who cried").
Also Lyra is sometimes downright unlikeable, but there's something about her that makes me like her anyway. Don't know how else to put it.
I find characters that aren't 100% likable or sympathetic very intriguing. And intrigue tends to make for good characters.
Exactly — that's how I feel about Harriet the Spy, who's kind of a buttface a lot of the time. Real kids? Are jerks. A lot of the time. And so it's nice to see protagonists who are children also be jerks. If that makes sense.
Aww, you're so right about Harriet! I love her.
I love Harriet M Welsch, too! And Lyra.
Yeah, and it's Muscovy and Tartars and Lapland, terms which have been deprecated by our time. It's the little things that make this chapter seem odd and sort of distant.
I really love things like that 🙂 it's real and unreal at the same time.
1) It was incredibly confusing.
2) There was a polar bear fight.
3) IT WAS REALLY CONFUSING. And Daniel Craig was really hot as Lord Asriel
Yeah, you basically just summed up that whole movie perfectly. 😛
I'm so excited for you to read these! I haven't read them in so long, I don't really remember what happens after the first book. So it'll be fun finding that out all over again. And I'm just fascinated by Lord Asriel. In this first chapter he's such a unique character – someone that Lyra obviously looks up to and wants respect from, but also comes across as really a dangerous person, even cruel.
I can't believe we're already getting underway! :D:D:D
There's a preface-type-thing at the beginning of the book that should explain the location.
If it's the same as the one in mine, though, it's also a bit spoilery for the next two books.
But is a spoiler a spoiler if it's in the book o_0?
I would say that it's not really "in-the-book in the book." It's not like Death's spoilers in The Book Thief. I would say that itt's more like the preview-that-was-misnamed-a-preface in Twilight, except that it encompasses material from two other books rather than just the upcoming book. And even that doesn't really feel comparable to me, because the Twilight example uses actual text from the novel.
Basically, everything that's in that epigraphical explanation (is there a better term for this? I'm guessing there has to be) is stuff that Mark will learn eventually, anyway, and I don't think that there's sufficient reason to speed him up on that realization.
I've been lurking since MRHP and I am SO EXCITE that you are reading these. They've been my favorites since I read TGC when I was 8.
And I knew you were going to pick up on the servant-dog thing. It is a bit odd, isn't it? Please don't judge my favorite author by it, though. :-/ It's all just part of what this world is, I guess. I try not to worry about it too much.
Also, I don't know how you're gonna make it one chapter at a time. I tried to read along with you and was five chapters in before I knew what I was doing. Good luck, mate! XD
I am so happy that Mark is reading these books!
The Northern Lights (that's what version I read as a child, that's what I call it, and that will not change) has been and always will be one of my favourite books of all time. This chance to re-visit it, and it's brilliance, is so exciting!
Read on, Mark! Read on!
Are you referring to the one with Pullman narrating, because that's what I have and it is truly AWESOME! ?:D
Oh damn it. I have to wait until the next chapter? Immediately regretting this absurd reading method.
Don't you always? But it bodes well for the book that this happens after the very first chapter 🙂
I don't know if this has been addressed before, but I wonder if there could be a separate reporting system for spoilers. If you click on "Report" it says that the comment will be immediately forwarded to Mark and the other mods, which seems a bit counterproductive if you want to report a spoiler. I saw someone above suggest to someone that they delete their own comment, but I don't think you can do that if you don't have an account. I can't find an option for it on my own posts, anyway.
Perhaps if there was a separate "Flag spoiler" button which forwarded it only to those mods who have already read the series, or something? Or is that outside the remit of the technology? I don't know how these things work D:
I'm assuming that the reason for the "Report " is included, but not the body of the text that's being reported, so that reports that include "spoilery" as a reason could be dealt with specifically by mods who've read the book and know what's spoilery, rather than someone reading the post and being spoiled by a spoiler report.
At the very least, Mark and the mods haven't said that they have a problem with reporting spoilers in that way before (and Mark has specifically said that we should use the "report" button on them), so I'm guessing there's a way of keeping Mark and the mods who haven't read/watched what we're on from being spoiled.
Ah okay, that makes sense. If reporting is the preferred way to highlight them I'll stick to that 🙂
I downloaded all of the audiobooks to take on my trip coming up, and I agree, they're great. It's kind of like listening to a play, which I like.
OH
MY
GOD
OHMYGOD
THIS BOOK IS THE MOST FANTASTIC BOOK EVER (TIED FOREVER WITH HP IN MY HEART).
YOU ARE NOT FUCKING PREPARED, THE END.
Rhetorical questions:
What are these daemons?
Do boys/men get female daemons, while girls/women get male daemons?
Pantalaimon was “currently” in the form of a moth, and he had “temporary” antennae. So can they shift shape? Does the daemon shift shape when the human is promoted?
“You’re supposed to know about conscience, aren’t you?” This may become interesting. The daemons are supposed (not known?) to know about conscience, but they don’t have a conscience?
“It’s none of our business”.
“Certainly I am” (a coward, giving cowardly advice).
Is the daemon a strictliy reasonable counterpart, ignoring morality and emotions?
How old is Lyra?
Scholars make Jordan College seem like it’s a part of Oxford University, but Lyra had lived most of her life in the College, so this is a school? Or an orphanage?
We didn’t see much of technology, but there is an aerodock, so there is air transportation. Is anbaric power electricity or some kind of magic?
This feels as if it is set in late nineteenth century (in an alternate reality, of course).
Attempted murder in the first chapter! And what does Lord Asriel have to show? It’s hard to stop here.
I don't know if it's just me but it almost feels a tad steam-punk-y. I love the world he created.
I read this in a college library 2 years ago. I'm not going to reread it as I haven't got time so some of the things you find out I'll probably be like 'oh i forgot that happened' 😛
It's a very interesting series so I'm looking forward to more reviews 😀
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I read the series about 5 years ago, thought the writing was stunning, but don't have time for a re-read at the moment. So, this will be a bit of a refresher!
Hmm maybe I should read this. It's obviously pretty well known and popular but I'm not sure about the religious aspects. That's not really my thing.
"With the exception of Harry Potter, every book series I’ve read has a female protagonist. Huh."
Well you've still got Percy Jackson ahead of you. Yay for a male protagonist, nah strong female protagonists are awesome too.
Without getting too much into the realm of spoilers, I'd not worry about the religious stuff in advance. When it starts happening, you'll have a pretty good idea whether you like it or not. Based on my experience of reading it and having heard a bit about it in advance I'd say there's a pretty good chance that the religious stuff isn't going to be like you're expecting. So the only way to find out is to read it.
For some background, though, Pullman is an atheist but a big fan of Milton, a theist; the Archbishop of Canterbury, in turn, is a fan of these books. Wherever you stand on the whole theism/atheism issue there's likely to be something of interest to you. And if you're not interested in theology at all, well that's a common position and the books wouldn't have sold in the quantities they have if theology was all they were about.
Oh my goodness I adore these books so much, so so excite for you to be reading them! I remember when Northern Lights first came out and everyone was excited about it, my mum refused to let me read it until she read it first, to check it wasnt too scary or controversial XD It is now a favourite series of both of us, second only to HP probably.
Also, Ive been around since the Twi-reviews, you'd think Id be used to your rhetorical questions by now, but I still have a burning desire to answer all of them. I will not though! River Song would be very cross with me if I did.
Also also, WHERE IS MY DAEMON WHERE 🙁
I dont think Ive ever wanted something from a book to be real as much as daemons, not even Hogwarts. I still daydream about having a daemon, and what forms mine would be…le sigh.
"Oh damn it. I have to wait until the next chapter? Immediately regretting this absurd reading method."
This is my first time reading (something new) along with you. I'm determined to not read ahead. That said I immediately regret it too. 😀
I'M SO EXCITED!!!!
And I'm also glad that you don't remember much from the movie, because it was… well, not very good ,to say the least.
SO EXCITED.
all I can say is that it took me 10 years to read this book, so good luck! You are far more persistent than I.
Oh, and I totally wanted a daemon after this book.
My imaginary horse daemon WOULD let me ride him and he had INFINITE STRENGTH and also WINGS.
Please don't judge, I was like 12.
I'd agree but sadly I don't think a person can edit their comment after others have replied to it.
They can delete it though. And if they do (or, as in this case, it gets deleted by an administrator) there's a copy of the original post in the email notification – so it's easy to post again without the spoilery bits.
That said, I'm not sure if you get an email if you log in with your WordPress account.
As soon as I started reading this, I immediately wanted to know what year it was, or even century! The technology seems advanced in parts, yet behind. (Ex: they have a projector, but it uses an oil lamp?) Their speech is a little old-world too. I hope this is answered later. It's one *crucial* thing about novels that I like to have as a base.
"Now, a lot of what happens here is an exposition of sorts, but Pullman also flat out references things that make absolutely no sense to me, and I imagine this will all be much more coherent later."
Yeah, I find this a bit annoying right now. I prefer books where the reader learns with the characters instead of being expected to just *know* things that make no sense.
I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I like this story…
I'd been wondering why this bothered me so much more in His Dark Materials than in Harry Potter and I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about learning with the characters. JK Rowling dumps the reader into the world and it is similarly overwhelming, but at least Harry is every bit as confused as the reader. It promotes sympathy for him. Here there aren't any characters in a similar position and the reader ends up feeling left out.
Even with something like LotR you are introduced to a small part of the world and then the character explores the rest with you. I don't remember precisely how this book pans out as far as information being given out, but I remember being utterly confuzzled by this opening chapter.
Projectors that use oil lamps have been produced since the 17th century, but they were called (not even kidding) "magic lanterns." I've only found one good picture demonstrating the inner mechanism, but it's kind of huge:
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/The_Childrens_Museum_of_Indianapolis_-_Magic_lantern_-_detail.jpg/401px-The_Childrens_Museum_of_Indianapolis_-_Magic_lantern_-_detail.jpg">
Thanks for this! I didn't know since when they were around and the name if fitting for the age. 🙂
Oohh… very cool. Thanks for that! now I'm even more curious 🙂
The technology seems advanced in parts, yet behind. (Ex: they have a projector, but it uses an oil lamp?)
I don't actually know very much about old-school lecturing technology, but I don't think oil lamp-powered projectors are a contradiction in how technologically advanced they are. I mean, back in 1876, there were candle-powered microscopes, so in my mind, projectors powered by oil lamps are totally plausible for around that time.
I guess that just confuses me more as to what century the book is supposed to be set in? Maybe we're not meant to know?
Hm, I have to say I disagree about the similarity of the two situations. Harry learns, but Lyra already knows, so it would not make sense for the reader to learn with Lyra, yes?
I'm not sure how best to solve this writing problem, actually, when there's a world with many unfamiliar things and the story is from the point of view of an "insider" character with no "outsiders" to explain it to. I don't remember being put off by the unfamiliar things when I read it — but of course, memory isn't perfect, and I enjoy trying to figure things out as long as there are not too many of them and too few context clues.
I agree with you there with your first paragraph. Right or wrong, it's just not my favorite style of writing.
We haven't seen the projector yet, but the oil lamp mentioned is the one that lights the room. Anbaric lighting is mentioned as lighting the rest of the college, so it's plausible that the projector uses that method. Although oil-lamp based projectors are also feasible., as other posts have shown.
It's true though that you're thrown into the middle of things and left to work them out as you go along. I don't remember this being too much of a problem for me, although I did read several chapters in my first sitting – I imagine that would be the experience that Pullman would expect for most readers, one chapter a day is a bit artificial.
Still, I like being confused at first and far prefer it to lots of exposition and explanation – so it could be that this narrative style is more to my taste than yours.
I've already read this series, but I'm excited to re-read it with you.
I loved it, and I think you will too. <3
I can't pretend I've been lurking (like, at ALL), because I really haven't been. I only found this site about a month ago by accident. I read through the entire Twilight series of reviews in a few days and felt so incredibly vindicated in my absolute hatred of the books. I got so sick of telling people I couldn't stand them and having them think it was JUST because the vampires sparkle and hating Twilight was the 'cool' thing to do. No, people. I hated it because it was a sociological MESS for the rest of time. Thanks so much Smeyer for enforcing about ten billion kinds of oppression/prejudice.
Anyway, I got totally distracted by Twilight hate. Where was I? Oh right. Then I saw you were reviewing Firefly at the same time as I was watching the whole series again (for the third time) and have been reading each review after I watch the episode again. And now I'm doing the same with Hunger Games (which I've already read before too.) And just yesterday I said to my husband that the only thing I was still wanting was to start a book WITH you so I could actually comment and be part of the fun. Then I woke up to this! I've already read the series once, but it was a long time ago so I only remember vague things.
I am SO EXCITE. Now I get to participate instead of just wishing I could!
Yay, His Dark Materials! 😀 I read this series for the first time a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it, so I'm very very curious about what you're going to think about it. I recently picked up a copy of the entire trilogy in one volume for two dollars at a library-run used bookstore, so I'm going to use it to reread this along with you, one chapter a day. I agree, the way this chapter ends makes that very hard to do. When shit is already getting real with ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS, how can you stop before you find out what Asriel is going to show these guys??? VERY MEAN, PULLMAN.
I already want a dæmon myself to tell me not to get into shenanigans with a haughty tone and then gradually give in because I’m awesome.
I knew that would be your reaction. In fact, I predicted it. 😀 At least partly because I've never known anyone to read the books and NOT want one! I have no idea what mine would be, but I'd love a bunny. Or a bird of some sort. Or – MAN WOULDN'T IT BE NEAT IF WE COULD CROSS OVER WITH AVATAR AND HAVE HYBRID ANIMALS AS DAEMONS? That would kick ass.
Lastly, I love Lyra, and I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!
Appa would be the best daemon
the best
When shit is already getting real with ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS, how can you stop before you find out what Asriel is going to show these guys???
HE WILL SHOW THEM FEAR IN A HANDFUL OF DUST.
Wait, no. April is the cruelest month? Does Lord Asriel dare disturb the universe? Lyra hears the mermaids singing, each to each?
I don't know where I'm going with this.
Nah, Lyra always hears the mermaids. Sometimes she joins in and the mermaids think it's amusing. If anyone tried to wake her she would punch them in the mouth.
Yessss, I am all for ATLA daemons. This could also solve our chocobo problem!
"Our Chocobo Problem" is my new band name.
This is like the third band name I've inspired. I'm getting good at this game.
STOP SPOILING ME
christ is it seriously that hard to stop and think HEY IS THIS NOT IN CHAPTER ONE MAYBE I SHOULDN'T POST IT
good god. I didn't read it but apparently SOMEONE POSTED WHAT THE END OF THE BOOK WAS???? WHAT THE FUCK.
SERIOUSLY. I HAD TO LOOK AT REPORTS BEFORE I COULD EVEN READ YOUR REVIEW. JUST STOP, PEOPLE.
Thank you for moderating, or whatever it's called-and thanks to the people who reported spoilery things. I'm reading along for the first time, and I appreciate it too!
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/27xkp4n.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Do we need to break out River Song?
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/xnw9yh.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
YES. YES WE DO.
Also, there is an entire forum devoted to spoilers, it even has a handy link at the top of the page, so there is really no need to ever, ever post them here. Just sayin'.
Reading right along with you, Mark! Since we are both new to the series, this will be my second attempt at reading one chapter at a time. Didn't go over so well with Hunger Games. I needed to always know MOAR, but I promise I will do my best to restrain myself this time.
I MUST KNOW WHAT LORD ASRIEL WILL SHOW THEM.
I think the Golden Compass was the original title in drafts, which got changed later, but the Americans didn't change…
According to Wikipedia, the whole series was originally called The Golden CompassES (coming from a line in Paradise Lost), but in America they kept neglecting to pluralise. Eventually Pullman renamed it His Dark Materials, but the American editors insisted they publish the first book as The Golden Compass.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with calling it The Golden Compass, but it's an interesting note.
Watch out for spoilers, please! That was one (inadvertent, I know).
Oh, yay, for starting this series. I read this years and years ago and the last book remains unfinished because life got in the way. But I guess I should pick it up again if you're reading it. XD
I just want to say that I always wanted a daemon after I read this damn book. Also, yay!
Excite!
Yes, yes, religious debate blahblah GIMME MY DAEMON.
(Mark, just as there are internet places where you can be sorted into a house, there are internet places that will tell you what form your daemon should be. I'll avoid linking right at the moment just because I don't know what all the daemons are that are listed, and any one of them *could* include spoilery info, who knows?)
I did one of those once and mine came out as a snow leopard. BEST DAEMON EVER Y/Y?? It would be awesome and cuddly and keep me warm but also be able to protect me and also look totally beautiful. <3 I am convinced I have one on the astral plane. XD
I read this book a LONG time ago and was very upset at something really minor that happened at the end (apparently I was a very picky child) and got so mad at the books that I willed myself to forget everything that happens. So when I watched the movie, I had no idea what was going on. (Also, the movie was playing in the background so I wasn't really paying attention at the time.)
I'm looking forward to rereading with you, though! I'll see whether I can hold myself to the (unbearably slow!) reading pace.
Apparently, the admin(s) agreed with you… Sorry!
As a spoiler lover, it's hard to gauge what would and wouldn't be considered a spoiler for some.
So the non-spoiler(ish) edited version of my original:
The audio books are awesome.
Mark is asking good questions, I approve… Not sure if vagueness (even when it's something about non-plot related questions/issues) is allowed? For example: the daemon comment? My comment about their gender? (hopefully that's vague enough!)
Hopefully I'm not coming off as a troll, I respect the no spoilers thing and want to keep participating without being deleted!
More or less, if it's not specifically stated in the chapter Mark's reviewing, or in a previous chapter, will it out of your mind. If something is a foreshadow for upcoming events, obvious or not, will it out of your mind. If Marks asks a rhetorical question (which is all of them) don't answer it, or speculate on it beyond "yes Mark, I'm with you." A past example would be mentioning the Room of Requirement, or even hinting at it, during the Mark Reads Harry Potter chapter "The Mirror of Erised" from Sorcerer's Stone. At the time, Mark didn't know what the room was, or what role it would play in the series. Mentioning it would tip him off that it does have some significance, which spoils his reaction when the Room shows up again in OotP. The goal is for Mark to read a series or watch a show the same way we did: knowing next to nothing about what was coming next. Yes, it can be a tough policy to follow, but it's worth watching Mark flip out over his total unpreparedness.
My mistake for not realizing the extent of seriousness… I'm a jerk 🙁
I've gone back and read selected chapters from other books (I read the Hunger Games because a friend suggested I check it out, and included the link to this website in the e-mail as reinforcement of the awesomeness)
As I said, I'm a lover of spoilers, but respectful of those who are not (or at least I try to be… Apparently I'm lacking in that department today).
I'm going to go hide in my cave now… I'll come back when I've learned my lesson 😉 (Thanks for the reply, by the way Meg!)
Not a jerk. This is the strictest spoiler policy I've seen, and with each new project there are more people who are just excited about sharing their love for a series, and sometimes stuff slips out. Mark has a Site Rules/Spoiler Policy page that covers everything, and I usually just keep it up in a tab whenever I want to comment. I lurked for a long time before I posted anything. If you do want to discuss spoilers, upcoming events, etc, there is a spoilers blog http://markspoils.blogspot.com/ and the forum are good spots to go to. Once you get the rules down, it's not to hard to edit yourself.
And welcome to the awesomesauce of Mark Reads!
Haha, this reminds me of the strictest spoiler policy I ran up against: I had a friend (now ex-friend) who didn't even want to know the NAME of the upcoming Harry Potter book at the time. I ran an IRC chatroom back then, and someone put "You can pre-order Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix now!!" as the channel topic that displays to everyone who enters. This then-friend, when she logged onto chat that night, FLIPPED that we had spoiled the book for her by revealing the title.
That was probably the most ridiculous argument I ever witnessed, because SERIOUSLY? Book TITLES are spoilers now? How the hell did she expect to buy the darn book when it came out if she didn't even know the name of it, for one thing? Because she did say she planned to buy the book herself, not have someone get it for her. And the other thing: she worked in a MALL. With a BOOKSTORE. If her mall's bookstore was anything like mine, the display windows you can't miss all prominently displayed posters for Order of the Phoenix for months before release. I still can't wrap my brain around her logic there. It is probably not surprising that we're not friends anymore.
I want to read this so badly but I promised myself to wait until I actually have the book in my hands.
So glad you're reading these books! They were my favourite before I read Harry Potter! Have fun!
I never could get into these books as a kid. I think I read the first half of the first book about three times – I was so desperate to like it because some of my friends absolutely loved it… but no. So I'm intrigued to read your reviews, Mark, I'll sort of "read the book through you" and if it seems to get interesting enough, I'll maybe find myself a copy and attempt to read it once more.
I could never really define why I didn't like them when I was younger – but reading the comments here I think I've worked it out. It's the whole "not having a clue what's going on" thing. Drives me insane and does not hold my attention! I need to be immersed in a novel to keep on reading… and I can't become immersed if I don't know where I am, what's going on, or what all these things are that are being referenced to. AGH!
One of my favorite presents ever was a birthday gift from a very dear friend of mine: a small statue of an owl, with a note saying "This is what your daemon would be."
So unbelievably excited for you to read these books. I don't have my omnibus with me (still on holiday) but I plan to re-read along as you go. <3
For some reason your comment gave me the warm fuzzies. What a lovely gift from your friend. 🙂
Chiming in my support of your reading this series! 😀
It's one of my most-loved series growing up. I should totally dig my old copies out and read along! 😀
Yay for His Dark Materials!
My religious background made this series really interesting for me. My mom is Catholic and my dad is atheist, so when my mom spoiled the books for me, I decided I had to read them.
It's been years since I've read these books. Fortunately summer vacation is coming up so I should have PLENTY of time for a reread!
Mark, will you be reading "Lyra and the Birds", "Once Upon a Time in the North", and/or Lyra's Oxford?
I read these books a few years ago and I'm really interested in what Mark has to say about them and see how it compares to what I remember. My life is about to get extremely hectic so I won't be able to read along with Mark *sadface* but reading his reviews is going to be fun! (as if there's any doubt! ^_^)
Ahh, His Dark Materials. I remember reading these when I was 8/9. It was SO CONFUSING at first but then I absolutely loved them. Now, I don't even remember what happens, except that there are polar bears. ._. I borrowed it from the library today so I could read along with Mark, although I keep getting in trouble with the librarian for keeping books overdue due to reading them one chapter per day. 😛
Whew! I predict you will enjoy this. 😛
Like others, I'm not particularly fond of the way things are introduced without being explained. As a style, it's just not something that particularly appeals to me.
That being said, I do quite like the rest of Pullman's style – it's pretty matter-of-fact, but then there are these moments with absolute golden bits of prose, and it's really enjoyable to stumble upon a sentence or a description that I read over and over before moving on.
I love getting plunged into a new world and having to figure it out. Satisfies the snoop in me or something. I feel more invested if I've spent the time to think about how everything works vs. being handed facts. But that's me! 🙂
I like plunging in, too! It's fun imagining how the world fits together.
I loved that we were introduced to things without being explained! I like that Pullman trusts the readers to figure things out by context clues, and it's not as wild as China Mièville, where the world is SO ALIEN it's nigh impossible to figure out what the hell anything is. (So, uh, yeah, you may want to avoid China Mièville. I've only read Perdido Street Station, but dude doesn't tell you SHIT. [It's still awesome.])
I also do like Pullman's prose a lot.
You should totally read The Scar. It's like steampunk Voyage of the Beagle on LSD, with an awesome protagonist (I was never fond of any of the ones in Perdido) and some great monsters. You'll never look at mosquitoes the same way again, is all I can say.
I read Perdido Street Station last month, and I looooved that aspect of his writing. You just have to go along with it, and piece things together in your mind. I read The City & The City afterwards, and it's not as weird because it's in our world (sorta) and not Bas-Lag, but you still have to keep up on your own. I like it when authors assume you can assemble clues, and don't have to spoon-feed you background information for their stories to make sense — because they do make sense, eventually.
Sorry, I finally got around to China Miéville's work, and I think he's going to constitute my summer reading, and I just wanted to flail my arms about how good his books are.
I just started reading this book a couple weeks ago and then I find out that Mark is reading it too! Awesome!
I'm only a few chapters ahead so it'll be fun to read along with the reviews.
The first chapter is intriguing but it feels like such an information-dump. So much was left unexplained but I just have to be patient that it will all make sense in the future. Too bad patience is not my strong point…
I think it's important to remember that we're seeing all this from Lyra's perspective, and Lyra doesn't know anything at this point. She's snuck into a place where very few people are allowed and is exploring things entirely new to her. It doesn't surprise me that there are a lot of references that she (and we) don't understand– a child's interests are not the same as adults', and Lyra has snuck into an adults' world here.
Great comment. And some of the everyday details, that we get through her, aren't explained yet because they're so commonplace to her.
SO EXCITED THAT YOURE READING THIS BOOK. Fun fact: I chose this book for a report in 5th grade and my teacher called my mom and was concerned that it was too advanced for me and that I wouldn't be able to finish it. Needless to say, I totally finished it and my report was awesome. This series is still one of my favorites of all time. Glad to see youre enjoying it so far – cant wait to see your opinions on this book and the other two!!
(Also very glad that I can finally follow along with your reviews in real time again!)
+1 just for the name XD
Yes! A Mark Reads that I can actually read along to! THIS IS EXCITING. And I will forgive you ahead of time if you ever need to read ahead. I burned through the series in a month, waaay back in middle school, and I've read them once every other year since. I've never been able to discuss them with other fans, so this will be fun.
Also, I'm sorry for all the spoilers that will inevitably come this way. And, as always, YOU ARE NOT PREPARED.
JOIN THE DAEMON WANTING CLUB! When I was about eleven I used to have this cuddly toy rabbit and I used to lie in bed and snuggle it and pretend it was my daemon. XD
This is going to be an interesting process for me. I went into the trilogy expecting to absolutely love it based on the recommendations I'd gotten from friends and just my own personal biases, but I ended up.. finding large swaths of it absolutely infuriating in mostly irrational ways. But that was offset by the parts I loved, which I loved DEARLY.
Ultimately I think I enjoyed them more than not, but as I was reading I constantly found myself wishing at the parts that annoyed me that we could be focusing on the parts I liked.
But, yes. Reading these reviews, I wonder if having some 'distance' from them will help me come to terms with the things that annoyed me. Or at least better understand why they did.
Same here. When I first read this trilogy, there were parts that really rubbed me the wrong way. I'll be interested to see if they were the same parts that infuriated you and if I'm still as bothered by them on a second, slower read-through
"his is a fully imagined, alternate world, full of its own language and colloquialisms and political systems"
One of the things I like most about these books, despite some of the things that really annoy me about it.
I’m posting this comment from my phone so I hope it works.
I’ve never read this series so I’m going to try my best to read along with Mark. I’m pretty terrible with names so this first chapter was a little confusing with all the butlers and stewards or. whatever. I’m guessing the daemons are animal companions like a familiar or something? I’m excited to learn more about them.
"Ok, so….where does this novel take place? Somewhere in Britain? Does it have the same governing system as it does now?"
*zipping lips shut* It's a very British book in this respect, when I read this I knew within a few pages, if not a few paragraphs, where it was set 🙂
Hahaha yes, me too. I'm such an Anglophile.
I could be wrong, but I too am envisioning a very specific real location. I haven't read yet though, so I'll see as I go!
Yeah, the movie did a poor job of explaining things but I won't go into the why and hows because that way lies spoilers.
It's honestly been YEARS since I've read His Dark Materials so I'm quite excited to read this again especially as I've only read it once and I'm sure I missed details in my mad rush to find out what happens and because I was reading it during college and so I had homework that was distracting me. But already I'm surprised because I totally forgot how all this stuff happens in the first chapter alone. Wow, Pullman, move quickly why don't you? (this isn't a criticism btw)
I tried to read this years ago and stopped. Cant recall why. Looks like I need to head on over to my library, grab a copy and have a second go.
Nothing stands out, and I think that's fine. I mean, I was able to read this without being smacked in the face by choppy phrases, mile-long paragraphs, or any of the other zillions of things that annoy me. Pullman is starting the story and getting things moving––that's great!
Now let's sit in this wardrobe and watch some slideshows! Woo!
I really love how there's basically no introduction–you're just in the story, and you'll figure it out as you go along; the characters, setting, lingo, etc just are part of the world and I'm sure we'll get the whole picture piece by piece. With so much action right off the bat it's hard not to be intrigued!
Yeah. I'm sure the story of how Lyra met Mothy is a good one, but Pullman is doing well by following the rule by that guy: "Start as close to the end as possible."
It would have been nice to start in the middle of that polar bear brawl that Mark mentioned, though!
Lucky! I want to see the Aurora Borealis so much. I'm trying to convince my boyfriend that a cruise to Alaska would be far better than a cruise to the Bahamas. So far it isn't working, but I have hope
Never give up hope!
I totally agree with you, I'd -love- to see the Aurora Borealis. Much more than seeing the Bahamas, now that I think of it.
I have never read His Dark Materials and have always meant to! Now I have a good excuse and something to keep me on pace. 🙂 I really enjoy reading new things along with MarkReads-I always get a little more depth on a first read through than I would normally, because I slow down and really pay attention to every detail, plus the reviews and the comments might highlight things I miss! This seems, from what I do know, like a series that will lend itself to great comments and in depth, thoughtful reviews-and a weighty enough book that you want these things!
I have also seen the movie, unfortunately, and remember it a little better than Mark, also unfortunately. But I don't really remember the subtleties and motivations, so I'll just have to watch myself for cross-medium spoilers and try to forget it all while I read!
So excited for this!
This is a fantastic comment. +1000
This book introduced me to Tokay, which is some tasty stuff, especially if you get the real deal from Hungary. It's like a mouthful of autumn sunlight, melting into lingering sweetness.
So EXCITE for you to be reading, Mark! HDM is one of my favorite series, and I can't wait to rediscover the books along with you.
Just a quick poll among the readers:
How prepared is Mark?
a) not at all
b) totally unprepared
c) can't even begin
So far, I'd say that at this point Mark, and myself and others, are b) totally unprepared. I expect the situation to soon escalate into the (c) category, however 🙂
There is an Avatar fic set in late season three. Sticks to canon, but the cast have daemons.
I've read that!
(WARNING: Link has big spoilers for both Avatar and HDM!)
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4727481/1/Inner_Natur…
I have a copy of these books in German. (And English of course. The English copies were my second set because I lent a friend my first triliogy in one volume and it never came back. The German set came next. And for my birthday my flatmate got me an amazing boxed, signed and numbered copy of Northern Lights.)
But I digress.
Now seems the perfect time to start reading this in German as I will have encouragement, one chapter a day seems reasonable in a different language, and if I miss out on any key points, I'll pick them up in Mark's reviews.
I love this series! (In case you hadn't gathered from the multiple editions owned 😛 )
Good luck!
This is actually a brilliant idea – I never manage to be as disciplined as Mark when I read along in English. Breezed through all three Hunger Games books in a week. During exams period… not a good idea… Anyway, I read very slowly in French, so this may be an opportunity / motivation that I need.
Thank you! Good luck to you in your French version too 🙂
I am very glad I did The Book Thief and I knew I would take a huge hit in traffic/activity.
BUT OMG IT IS SO AWESOME TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU RETURN. It's like we are old friends who went off to college and now we are all meeting up at a party and none of us bullied each other in the past so it's not like a shitty high school reunion
it's exactly like that
right
I wish I could follow along with all of your projects, but sadly I have projects of my own I should be devoting time to, so I mostly come out of the woodwork for A) stuff I already love, and want to see *you* love it, and B) stuff I've been meaning to read/watch. So glad you liked this first chapter. You are NOT PREPARED. Even though you've seen the movie. Not even a little bit.
This series, oh, oh this series.
I read it about once a year, at winter time. It's tradition to reread, along with HP. I can't say much at this point, besides that I LOOOOOVE Lyra so much. ALSO I WANT A DAEMAN.
I've read this book before (and heard the audio book) but it was a long time ago, and I've been meaning to re-read it. I'm older, and I know a lot more about religion and philosophy, so I think a lot of the points and themes that it was trying to get across will make more sense now.
Anyway, I AM EXCITE. I don't really have much that's more constructive to say.
I started reading The Golden Compass a while ago, but didn't even reach chapter three for some reason, even though I really want to read it, so I'm pretty excited to read along with the blog. I'm already farther than I had gotten the first time around, hopefully I can keep up 😛
[I have not read this trilogy at all but did want to comment on one point and hope it does not spoil anything, just a bit of history. It also appears that it is too long and shall be split.]
Dogs being "classed" like this is actually not new. Since dogs were first created, their usage and their looks have been modified to represent what they need to. In general, terriers were a common farm dog as their usage was incredibly varied. Nobles bred small toy dogs to keep as pets only: these dogs had very little function but to be cute or furry (some were used like handwarmers!). Finding a little toy dog on a farm was rare simply because most had no use for a dog that could barely perform one task that a skilled terrier could like catching vermin (the few exceptions are the Chinese Crested and some of the more terrier-like toys). One of the older examples is the Pekingese which, for nearly several hundred years, could only be owned by Chinese nobility. Only recently was the dog discovered and actually moved out of the palace's walls (generally accepted as 1860 when the British invaded China and stormed the palace, finding some of the dogs mourning a noble who had committed suicide).
Dogs even have rankings amongst themselves according to ancient texts. The sighthound types (like Greyhounds, Salukis, and Afghans) were considered the only breed of dog allowed to be kept as they were considered cleaner than others. A part of the family of Russian Wolfhounds (Psovois, very hairy and large sighthounds) were nearly exterminated when the 1917 Revolution took place as many viewed the dog as a symbol of the czars' tyranny (the dogs were only given as gifts from the czar, never purchased). Many noblemen took it upon themselves to shoot their dogs themselves instead of letting them fall into the hands of the revolutionaries. Some did survive and they've sort of been combined under the name of Borzoi. Even today, some French breeds of dogs (the Billy and Porcelain are a couple) have rarely left their country of origin since the French are very protective of them.
This is really neat information! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
That is truly fascinating. I love the history of dog breeds, both because it's just neat and because it shows how arbitrary most breed distinctions are today, since breed standards pretty much only rely on appearance. Dogs used to be (and some still are) bred for a particular purpose, such as hunting or catching vermin, and somehow along the way that turned into "does this dog have a shoulder height of X inches and a brown nose and bowed legs?" Or whatever. And then you get ridiculous things like dogs that are bred to have such short legs that they literally can't reproduce unassisted anymore. Not to mention the health problems. ANYWAY.
Oh dear the health problems. It's one of the main reasons I dislike most American-bred German Shepherd Dogs since it just looks painful for them to walk. At least some breeders have realized what problems it causes and are trying to move back to actual straight backs. It was said that the King Shepherd was created from a couple of breeders because they disliked the new guidelines for the German Shepherd having to have the sloped hips and went on breeding them the way they were meant to look. The same goes for most brachiocephalic breeds but at least some of them are starting to breed with longer snouts now.
Yay, a new project which is new to me also! I started this one on audio book a week ago because I got confused about when you were starting (therefore this chapter isn't super-fresh), but I'm going to be 'reading' along with you from tomorrow. I really like the audio book, I find it's a nice way to spend my long commutes, although I found the different voices in this one a bit amusing (I'm used to the Stephen Fry Harry Potters where he does all the voices) – Lyra and Pantalaimon are represented as kind of *cockney*, I was wondering if it came across that way in the book?
(Cockney might be the wrong interpretation….maybe sort of Northern?)
o.O Cockney is pretty different from Northern, unless I've been mindwiped recently. What were the phonetic characteristics?
Don't suppose you watch Doctor Who, Avit? Because I have a pretty good reference, I think, from the latest episode (the actress is from Birmingham, I don't know if that means *anything*)
(then again, maybe I'm really stupid and should shut up)
Ayup. I associate Cockney with GLOTTAL STOPS* and generally Rose and Mickey, which is probably a terrible, horrible, no-good Amurrkan generalization, and if Nine actually had a Northern accent as Rose said, then they sound pretty different to me.
I dunno about actor-origins, though. I mean, Tennant's natural accent is Scottish, but Ten certainly didn't have a Scottish accent.
*my favorite phoneme… sound…. thing ever
Well, I think she sounds a bit like the actress who played Jennifer in The Rebel Flesh – who I've seen in other stuff so her accent is, I think, fairly consistent.
My head has decided she sounds like her, anyway.
Woo Hoo! A new Mark Reads book adventure!
I read the His Dark Materials series about 4 or 5 years ago so I don't remember quite a bit.
I adore these books! I think I'll actually have time to read these!
Presuming that to be the case (that the reader has enough information to know she's a child and not an adult – yes, I'm being REALLY CAREFUL about spoilers here!), I think that the reader has enough information to come up with the hypothesis that I have for why he started to trust her… which is that, being her uncle, he had always trusted her more or less. The first thing we *see* of his attitude towards her is of a passionate and fierce but overwrought man finding his niece misbehaving in a really serious way in a really serious situation that he knows she couldn't begin to understand, and responding with anger bordering on irrational fury.
But the fact that he's furious at her for misbehaving and being where she shouldn't and meddling in his perilous business does not mean that he would expect her to lie about something serious. So once she tells him about the poison, he can read her easily enough to know she's telling the truth. And saving someone's life is a good way to get out of trouble for misbehaving (eg TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!). So Lord Asriel, instead of focusing on punishing her for doing what she shouldn't, switches to thinking about how he can take advantage of the fact that she is there and evidently pretty observant.
That's how I took it, anyway. I don't remember being confused by why he'd "suddenly" trust her… although my first reading was quite a few years ago now.
Oof. I'm late, again, but I'm graduating this week, so my sense of time is all wonky – please forgive me!
I'm so many steps beyond excited that Mark is reading this series – the books mean a lot to me, for reasons that I haven't necessarily sat down to think about explicitly yet, and I'm looking forward to rereading everything and meshing my own thoughts with outside opinions (yay! putting all those years of learning to analyze literature to a series I've cherished since grade school!)
I'll be honest: given the early references to Harry Potter, I had to go wikipedia the timeline for when this series came out relative to HP1 – in my head, I'd first read the Golden Compass (slowly, a little too early, gradually learning what the book was about), and getting excited about and then weaning myself off of Pullman's world was part of what made me so excited about Rowling's (and then sequels! everywhere! and my little elementary school self was just in heaven). It'll be really interesting to see how Mark's experience is shaped having read the entire Harry Potter series before tackling this one.
a quick side note: I think this is another instance (like the bullying in HP) where keeping in mind that there's a difference in the normal" British and American systems of early education is helpful…
Basically, I'm looking forward to weeks of wonderful reviews and comments, as always. This website and all of the brilliant people who post here make me so happy 🙂
Hey, Mark! It's the first time in a looooong time since I've last left you a comment, mainly because I've been extraordinarily busy what with schoolwork and all. The last entry I've seen of yours was when you just ended 'Catching Fire' from the Hunger Games. 🙁
I tried reading the first 'Golden Compass' book, but it confused the crap outta me, as well as the movie, but maybe with you here to clarify things, I can finish the book and find out what my mom likes so much about it. 😛
Can't wait for your review on Chapter 2! I'll most likely try reading it again with ya.
Awesome comment, sums it up!
Oh man, Mark, I want to spoil you so badly. And for some reason, not about the big things (although I'd like to do that too) but about the little details. Strange that.
I will say this because I'm pretty sure it wouldn't count as a spoiler. I remember when I first read the book not being confused about the daemons at all. I guess I've read so much that I'd come across the word before? Anyway, my mind went right to "Okay, so everybody has a familiar like witches"
Oh lawd, I'm so excited you're reading these! His Dark Materials is one of my favourite series ever! I'm looking forward to the day when you will ~perhaps~ know the answers to some of these questions you have.
EXCITED
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Do I know how to post images on this site yet?!
I have to disagree about Pullman's prose, I think it's much more sensory than JK Rowlings. I always remember the moment when Lyra flicks her nail against the glass and then puts her palm on the ringing crystal… JK Rowling's world is full of humourous detail, but Pullman's is drawn with a sensual clarity that I just love.
Even though like a lot of Children's Literature, this focuses on *what happens and what happens next* as Philip Pullman himself would say… that doesn't mean it's not beautifully written, imo. 🙂
I read this review half hiding behind my hands… this is going to be hard. These books are so important and such a private experience for me, I don't know if I want to drag them over any coals, or even over the light of other peoples' gaze.
Good call. Pullman writes for all the senses, which I never got a sense of (couldn't resist!) with Rowling. Moreover, as in the example you cite, his sensory details serve double duty as characterization. Lyra's flicking the glass says something (to me, anyway) about her curiosity — how does it sound? — and being in a place she shouldn't, but she silences the ringing, too, because she isn't totally stupid about trespassing.
One of Kurt Vonnegut's rules for writing is "Every sentence must do one of two things: reveal character or advance the action." I think Pullman does a mighty fine job on that count.
OMG MARK. So excited for you to read this series 🙂 I wish I could erase it all from my memory and read it again as if for the first time. That's how much I love these books!