Mark Reads ‘The Golden Compass’: Chapter 19

In the nineteenth chapter of The Golden Compass, Lyra’s imprisonment by the panserbjørne inspires a rather brilliant idea to do exactly what Serafina suggested: trick a bear that acts like a human. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Golden Compass.

EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURTS.

CHAPTER NINETEEN: CAPTIVITY

Finally, we have an entire chapter that’s not just endless intensity, and you know what? It still rules. BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, EVERYONE, HOW AWESOME IS THIS CHAPTER. We’ve got more info dumping, Lyra’s uncanny ability to lie, a new character, some spectacular world-building from Pullman regarding the bears’ palace, and one HELL of a con that Lyra sets up that will certainly lead to the spectacular confrontation between Iofur and Iorek.

The stone palace that the panserbjørne live in, commissioned by Iofur, is not at all what I expected. I sort of assumed they would live in an ice palace, and that probably makes me racist against bears or something. While the place certainly is grand, it’s also not what I had in mind because I’d just assumed it was like any ol’ palace. Nope. THESE ARE BEARS.

She had to take his word for it, because every projection and ledge on the deeply sculpted façade was occupied by gannets and skuas, which cawed and shrieked and wheeled constantly overhead, and whose droppings had coated every part of the building with thick smears of dirty white.

And this sort of visual theme continues, reminding us that the bears do not live as we do and do not have the same standards as us either. On top of that, these bears also seem to dress in no way similar as Iorek, aside from having armor. Iorek’s armor is worn, rusty, stained with blood and war, and these bears seem to exist more for show than anything else.

Lyra is directed further into the palace, the stench of fat, dung, blood, and other such things overpowering her sense of smell. This is not the palace I anticipated. She is then unceremoniously dumped into a narrow cell with a bench and a pile of rags for bedding. She is now a prisoner of the panserbjørne. Well….at least she is inside, right? IT’S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

It had been so long since she’d used it, I’d almost forgotten about the alethiometer. Lyra is so excellent at using it now that it’s no longer a prolonged process, even in terms of Pullman’s narration. As he puts it, it’s as natural “as her muscles moved her limbs.” She learns that Iorek is just a day’s journey away, on board Lee’s balloon, and is heading to the palace to break Lyra out, regardless of how dangerous this might be. (LOVE YOU IOREK.)

That pile of rags in the corner of the cell then reveals itself to be a MAN. Which in the book is not that scary, but in a PROPER cinematic adaptation, would probably have been terrifying. Lyra learns that she’s sharing a cell with a professor from the University of Gloucester. I’m starting to wonder why so many academic places have such a marked interest in the north. I mean, obviously if it has to do with Dust, but….ARRRGGGH I am so close to figuring this all out.

I don’t know that Jotham Santelia actually helps me any, to be honest. He starts babbling about Professor Trelawney (LOL THAT NAME I SWEAR) and a paper the man stole from him on “gamma-ray photons,” and I’m not sure any of this really matters to the story as a whole. Well…ok, that sounds mighty dismissive. Obviously it is important because this is how Lyra gets the idea to trick Iofur later, and Pullman doesn’t introduce pointless characters, either. For Lyra, this provides her with the opportunity to lapse into her wondrous ability to lie, and she feeds into Santelia’s anger at Trelawney for the theft. I didn’t understand why she was doing it at first. What could she possibly serve to gain from this man?

Knowledge. And I really do adore that this is a valuable thing for Lyra, who knows that Santelia can help her more than anyone at this point, for he has lived amongst the bears for a long time now. (Well, there’s also a mention of that Barnard-Stokes hypothesis again, but I have a feeling that might not be mentioned or explained again until the next book.) He reveals to Lyra, after some questioning, that a fight between Iorek and Iofur would be impossible: Iorke, when exiled, lost the right to even challenge another bear to a fight. And while this provides a new challenge for Lyra, it’s not as bad as when the mere mention of Lord Asriel’s name causes Santelia to curl up in fear.

Her father’s very name causes Santelia to shrink against the wall. What the hell? Turns out you cannot even mention his name because Mrs. Coulter came round to specifically ensure that Iofur keep Lord Asriel locked up and out of Mrs. Coulter’s way. It seems the king of the bears is willing to do anything for Mrs. Coulter. (Is he in love with her???)

But he’s a new kind of bear, one who makes deals and alliances with humans, so I found it funny that despite obeying Mrs. Coulter, he also agreed to bring Lord Asriel the tools that he needs for whatever experiments with Dust he’s carrying out. He’s pleasing both parties and, as Santelia says, this balance cannot last much longer.

For Lyra, though, she has all the information that she needs. As I so masterfully figured out in the last chapter because I AM A BOSS WHO FINALLY FIGURED SOMETHING OUT BEFORE HAND THIS NEVER HAPPENS, Lyra remembers that Iofur wanted a dæmon more than anything in the world:

But now it was plain. Everything she’d heard about the bear-king added up: the mighty Iofur Raknison wanted nothing more than to be a human being, with a dæmon of his own.

It’s like I just got BINGO on the first five numbers. allow me to revel in this fine moment, rare like an aged wine.

The next morning, Lyra’s idea, inspired by her conversation with Santelia, gets the chance to be carried out. It’s a real treat to read these passages where Lyra assumes a new character to act out and it’s a definite talent of hers. While she may not always be a confident young girl, when she lies like she does here…she’s real good. Real good. Having seen the way the palace runs and the slightly haphazard arrangement to it all, she decides to initially play into that when one of the bear guards sees her that morning. She demands to be taken to see Iofur, and will only pass along her urgent message to the king himself. Isn’t that the way things are done around here?

Preying specifically on the fact that these bears still haven’t quite figured out how to deal with their king’s ways, the bear obliges, and I cheer inside just a little bit harder. Finally, something is working without a single hitch. And to be completely honest, that is a smaller reason why I enjoy chapter nineteen so much: This actually isn’t depressing or harrowing or stressful at all. It’s just Lyra being waltzed right into the main throne room with Iofur and being a straight up BAMF.

Initially, there’s a hint that this might be a lot harder than she expected, as Iofur is the most massive bear of the entire kingdom. Creepily so, he also looks kind of like a person as well, giving off such a supreme sense of power and control that Lyra worries that this is not going to go off as planned.

But she moved a little closer, because she had to, and then she saw that Iofur was holding something on his knee, as a human might let a cat sit there–or a dæmon.

It was a big stuffed doll, a manikin with a vacant stupid human face. It was dressed as Mrs. Coulter would dress, and it had a sort of rough resemblance to her. He was pretending he had a dæmon. Then she knew she was safe.

I know that this provides comfort to Lyra–and I’m very glad it does–but this just creeps me out so hard. Honestly, why does this disturb me so much? Maybe it’s because it’s dressed like Mrs. Coulter and WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO IDOLIZE HER she is an awful person.

Lyra gets her audience with the bear king and surprises even me with what she came so far to tell him:

“I am a dæmon, Your Majesty,” she said.

He stopped still.

“Whose?” he said.

“Iorek Byrnison’s,” was her answer.

A SDKFJA SDF;AKLJF AS;DKF AWEF89AF DS;KDJSF ASUFA;KSDFJ WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT!!!!!!! Oh my god lyra WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?

What Lyra unfolds here to Iofur–and to us, really–is just….perfection. Well, as close to it as an eleven-year-old girl, who just set up her friend Iorek to fight to the death in a battle with an armored bear who is bigger than him, can get. Using information that Iofur could superficially confirm if he was so inclined, she weaves a complicated story about how Bolvangar was used for experiments to assign non-humans dæmons and how it worked for Iorek, but only him, and how she would rather be Iofur’s dæmon instead of Iorek’s, and how the only way for Lyra to be transferred to another bear is through DEFEAT IN A SINGLE COMBAT.

It is amazing. Astounding. Shocking. Lyra, seriously, you just blow me away. And when Iofur demands that Lyra prove she is a dæmon, right when I begin to think this whole lie will far apart, she tells him that she can find out anything that he knows and no one else, as long as she has privacy to do it, since she’s not his dæmon.

AND SHE USES THE ALETHIOMETER TO DO SO. Brilliance, just pure and simple brilliance. And when Iofur demands to what the first creature he killed was, the alethiometer gives us a chilling insight into how Iofur came to be who he is now: HE KILLED HIS OWN FATHER. Well, he didn’t know he was his father initially, but he still committed a crime by killing a fellow bear in a mere quarrel. The fact that this bear covered up the murder of his own father….ugh. I shudder to think what else he is capable of.

For now, though, we don’t find out. Pantalaimon correctly suggests that Lyra should treat Iofur as if the murder of his father is a good thing, and it works. Even though Iofur is properly satisfied that Lyra is a real dæmon, he does ask Lyra what Mrs. Coulter promised the bear king and….uh…..what.

“She promised you that she’d get the Magisterium in Geneva to agree that you could be baptized as a Christian, even though you hadn’t got a dæmon then. Well, I’m afraid she hasn’t done that, Iofur Raknison, and quite honestly I don’t think they’d ever agree to that if you didn’t have a dæmon.”

Well, now Lyra has probably turned Iofur against Mrs. Coulter, too, and learned that Iofur wants to be a human so badly that he’s willing to get baptized as a Christian.

this book.

We end this chapter on a high note (for once), as Lyra, now with Iofur fully on her side and believing such an elaborate lie, helps plan out how Iofur will convince the other bears to allow Iorek into Svalbard without being killed and setting up their battle for dominance in a way to make it look like Iofur planned it all along.

I’m just glad that Lyra is doing all of this for good, because…shit, I wouldn’t want to cross her. She’s got one hell of an ability to lie and manipulate. Is this going to come back at her in a negative way?

Whatever, who cares, ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT.

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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75 Responses to Mark Reads ‘The Golden Compass’: Chapter 19

  1. Inseriousity. says:

    This chapter is amazing! Lyra is faced with a huge scary bear and she doesn't care cos she is a BAMF. It's also great that Lyra's ability to trick him is based around his desire to be something he's not, which I think is a nice message.

  2. FuTeffla says:

    I love that Iofur is like a scary bear version of King Louie (and King Louie was already pretty scary). But I do find his desperation to be a human weirdly touching, even though he is, to put it mildly, Not A Nice Bear.
    Also, given what a BAMF Lyra is in this chapter, now feels like the time to mention that when my youngest cousin was born, my second youngest cousin got to pick her middle name. He's a fan of HDM and, naturally, picked 'Lyra'. My cousins = awesome.

  3. knut_knut says:

    I'm always really surprised Lyra's plan works because it sounds so suspicious BUT WHATEVER SHE IS A BAMF AND I AM A SAD SLUG COMPARED TO HER

    I lol'd all through Santelia's Trelawney rant. Poor Trelawney gets no love in this universe either 🙁

  4. MichelleZB says:

    Well, now Lyra has probably turned Iofur against Mrs. Coulter, too, and learned that Iofur wants to be a human so badly that he’s willing to get baptized as a Christian.

    Willing to? I think he desperately wants to be baptized as a Christian.

    • cait0716 says:

      Yeah, I think that being being baptized is as much a part of being human as getting a daemon is, as far as Iofur is concerned

    • James says:

      Yeah, the Magesterium is a global authority and its headquarters being in Geneva, where the UN headquarters are is telling. "Baptised as a Christian" in this world basically means "be given human rights".

  5. leighzzz31 says:

    Favourite chapter of the entire book. Otherwise known as an ode to how brilliant Lyra is. We get to see the full extent of Lyra’s power of deception and lies. She’s only a child so she uses the only weapon she has – her mind – against ARMOURED BEARS. I REPEAT, ARMOURED BEARS.

    She even gets to practice on Professor Santelia. Even in a cell, she manages to turn the tables to her advantage, knowing just the right buttons to press –his vanity, his obsession with Trelawney (I still see Emma Thomson in my head every time I read this). And through his information, she manages to form a plan. I loved this description: “But she was familiar with the way of ideas, and she let it shimmer, looking away, thinking about something else.” Again, heaps of praise to Pullman’s ability to describe things that are so familiar but not quite tangible. It perfectly describes how elusive ideas and thoughts are if you grasp onto them too hard.

    And now for Lyra’s coup de grâce against the Bear King. She finally remembers that all important bit of information from the Retiring Room. What Iofur wanted most in the world was a daemon. So she gives it to him. Brilliance. And her theory is proven right by the stuffed doll that Iofur holds. Which, as an image, made me feel a tiny bit sorry for the Bear King, how he so desperately wishes he were human; mentioning he wanted to get baptized as well just proves how he’s been tricked by Lyra’s mother too (I guess it runs in the family). But Lyra is relentless and uses everything she’s got – information from Jordan and Santelia, the alethiometer and Iofur’s humanness – to trick him and it works. Her power even begins to overwhelm and ‘intoxicate’ her, which I can imagine is probably her biggest flaw. Other than that though, I felt like giving her a standing ovation.

    • samibear says:

      Her power even begins to overwhelm and ‘intoxicate’ her, which I can imagine is probably her biggest flaw.

      I always really liked that Pullman added in that little bit of characterisation; the power starts going to Lyra's head, and Pantalaimon has to keep her in check. It's like a reminder to the readers as well that, yes while Lyra is being amazing and brilliant and impressive, she is not a perfect person. Her main skills are based in decpetion and manipulation, which are not traditionally seen as good things. It just makes her character that little bit more complex.

      • leighzzz31 says:

        Couldn't agree more. Lyra is amazing in this chapter, no doubt about it, but she's not perfect and she's not meant to be. Pullman adds another layer to her character which makes her a whole lot more real and a lot more interesting.

      • Rumantic says:

        I guess that's the difference between her and her mother, too. Mrs coulter would definitely let power go to her head – perhaps her daemon encourages it?

    • sabra_n says:

      But she was familiar with the way of ideas, and she let it shimmer, looking away, thinking about something else.”

      Yes! That's the passage about a new-formed idea being like a bubble, right? It's one of my favorite bits of the book, just because of that perfect way it described something I'd never been able to put words to.

    • RoseFyre says:

      Definitely agreed on the line about ideas. One of my favorites in the book.

      And I think Lyra gets her lying abilities from both parents – Mrs. Coulter clearly lies to a lot of people, possibly including herself, and didn't Lord Asriel lie to the scholars? Or at least exaggerate? No wonder Lyra is such a consummate liar, she comes by it honestly! 😛

  6. Tilja says:

    What might creep you out is the fact that she probably inherited her ability to lie and manipulate from her own mother. She's not evil like Mrs Coulter, but that ability comes from her, just as much as her strong character and will force over others comes from Lord Asriel. Those two made one hell of a combination on her.

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:

      um i had not thought of such things. AMAZING.

      • hilarius11 says:

        Nor had I, and I've read the entire series at least 50 times. Brilliance.

      • Tilja says:

        Think about how fucked up it is to be indebted to the person you hate the most for your best, most valuable ability.

    • Rumantic says:

      I thought this while reading this chapter D:

      • Tilja says:

        Same here, ever since first reading the book all those years ago. It struck me forcibly when the doll appeared and I thought that now Lyra would have to make the bear king fall for her deceptions, just like Mrs Coulter. That made me go like, "wait, she always lies and has the ability to make people believe in her lies, just like her mother. … … … WTF! So that's where it comes from! OhMyGenes! How can you bear be indebted for your best ability to the person you hate the most?"

        • rumantic says:

          It was when she was convincing the guard bear to take her to the king which got me – it reminded me of Mrs Coulter being all persuasive at the start with Lyra.

    • notemily says:

      It could be worse, she could have inherited Mrs. Coulter's joy at watching others' pain.

  7. And when Iofur demands that Lyra prove she is a dæmon, right when I begin to think this whole lie will far apart, she tells him that she can find out anything that he knows and no one else, as long as she has privacy to do it, since she’s not his dæmon.

    AND SHE USES THE ALETHIOMETER TO DO SO.
    In the movie, SHE USES THE ALETHIOMETER RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.

    I MEAN COME ON.

    HI MY SPECIAL DAEMON POWERS ARE TO READ THIS DEVICE I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT YOU TO BE IN COMPLETE AND UTTER MYSTERY AS TO HOW I KNOW YOUR DARK PAST.

    (Okay, admittedly, reading the alethiometer IS a pretty special power, but OMG MOVIE WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM. I actually kind of liked it, but, damn, so many little things like this bugged me.)

    • knut_knut says:

      I always found it weird though that no one got suspicious that she had to go into a different room to use her super special daemon power. Then again, it would be EVEN MORE OBVIOUS if she whipped the alethiometer out right then and there, so the movie gets the ultimate fail

      • cait0716 says:

        I got the impression that Iofur was a bit suspicious, but just so confused and intrigued that he lets it go. She's offering him something he wants and he wants it so badly that he's giving her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, she's small and he's enormous. He probably figures that it won't be hard to kill her if it turns out she is lying, which he'll know in four short hours.

        • monkeybutter says:

          Yeah, I think he wants Lyra to be a daemon so badly that he's willing to ignore whatever good sense he has. If she says daemons have secrets that he'll be let in on later, he's willing to go along with it because he'll have a daemon and her secrets in a few hours. I think the book says he was waiting for her with a look of apprehension and greed. He's thinking like a human, so she's tricking him in a human way.

  8. cait0716 says:

    Excellent chapter. I like the contrast between Iorek's armor, which actually gets used, and Iofur's, which seems to be mostly for show. It reminds me a bit of the contrast between Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister in GoT.

    My brain was dancing happily around Trelawney's science ramblings. All of the particle physics and collapsing wave equations and multiple universe theories. It's subtle, but the science is sound (if contested). Pullman really knows his stuff.

    I do love that Lyra's entire plan depends on Iorek being able to defeat Iofur in single combat. I mean, that's kind of a huge detail, and completely out of her control. But it's her only chance, so she goes for it.

    • FlameRaven says:

      To be fair to Jaime, even though his armor is gaudy, it's not out of place for the times (and probably not even as ridiculous as a cloak made out of flowers) and he is regarded as probably the best fighter in the realm. But I see what you mean: it's about sheer practicality vs gilded strength.

      I will note that one of my favorite things about the HBO adaptation is that they manage to make everything look realistically shabby and used, despite all the rich materials– even cloth-of-gold is not as bright or lustrous as we would picture with modern materials.

      Back to Golden Compass– yes. I think this is another interesting mark of Lyra's character. There is the entirely real possibility that Iorek would lose this fight and Lyra would be in huge trouble, but she doesn't even consider it. Part of this seems to be her absolute faith in Iorek and his awesomeness, but part of it seems to be that same fierce quality that Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter have: she knows what she wants and damn it all she is going to get it, and she will bend the world any way she needs to to make that happen.

  9. Anseflans says:

    "ARRRGGGH I am so close to figuring this all out."
    *snort*

    Mark, you are so adorable, bless your heart.

  10. monkeybutter says:

    Lyra is an amazingly cunning eleven (or twelve) year-old. I love this chapter for the exposition and Lyra's opportunity to stretch her lying muscles. And even better than that, I can see and smell Iofur Raknison's palace. The details are fantastic — I especially like Iofur's gilted claws, and how he alone in his court doesn't look completely out of place in his human-like adornment.

    Related to bears dressing like humans, when I was a kid, I had a book called The Last Elegant Bear (it also came with a teddy bear that looked like the main character) that had gorgeous illustrations of aristocratic bears in fancy dress. I loved flipping through that book. Even though panserbjorne emulating humans is wrong, stinky, and ridiculous, I can't help but think of them looking like the stodgy bears I loved as a kid.

  11. GCSKAS says:

    MARK, HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR THE BEAR FIGHT? IT’S MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIE, AND AS IT’S THE ONLY THING YOU REMEMBER FROM THAT AWFUL MOVIE, IT HAS TO BE GOOD, RIGHT?????

  12. majere616 says:

    This review could use more repetitions of the phrase "ARMORED BEAR FIGHT" because you simply cannot emphasize that fact enough.

  13. happy_runner says:

    Da Bears!! Da Bears!!

  14. summeriris says:

    Pullman must have thought so when he read it in that telephone directory. Serafina Pekkela, it's like singing

  15. Becky_J_ says:

    "ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT!"

    hahahah oh Mark. This is exactly what my reaction was when I read this chapter!!

    I think the thing that resonated the most with me about this chapter is the singular image of Iofur perched upon his throne with his golden claws and his little human daemon on his knee…. honestly, its one of the creepiest things to me. I actually feel a bit bad for him at this part, because he is so pitiful. Actually, it might just be my intense hatred of dolls that makes it so creepy…. or maybe it just adds to it. Had he had a stuffed animal on his knee, I wouldn't have been nearly as creeped out.

  16. FlameRaven says:

    Except… I don't think his daemon actually can taste probability. Maybe he's convinced himself she can, but… the poor guy sounded like he'd been locked up so long he was starting to get confused about what was real and what his research was (which sounded like a lot of very theoretical quantum stuff.)

    I think the contrast between Ned and Jaime is really about honor. Ned absolutely cannot act against his sense of honor, and, well, it goes badly for him. He is absolutely not suited to the shifting political arena: he makes a fantastic leader of the north, with his honor and dedication and acceptance of the hard tasks. On the other hand, Jaime is famous for having no honor, but he's really not as terrible a person as everyone else makes him out to be. This isn't as evident in the first book, but once we get Jaime's POV later on, you start to see he does have some honor, it's just much more…hm, situational than Ned's rock-hard certainty.

    Then again this also goes back to the difference between the Starks and Lannisters general philosophy, between 'Winter is Coming' (Be Prepared: It Always Gets Worse) and 'Hear me Roar!" (Look how awesome I am!)

  17. cait0716 says:

    Serafina Pekkala mentions Yambe-Akka as a sort of goddess of death. I would assume that the witches follow some sort of pagan religion, but I don't think this has been directly addressed.

    It seems like the Church has pretty solid control of at least the western world. I don't know how far their power extends, but freedom of religion hardly seems like it would be an acceptably concept. Blasphemy and heresy are punished pretty harshly. If people do practice other religions, I doubt they advertise it.

  18. TreasureCat says:

    BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, EVERYONE, HOW AWESOME IS THIS CHAPTER.
    RIGHT???

    She had to take his word for it, because every projection and ledge on the deeply sculpted façade was occupied by gannets and skuas, which cawed and shrieked and wheeled constantly overhead, and whose droppings had coated every part of the building with thick smears of dirty white.
    I have all the love for this description, despite how gross it is. Its just so realistic. The inclusion of this makes the bears' palace all seem so much more vivid and real to me.

    I am so close to figuring this all out.
    OH MARK <3

    As I so masterfully figured out in the last chapter because I AM A BOSS WHO FINALLY FIGURED SOMETHING OUT BEFORE HAND THIS NEVER HAPPENS
    YOU TRULY ARE A TRUE SEER WHO SPEAKS ALL THE TRUTH

    Lyra assumes a new character to act out and it’s a definite talent of hers.
    Character within a character…characterception!

    This actually isn’t depressing or harrowing or stressful at all. It’s just Lyra being waltzed right into the main throne room with Iofur and being a straight up BAMF.
    RIGHT??? She's amazing.

    Using information that Iofur could superficially confirm if he was so inclined, she weaves a complicated story about how Bolvangar was used for experiments to assign non-humans dæmons and how it worked for Iorek, but only him, and how she would rather be Iofur’s dæmon instead of Iorek’s, and how the only way for Lyra to be transferred to another bear is through DEFEAT IN A SINGLE COMBAT.
    SEEMS LEGIT.

    this book.
    RIGHT??? (I have this reaction a lot >.>)

    Whatever, who cares, ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT.
    dhfiaefpafdpjdfpaif this is gonna be good *breaks out the popcorn*

  19. sabra_n says:

    I’m just glad that Lyra is doing all of this for good, because…shit, I wouldn’t want to cross her. She’s got one hell of an ability to lie and manipulate.

    So basically, she's Azula raised by absent-minded professors instead of a megalomaniacal father.

    • _Sparkie_ says:

      Yeah! Although it depends how much effect their upbringing had on them. I would say that Lyra has always proven to be essentially good, whereas Azula, well, has she done anything good yet? And I'd rather meet Lyra than Mrs Coulter tbh!

      • sabra_n says:

        What made me think of the similarities between them is the Dai Li guy's comment about Azula's charisma and leadership ability. Azula chooses to lead through fear, but it's not all she has going for her – she has an inherent ability to get people to follow her, just as Lyra always did among the children of Oxford. Lyra just wasn't raised with the idea that she's a princess with the inborn right to rule and superiority to all other human beings, who should therefore only be used as her tools to gain power.

    • Tilja says:

      I would rather consider Azula = Mrs Coulter. That sounds more likely.

      • sabra_n says:

        In terms of end results, yeah, Azula is of course much closer to Coulter's doings of eeeeevil. 🙂

  20. FlameRaven says:

    It's interesting because the book itself sort of comments on Jaime's armor. I think there's a line in one of Tyrion's chapters where he notes that Jaime's armor is just gold-plated steel, not really gold, but it's not like the common folk know that. Because yeah, you'd have to be an idiot to make armor out of actual gold. Although gilded steel sort of fits with Jaime's personality: very pretty, but quite tough for all that– and probably hiding uglier flaws. 😉

    (And yes, we may be OT, but that's what the GoT thread in the forums is for.)

  21. @maybegenius says:

    This was one of my favorite chapters in the book. It's just such a bunch of SIMPLE BRILLIANCE where everything Pullman's set up so far just comes together and you think, "Of course, this is exactly how this was always going to play out. Of course. NEVER CHANGE, LYRA."

    I remember reading this as a teen and being so unnerved by the clashing of cultures in the palace. Iofur is like, RUINING BEAR CULTURE by trying to make them human. So much so that these bears, these mighty, un-trick-able bears are dressed up like dolls and totally confused about how to act. There are opulent rugs that are SMEARED WITH ROTTING MEAT AND CRAP. LITERALLY. It's just so unsettling. And then Lyra approaches Iofur, totally terrified and doubting herself because DUDE IS HUGE, but then she sees that he's got a doll. That little moment of complete absurdity is enough to bolster her. She knows she's got him.

    And then she proceeds to wrap him completely around her little finger. BAMF indeed.

  22. Oh man, I just remember this chapter creeping the ever-loving hell out of me. Trapped in a cell with a stranger! Enemy bears everywhere! Iofur Raknison and his My Little Coulter! Slksjfksadl; D:

    Lyra is kind of my hero, seriously.

  23. BradSmith5 says:

    What a brilliant homage to "Looney Tunes" this chapter was! When that professor had the moment of suspicion I could just HEAR Bugs chomping on his carrot: "Would I lie to you, bub? Of COURSE it's duck season!"

    If only Lyra would have had time to steal some furs and lipstick to make a "girl bear" costume, then this amazing tribute would have been complete. Ah well––at least the king of bears made an excellent Elmer Fudd. Bravo!

  24. flootzavut says:

    And… you still ain't prepared. Not even close.

  25. Lyra small-talks like a boss.

    • notemily says:

      I got the great sense from that line that she would have said the same thing with the kids at Jordan–like, she just automatically assumes that anything someone else brags about, she can brag about too. 😀

  26. Starsea28 says:

    I’m just glad that Lyra is doing all of this for good, because…shit, I wouldn’t want to cross her. She’s got one hell of an ability to lie and manipulate.

    Yes… she's definitely her mother's daughter, isn't she? I suppose Lord Asriel lies and manipulates as well, but Mrs Coulter's made an art out of deception and deceit. Lyra would be a terrible weapon if she weren't so completely her own person.

    I absolutely love how she convinces Iofur that she's Iorek's daemon but shows how much she's still a child by the simplicity of her scheme and her total shock when she realises she's locked him into mortal combat.

  27. Elexus Calcearius says:

    This, I think, is my favourite chapter in the whole book. Its just so fun. I have to applaud Lyra for the con she came up with, and how brave she is in acting it out. I mean, seriously, her ability to lie is frightening. I get nervous when I make a little white lie to a friend or family member. I think I would be quaking in my boots if I had to do this.

    Also, I love everything to do with daemons. Having finished the series (and somewhat forgotten the later books) I understand what they are better than Mark, and I'm still fascinated by what they are and what they mean. Things like this give us little clues. I remember when reading it thinking like this;

    Humans have animal daemons. Does this mean that daemons are a physical manifestation of their baser desires?
    By that reasoning, it makes sense that bears would have human daemons; that would be their more civilized nature. But they don't have living daemons, but armour instead, perhaps showing how they have a choice in how anthropomorphic they are? I don't know, I'm rambling here, basing my musings on the theories I had when I first read the book.

  28. Plactus says:

    One of the guests at Mrs. Coulter's cocktail party referred to Zoroastrianism (as "the Zoroastrian heresy"), but it was a fleeting mention with no discussion of whether it was an active religion.

  29. Moonie says:

    Oh, Tomoyo, you are so wise!
    (I'm sorry, every time you post, that's all I can think of….. strange mental images, indeed.)

  30. pica_scribit says:

    Mark,

    Completely off topic, but has anyone pointed you towards this yet? I would assume they have, you I haven't seen you mention it anywhere. Go to the link, and then click on an owl. Apparently JKR is going to be making some kind of announcement very early Thursday morning, Pacific time.
    http://www.pottermore.com/

  31. notemily says:

    Oh, interesting idea! I can't remember either. The man was with a child–who was the child?

  32. pennylane27 says:

    ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT ARMORED BEAR FIGHT

    just thought you hadn't said that enough times

    FUCK. YES.

  33. notemily says:

    I assumed that Iofur's palace was a relatively recent development and bears DID live in ice houses or caves or whatever before Iofur came along and changed things. Everything that Pullman showed us was about the clash between what Iofur wanted (a grand palace with carvings and carpets and such), and what was actually there (droppings, filth, stench). The message is that bears aren't meant to live like this.

    You ask if Iofur is in love with Mrs. Coulter. I think he's enchanted with her, just like all the kids she enticed away from their families.

    Lyra's deception is THE MOST PERFECT SET OF LIES EVER TOLD, y/y? I just love what she comes up with here. And she also finds out about Iofur murdering his father–I think that's interesting, because killing another bear over an argument was the same way Iorek got exiled. So Iofur really is no better, he was just better at covering it up.

    The baptism thing is… interesting. I have some vague half-formed theories as to what Pullman is trying to say with this, but maybe I'll wait until later so I don't accidentally spoil.

  34. shortstack930 says:

    I love how the bears try to feed Lyra raw seal lmao

  35. rissreader says:

    Mark – I was very, very impressed by your last entry where you figured out so many things about the bear situation. I'm always reading too fast to have more than an inkling about where things are going.

  36. Stephalopolis says:

    "I’m just glad that Lyra is doing all of this for good, because…shit, I wouldn’t want to cross her. She’s got one hell of an ability to lie and manipulate."

    "There's deeps in us and strong currents. We're water people all through, and you en't, you're a fire person. What you're most like is marsh fire, that's the place you have in the gyptian scheme; you got witch oil in your soul. Deceptive, that's what you are, child."

    It's funny, because Lyra was hurt at being called out as deceptive. And yet, it truly is a compliment- the way Ma Costas intended. Lyra is cunning, but quick on her feet. She uses these lies to help her and her allies out. This latest deception? Pure brilliance. ARMORED BEAR FIGHT! ARMORED BEAR FIGHT!

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