philip pullman | Lost in a Good Book

Northern Lights (#1) by Philip Pullman

07 Jul 2015 2 Comments

by Amy in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, fantasy, five stars, His Dark Materials, northern lights, philip pullman, the golden compass

Published: 23rd October 1998
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Pages: 399
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

When Lyra’s friend Roger disappears, she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, determine to find him.

The ensuing quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the North, where armoured bears rule the ice and witch-queens fly through the frozen skies – and where a team of scientists is conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about.

Lyra overcomes these strange terrors, only to find something yet more perilous waiting for her – something with consequences which may even reach beyond the Northern Lights…

Northern Lights is the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy and it introduces us to Lyra, her dæmon Pantalaimalon, and her world, similar to our own but so different at the same time. In Lyra’s universe people have dæmons, kind of like animal spirits that are a representation of their true self, their soul. The story is a retelling of sorts but with so much more depth and complexity is reads almost as new story. Granted this becomes much more evident in later books, but Northern Lights is a starting point to the greater story being told. In this first book Lyra heads North to rescue her friend Roger and other children that have been kidnapped for terrible experiments, and in doing so is introduced to something much bigger than she ever could imagine. This book leads onto the others and from captivating beginnings drags you deep into the world of Dust, other worlds, and destiny.

Away from the other two books, Northern Lights is a wonderful story on its own. Pullman brings this parallel universe to life absolutely magnificently, and in a world so foreign yet so familiar it is easy to accept Lyra’s world as being possible. What is wonderful about it as well is that it doesn’t read as an introduction book, we join Lyra in the middle of a moment and pick up the rest of the world as we go along, slowly gaining a picture of the world and its people, joining together snippets of information and details as the story goes on.

What is fantastic about Pullman is that he does little obvious explaining for the reader. There are hardly any, if at all, long explanations and expositions that are there for the reader’s understanding. Everything we need to know can be worked out from details and information provided in the narrative, and any explanations that are there have been woven meticulously through the story and provided through Lyra or other characters, and always keeping with the natural flow of the narrative. But Pullman is such a masterful writer that even when things aren’t explained it is easy to comprehend and to gain an understanding about the various levels and elements about the world.

Pullman writes with style and elegance, and with huge ideas, but the story is told so simply, with such passion, that it is easy to lose yourself in the story and imagine yourself beside Lyra as she explores Oxford or travels North. It is easy to become invested in these characters, you fear for them, rejoice with them, and worry for them all at once. From the first to last page you can picture everything that is happening: Lyra hiding in the wardrobe with Pan, armoured bears fighting for a kingdom, and golden monkey’s luring unsuspecting children.

Even with such exquisite description, Pullman also limits the details for his characters. Simple descriptions for many of his characters allow readers to create their own visions, and instead Pullman brings their complexity to life through their character, their personality and their actions. While general physical descriptions are important and still there, a greater understanding of who a character is is much more common. This is where the dæmons play a wonderful role; they help to understand who a character is as well as what they are feeling. While Lyra stands tall and bravely walks into danger, Pan is a mouse in her pocket, or a leopard to show the confidence she is trying to have.

What astounds me most about Northern Lights really is how simple it sounds as a plot, but when you read it, and get into the heart of the narrative it becomes quite clear just how complicated the story truly is, and yet Pullman writes it like it is the simplest thing in the world. It really is a masterpiece.

There is a mixture of light heartedness, danger, magic and mysteries, as well as heartbreak and horror in this book. Despite dealing with things that seem so foreign and incomprehensible, Pullman makes you understand and makes you invest in the characters so that every joyful time or moment of sadness is like your own.

This truly is a phenomenal story; it is one that will stay with you long after you have finished, and not only from wonderment, but also from admiration of the world and story Pullman has developed and more importantly, the intense envy that you too can’t have your own dæmon.

You can purchase Northern Lights via the following

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Booktopia

Bookworld | QBD

Dymocks | Kobo

Why I Love His Dark Materials

06 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, His Dark Materials, northern lights, philip pullman, the amber spyglass, the subtle knife

Disclaimer: I really wanted to make a post gushing about how amazing His Dark Materials was, and how much I adore it, cherish it, and am fascinated by it, and I hope in part to have done that. Writing about why I love a series was harder than I thought, there is too much to say and too many feelings to try and put into words without taking a week to write it and have it be a few thousand pages long on each book. So forgive the clunkiness of this post and just remember this post is simply an extension of “Oh my god this series is amazing, it will make your mind dazzle, your heart break, and make you envious, disgusted, proud all at once. It is a masterpiece of literature I have loved since I was 12 years old and I will continue to adore it for as long as I can read. READ THIS SERIES! READ NORTHERN LIGHTS! Fall in love with Lyra and Iorek, read the entire trilogy and be moved by Will, fascinated by the mulefa and have your heart beat out of your chest in so many moments of anticipation, suspense, action and dismay. You will not regret it.” So keep that in mind 🙂

. . . . . . . . . . .

The first time I read Northern Lights was when I was in year seven at high school. I cannot remember exactly how I was introduced to the series, I have a feeling it may have been a friend at the time, but either way I was hooked from the very beginning. I remember walking between classes, head in the book, navigating around students with instinct alone, never once looking up from the pages. I would read and reread each book in the series incessantly; getting lost in the world of Lyra and Pan, riding on the back of Iorek through the snow covered North, falling in love with Will and being amazed at Mary’s discoveries, but most of all my heart would ache to live in a world with daemons. From my first reading and even now I long to have a daemon of my own, not just for the marvel of having a companion that changed form, that was absolutely a part of you, but because when they settled you are able to discover the kind of person you truly are. It sounded magnificent. There is so much to love about His Dark Materials. I love that the people at Jordan college have come together to raise Lyra. I love that through every book there is so much joy coupled with intense sadness and heartache but also so much bravery and determination. I love that this incredibly complex story remains easy to read but is filled with the most complex ideas and theories. I love that daemons change for kids as often as their emotions change, that they are a visual representation of their soul, their feelings, and their strength. The entire series is an amazing concept and a wonderful retelling of a classic tale. Rereading Northern Lights has reminded me of all the wonderful things that make His Dark Materials the brilliant series it is. The light heartedness, the danger, the magic and the mysteries, the heartbreak and the horror, all mixed together into this phenomenal story. There is a certain magic about revisiting old favourites. Falling in love all over again with Lyra and Pan, Iorek and the Gyptians is easy, each time feeling like a first time read, even knowing where the story will go. The excitement is still there, the fear, and the disgust and sadness when terrible things happen. Another advantage of rereads is the fact you can always pick up something you have never seen before. But while there are new things to discover, there are the same moments, the same characters, that stay with you forever, moments you’ll never forget. In my typical cryptic and spoiler free way I will tell you I have never, not once, gotten over Tony. I find myself thinking about this series quite often, Lyra in the cupboard, Will and his mother, Lee Scoresby and Hester on the hillside, but I still feel so much sadness thinking about that boy with his fish. Reading it again was just as painful as the first time, Pullman has a way of making you feel everything like it’s the first time. It’s spectacular, but very emotional. What was also wonderful is that from the first pages to the last I pictured everything in my head just as I had always done, my images of characters and places were the same as when I was 12 years old, it was like returning to a familiar place after years being gone, to find it was just how you left it, the same faces welcoming you home. From Northern Lights to The Amber Spyglass there is nothing to lose by reading a series like His Dark Materials. The way Pullman migrates from Lyra in Northern Lights to Will in The Subtle Knife is seamless, and the gradual build up of characters, perspectives, worlds, and ideas is magnificent and should be (and has been) commended. I cannot imagine not having read this series, it hasn’t changed my life exactly, but it so much a part of my life it may as well have. These books have given me a story that is simply stunning, one that I will never forget, and one that I look forward to rereading again and again for many years to come.

Characters in Northern Lights

03 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, characters, fan art, His Dark Materials, iofur raknison, iorek byrnison, lee scoresby, lord asriel, lyra belaqua, ma costa, mrs coulter, philip pullman, serafina pekkala

The characters introduced in Northern Lights are all wonderful, and each of them is unique and plays a role in the story. Many of these characters reappear in later books while others only have a brief but important role to play. I could easily start talking about in depth all the characters I enjoyed reading about, the well-known ones and those rarely mentioned, but then we’d be here forever. There are also many more characters than those that I list here, and I could easily discuss each of them, even briefly, but I won’t.

What is brilliant about Pullman and how he has created these characters is that many of them play the smallest roles in Northern Lights, but they are still important roles and important characters. Many of the characters I’ve listed here are reoccurring in the other novels, and their roles grow, but even their brief appearances in the first book offer so much history and depth and questions that they becomes complex in just the simplest of words.

The inventions of dæmons is also another brilliant indicator of who a character is, which is the point of dæmons, they show you who you are as a person. The animal form or actions of the dæmon can describe a character better than a paragraph, especially with unsettled children dæmons because they reflect the character’s emotions phenomenally. but there’ll be more on those later.

Of all the characters in this book, I am a big fan of Lyra and Pan, as well as Iorek. And in a small sentimental way I am rather fond of the Master. I understand where he was coming from and I have so much sympathy for what he was trying to do.

I have also added in some fan art. I know people have different ideas of what characters look like, and Pullman to his credit limits the descriptions allowing readers to fill in the gaps, but I also like seeing how people have interpreted these characters. I know my own images aren’t exactly like the ones I have added, but I can’t draw so you won’t be seeing those ones anytime soon.

If you guys have a favourite character/s, or some art you’ve done I’d love to hear about it!

Lyra Belacqua and Pantalaimon

There is so much you can say about Lyra, she is strong willed and determined, she has a natural ability to lie, and she uses this to make up fanciful stories about her life and to get herself out of trouble. Lyra’s dæmon is Pantalaimon, nicknamed Pan, and together they are full of mischief. Lyra is crafty but curious, always asking questions and wanting to know about new things she discovers. She is driven by destiny and as many of the characters note, she has an important role to play in saving not just one world, but them all. What makes Lyra great is that while she is brave, she is still only a child, and she gets fearful and unsure. But it is her strength to keep going and face things even when filled with fear, and her determination to do the right thing that make her an admirable character.

Roger Parslow

Roger is one of the main reasons Lyra left Oxford in the first place. He is a kitchen boy who works at Oxford, and a lifelong friend and playmate of Lyra’s. After being kidnapped by the Gobblers, Lyra was determined to bring Roger home. While not in the story very often, Roger plays crucial roles, not just in driving Lyra on, but also in key events. Roger looks up to Lyra he admires her fearlessness and values her friendship. Roger himself isn’t scared or frightful, he is as adventurous as Lyra but he is also the voice of caution. Roger’s dæmon is called Salcilia.

Lord Asriel

Lord Asriel has a commanding presence, one of power and intimidation, but he isn’t cruel per se. He is tough but fair I guess. He knows what he wants and isn’t above being a bit sneaky to get it. His dæmon is a snow leopard named Stelmaria, and just from studying her you can tell the kind of person Lord Asriel is. He is calm on the surface but powerful, he exudes power and class. While not as evil as Mrs Coulter, Lord Asriel does have his own agenda; he just doesn’t go about making it a reality in as nefarious ways. Trying to determine if Lord Asriel is a good person is hard, he is good to Lyra, as good as he can be, but he also gets blinded by his goal.

Marisa Coulter

When discussing Marisa Coulter, the first thing is to ignore Nicole Kidman and the movie. While the Harry Potter fans won’t let go of “calmly”, I am still annoyed Mrs Coulter suddenly went from having “sleek black hair that framed her cheeks”, to a blonde bob. Having said that though, Pullman apparently wanted her blonde so there’s that. Mrs Coulter is actually one of the scariest characters in Northern Lights. She is manipulative, ruthless, and certainly ruthless, but she can also be charming and alluring when she wants to be, and worst of all thinks she is doing the right thing. As an agent of the Magisterium, she has no problem manipulating the Church for her own gain. She is blinded by her beliefs and does not care who is sacrificed in the process. The fact she can switch so quickly from calm and nurturing to callous and back again is dangerous enough. Adding in her self interests, the total disregard of other people, and tampering with the very make up of the natural world means she is a dangerous force to come across. Her dæmon is a golden monkey, who interestingly is never named through the entire trilogy, despite many other character’s dæmons being named.

Iorek Byrnison

Iorek is a character who got my affection very early on. He is tough and formidable, but he is kind and fiercely loyal. He is the rightful king of the panserbjørne, armoured sentient bears, and is recruited and rescued from enslavement by John Faa and Lyra to help with their journey North. Iorek becomes very protective of Lyra after she helps him on more than one occasion and it is beautiful to see the bond between them. Iorek is essentially a large polar bear with an opposable thumb that helps them build. The armoured bears make their armour from sky iron and like a daemon is a soul to humans, so too is the armour the soul of a bear.

Iofur Raknison

Iofur Raknison plays an important role in Northern Lights, despite only being in there for a brief time. A lot revolves around him, and he is a launching point for many events and situations in the story. Iofur stands out as being different from other panserbjørne. He has claimed the throne that belongs to Iorek, and makes many changes to the kingdom and practices of the bears. Much like King Louie in the Jungle Book, Iofur wishes to be human with a dæmon of his own.

Serafina Pekkala

Serafina is a witch that assists Lyra and the others in their mission North. Serafina is an important character because while her role is small, it is important and valuable. She offers information about the grander things, away from the immediate situation and about future events. Through her we are told about Lyra’s destiny, the coming war, and the introduction to the world of the witches. Being a witch, their dæmons have different rules, and Serafina’s snow goose dæmon Kaisa, can travel far from her and is also important in helping Lyra on her journey.

Lee Scoresby

Lee is someone I grew to love in later books, but is still intriguing in the first book. He has a lot of past adventures that he references, and a detailed history fighting beside and helping Iorek. He is a Texan and an aeronaut, and his dæmon Hester takes the form of an arctic snow hare. Lee is rough around the edges and a good man though always trying to get reimbursed and paid for his contributions and assistance. It doesn’t make him greedy, it makes him honest, and with only a few brief conversations and comments a true understanding of who Lee is can be established.

Ma Costa

Ma Costa is a great character, she is a wonderful mother figure to Lyra, looking out for her, caring for her and hiding her when necessary. She is a Gyptian woman, one of the people Lyra and other Oxford children have been “fighting” for decades. Ma Costa is also one of the people who helps start Lyra’s journey, sending her in the right direction and introducing her to the right people to start the journey North. She is also interesting because there is an inconsistency in Northern Lights about her dæmon. While not named, it is described as both a hawk and a wolf-like dog. Something not possible as adult dæmons are unchangeable.

Fun Facts about Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

02 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, fun facts, His Dark Materials, northern lights, philip pullman

Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass in America) was first published in 1995 by Scholastic. In the 20 years that have followed, there have been two additional books creating a trilogy, plus two separate stories, one a prequel, and one that explores more of Lyra’s adventures after the trilogy.

Since its publication Northern Lights has won numerous awards. In 1995 Pullman won the Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, which recognises the year’s outstanding children’s book by a British subject. When the Carnegie Medal had its 70th anniversary, Northern Lights was named in the top ten winning works, and won the public vote naming it the all-time “Carnegie of Carnegies” in 2007.

According to Pullman, he thought “it would be hard to find an audience for this story”. Reading that I was amazed because I can’t imagine this book not being successful, it has gone on to become so iconic and beloved and I do think it will last forever. Just seeing the awards it has won, and the public adoration for it demonstrates that Northern Lights, and the entire series, hold a special place in people’s hearts.

Asked in an interview if there was something he had read, a painting he had seen, or a certain incident that led to the writing of His Dark Materials, Pullman stated that one of the places it came from was Milton’s Paradise Lost. This was a poem he read at school that he loved immediately, not because he understood a lot of it, but because he loved the wonderful sounds the words made when they were read aloud. There are also influences from Blake and Kleist but just because it sounds literary and erudite, it does not mean it shows, these grand literary gods bring influence and inspiration, but Pullman makes it real and makes it readable, while still having the importance and the impact of something powerful.

Aside from its influences, the book itself is immensely complicated, in lots of little ways. Just the creation of the alethiometer and the way it works is admirable, not to mention the stunning and immense parallel world Pullman has created with Oxford, the north, and the numerous types of people and creatures that reside there.

Even small details like the images that accompany new chapters are a small thing that seems inconsequential, but have meaning and a story. Pullman mentions on his website the wonderful illustrations that appear at each chapter are intentional and symbolic. Suggested by his publisher Pullman agreed to include them and asked to do them himself, despite not being an illustrator. His publisher agreed so each of the little drawings included at the start of each chapter were done by Pullman himself.

Another fun fact is that originally, during pre-publication, the prospective trilogy was known as The Golden Compasses, referencing Milton’s Paradise Lost and God’s poetic explanation of the world.

Then staid the fervid wheels, and in his hand
He took the golden compasses, prepared
In God’s eternal store, to circumscribe
This universe, and all created things:
One foot he centred, and the other turned
Round through the vast profundity obscure

— Book 7, lines 224–229

This was obviously changed, but interestingly, the reason it remains The Golden Compass in America is because the publisher had been calling the first book The Golden Compass, mistakenly believing the reference was to the alethiometer. Despite the UK name change, the American publisher insisted keeping the name because they had grown attached to it and it has stayed the same ever since.

There really are so many fascinating things to discover about Northern Lights, not only about how Pullman developed it and how it has been received, but the world complexity and fantastic characters, the subtle differences with our world and the glaring differences, but the profound ideas that are explored through a story that is so original and unique, but at the same time telling us a story we already know so well.

You can read an extract from Northern Lights here.

July Brings Celebration

01 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in His Dark Materials Tags: 20th anniversary his dark materials, His Dark Materials, lyra, lyra belacqua, northern lights, pantalaimon, philip pullman

July has arrived which is the start of many wonderful things. Not only am I taking a month off of reviewing, I’m using this time to bring to light one of my all-time favourite trilogies and show off its grandeur for all to see.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is a series that has sold around 20 million copies, won numerous awards, and been translated into over 35 languages. It has become a movie, a play, and even a radio production, and even twenty years after the first book was published Pullman’s words still captivate readers and amaze them.

Northern Lights is the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy and it is where we are introduced to Lyra, Pantalaimon, and Oxford for the very first time. From these beginning Pullman drags us into a magical alternate world where daemons, witches, and other worlds are possible and through three brilliant books takes us on a fascinating, treacherous, and emotional journey that will amaze, frighten, and astound.

In honour of the 20^th year of publication for Northern Lights I am dedicating the entire month of July to the celebration. Over the next 30 days I am going to be posting a variety of things about Northern Lights, as well as the rest of the His Dark Materials series. I have reviews, trivia, awesome fan art from some very talented people, as well as a few rambles of my own discussing the things I love most about these books. There really is so much to discuss with these novels, Pullman has created a tremendously complex and intricate universe and you can’t help but admire him for what he has not only created, but what he has achieved with these books.

If you have read these books you will know about their delights, and if you haven’t, I hope my constant praise will make you pick up a copy and start reading because it is truly a joy to experience, and it is an experience that will stay with you.

I know the entire trilogy was published from 1995-2000 but I am going to include the other two in this month as well because discussing just Northern Lights is not enough. There are also two additional books that are set in the same world but outside the trilogy which I am going to look at too. By the end of it you will either be in love with this series like I am, or you will never want to see or hear about it again, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be the former though.

So join me for a wonderful month of delving deep into the world of daemons, armoured bears, the alethiometer, and Dust, and relive or be introduced to the magical and superb world of Lyra’s Oxford, and a series that has brought joy to millions!