Review: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Title: Northern Lights
Author: Philip Pullman
Edition: Scholastic UK, 2011

Rating: ★★★

Review

I've meant to pick up this book for a while, and my Writing for Young People module reading list has forced me to finally get round to reading it; it's the chosen book for the young people and fantasy lecture. 

Prior to reading it, I'd heard lots of good things, and, I'm sorry to admit, I saw the film adaptation, known as The Golden Compass, years and years ago. I do think having the film in my mind while I read it did ruin the experience a little, but I'll get to that. 

Philip Pullman has such a magical way with words. His descriptions, especially of settings, are clear and thorough, hardly leaving anything to the imagination at the same time as sparking it. The world in which Lyra lives is so close to the real world that it eased me into the fantastical elements gently, and as it became more and more unlike the real world, it all felt natural; of course there are ice-bears in the North and witches that fly like shadows. 

I love the night sky, and was in love with the passages that described the star-filled northern sky and the Aurora dancing across it. Then comes the notion that there is a city behind those floating curtains of light, and I'm gone. That's the kind of fantastical thing I can easily believe in.

The idea of animal dæmons enchanted me from the very beginning. The relationship between a human and their dæmon is so much stronger than anything we experience in real life and I loved the moments where Pullman really got into how the deep these bonds ran. Especially when comparing it to the ice-bears armour. 

Lyra was definitely my favourite part of this book. I adored her character, and how she was a balance of so many different personalities: her playful and mischievous attitude at the beginning, hinting at a rebellious and adventurous side that would later be revealed, and then her time with Mrs Coulter that showed a glimpse of a lady, a girl who loved dressing up and being proper. As Lyra's journey continued she became brave and clever, soaking up both her courage and her knowledge from whatever company she found herself with. More than that is the devotion and responsibility she felt about rescuing the children, and most importantly Roger. 

I think the problem I found with this one is that it's more fantasy than I normally go for and it's also a bit longer than what I usually pick up. It felt like a bit of a struggle at times; I blame the film for this though. I knew a fair amount of the plot points already so it took away that urge to keep reading, to find out what happens. I didn't get to go into it blindly. Having said that, I was desperate to know whether Lyra returns to Lord Asriel, as she doesn't in the film and hoped that was something they'd changed in the adaptation. Got to admit, little bit disappointed, but it's really only the beginning of the story so maybe there's hope for them yet.

I've given Northern Lights four stars for all the beautiful words and the pictures Pullman paints with them. 

Favourite Quote

"The moon had set by now, and the sky to the south was profoundly dark, though the billions of stars lay on it like diamonds on velvet. They were outshone, though, by the Aurora, outshone a hundred times. Never had Lyra seen it so brilliant and dramatic; with every twitch and shiver, new miracles of light danced across the sky. And behind the ever-changing gauze of light that other world, that sunlit city, was clear and solid."