Northern Lights: a fantastic journey
It isn’t often that you’re sneaking into a forbidden room with your dæmon and it’s even less common for it to spiral into a journey to the north with an enigmatic woman, whilst harbouring an illegal object. Maybe it would be slightly more likely if you were Lyra Belacqua: bound to a prophecy, but unable to know it.
Published in 1995, Northern Lights is a novel written by Philip Pullman that conjures up a compelling story about a young girl, Lyra Belacqua and her dæmon, Pantalaimon. The book begins with Lyra overhearing news from the north about something she can’t understand: Dust. After children start to go missing, Lyra meets the captivating Mrs Coulter and is compelled to travel north through perilous trials with witch-clans, armoured bears and an aëronaut, to uncover long-held secrets about Dust and those researching it. Gradually, the appalling truth is revealed and the dire consequences build-up to a fast-paced, unpredictable climax. This book will leave you dumbfounded and reaching for the sequel with more unanswered questions than when the story began.
Northern Lights encompasses every child’s curiosities and the characters are portrayed realistically; they reflect the readers’ thoughts and feelings, as they stumble through a maze of questions. Each character is beautifully formed from individual backgrounds, desires and regrets - all showing the tribulations that come with wavering morals and contrasting ambitions. It’s easy to fall in love with them all (even the antagonists, whom you’ll love to hate).
While this book is brilliantly written with a tumultuous plot and intricate world-building, it doesn’t come without its faults; the book addresses greed and ruthlessness portrayed in the Magisterium through ideas of heresy, this can be quite controversial. Furthermore, this story is often directed at children, but it contains ideas of theology, politics, philosophy and theoretical physics, which, at times, can be rather perplexing. Though, some might say you need a child’s mind to relate to this story better and see it in its full light by understanding Lyra’s experience from a younger perspective. However, for me, none of these qualities took away from this riveting novel.
Although you may know this story from the 2007 film, The Golden Compass, or the recently adapted TV programme, His Dark Materials, it was originally encapsulated in the pages of a book and while they’re all inspiring adaptations, the book holds a plethora of details and only continues to get better through the series. So, I would highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in well-written fantasy or anyone who just wants to try something different. Northern Lights will mystify you as a child and as an adult will draw you back into the curiosity and elation of youth.
By Amelie Reeves
Published in 1995, Northern Lights is a novel written by Philip Pullman that conjures up a compelling story about a young girl, Lyra Belacqua and her dæmon, Pantalaimon. The book begins with Lyra overhearing news from the north about something she can’t understand: Dust. After children start to go missing, Lyra meets the captivating Mrs Coulter and is compelled to travel north through perilous trials with witch-clans, armoured bears and an aëronaut, to uncover long-held secrets about Dust and those researching it. Gradually, the appalling truth is revealed and the dire consequences build-up to a fast-paced, unpredictable climax. This book will leave you dumbfounded and reaching for the sequel with more unanswered questions than when the story began.
Northern Lights encompasses every child’s curiosities and the characters are portrayed realistically; they reflect the readers’ thoughts and feelings, as they stumble through a maze of questions. Each character is beautifully formed from individual backgrounds, desires and regrets - all showing the tribulations that come with wavering morals and contrasting ambitions. It’s easy to fall in love with them all (even the antagonists, whom you’ll love to hate).
While this book is brilliantly written with a tumultuous plot and intricate world-building, it doesn’t come without its faults; the book addresses greed and ruthlessness portrayed in the Magisterium through ideas of heresy, this can be quite controversial. Furthermore, this story is often directed at children, but it contains ideas of theology, politics, philosophy and theoretical physics, which, at times, can be rather perplexing. Though, some might say you need a child’s mind to relate to this story better and see it in its full light by understanding Lyra’s experience from a younger perspective. However, for me, none of these qualities took away from this riveting novel.
Although you may know this story from the 2007 film, The Golden Compass, or the recently adapted TV programme, His Dark Materials, it was originally encapsulated in the pages of a book and while they’re all inspiring adaptations, the book holds a plethora of details and only continues to get better through the series. So, I would highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in well-written fantasy or anyone who just wants to try something different. Northern Lights will mystify you as a child and as an adult will draw you back into the curiosity and elation of youth.
By Amelie Reeves