By Gabrielle Pantera

3 stars ***

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Tody) 4/22/08– Because it’s the story of a young girl, I expected the book ‘The Golden Compass’ to be lighter and more magical than ‘Harry Potter’. However, it’s not. Lyra is the heroine of the Compass world. Pantalaimon is her constant companion, her dæmon. Pronounced “demon”, that’s not a hidden computer program that runs in the background as any geek reading this expects, but an animal creature that’s the embodiment of her soul.

Lyra lacks a friend. She’s on her own and runs wild with children from the town and the Gyptian children. In spite of having a lot of action, the book is slow reading. A child may have to go back and forth to understand all the intricacies of the dark universe painted by Philip Pullman.

Lyra shows characteristics of her parents, and while I won’t give away who her parents turn out to be, it’s a little too pat. There’s a noticeable lack of family and family values in this book. In the film version, Nicole Kidman plays Mrs. Coulter, a pied-piper villain who runs an organization that kidnaps children. For younger children the book or the film may scare them. Some things about ‘The Gold Compass’ did annoy me, such as when Lyra learns to speak properly, but reverts to speaking like an uneducated child.

‘The Golden Compass Philip Pullman His Dark Materials’ is a trilogy of 934 pages. It combines three of his popular books into one. Author Phillip Pullman discovered John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ while spending time in Norfolk, England, with his grandfather, a clergyman. Pullman was born in Norwich. Milton’s work is a major influence for Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’. For the American audience, the title of the first book was changed from ‘Northern Lights’ to ‘The Golden Compass’.

I recommend seeing the movie version instead, although it’s cold and sinister, too. Maybe I’m just spoiled by the faster lighter read of ‘Harry Potter’. For determined readers, ‘The Golden Compass’ is a great gift.

‘Philip Pullman His Dark Materials’, Trade Paperback 934 pages. Publisher: Knopf a division of Random House (April, 2007). Language: English. ISBN: 978-03758470226 $21.99

Gabrielle Pantera hosts Gosh! TV.

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