I started reading the Northern Lights by Philip Pullman a few days back and I was mesmerized by the intensity and dept of the novel. Like Harry Potter (or perhaps it's wrong to compare as both are classics in their own regard) the Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass) bewitches you from the very first line and takes you on an interesting journey in Lyra's world.Some of the dialogues of the characters and the narrative itself (at places) offers such dept in thought and philosophy that one can't help but begin to ponder upon it. And the concept of daemons is not only clever but completely fantastic. Truth be told, we all have our own daemon we fight against or listen to and Philip Pullman very intelligently gives these daemon of ours the character and essence that gives them a persona of their own (but nevertheless of it's owner). These daemons are but only our inner conscience... the little voices in our head that speak to us.
All that said and done, here are a couple of quotes from the book the Golden Compass:
"...there are two worlds: the world of everything we can see and hear and touch, and another world, the spiritual world of heaven and hell. (There is possibility of) the existence of numerous other worlds, like this one, neither heaven nor hell, but material and sinful. They are there, close by, but invisible and unreachable."
"(It is) the duty of the old, to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old."
"There's no tongue that's so tied, when tying's needed, as the one that babbles most bewhiles. Babbling covers a lot of secrets."
And those of you who have read the book will love the movie. However those of you who have watched the movie without reading the book will not only be lost in places but will end up being disappointed.
