Northern Lights

I know that I have come to read the His Dark Materials trilogy really, really late, especially since the Book God has had all of the books for some considerable time (though to be fair to me, he hasn’t read them either). I’m not sure why it has taken me so long, perhaps it’s because of Harry Potter overload and not being able to face another fantasy children’s book (although there really is no comparison between the two apart from the fact that they are children’s books); or perhaps it’s because a couple of people I know had not warmed to the first novel at all, and that kind of word of mouth often gives me pause. At any rate, the trigger for finally picking up Northern Lights has of course been my desire to see the film version, The Golden Compass. Whenever I want to see a film based on a novel or short story I am compelled to read the book first, and no change this time. I have to say that, although it’s taken me a little longer to read than I expected, I was pleasantly surprised and have very much enjoyed the story of Lyra and her Daemon. So many of you have probably read this that I won’t go into any of the plot, but I found that the darkness of tone really appealed to me, and the alternative version of our world worked very well. So, not only will I be going to see the film over Christmas, but I intend to read the remainder of the trilogy early next year, and the Book God has committed to reading it as well. That’s what I call a result!