The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is the first book in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. The story takes place in a world very similar to ours but also very different. Lyra, a young girl growing up at Oxford under the care of scholars, is taken onto a strange and curious adventure when she must leave Oxford in the care of a beautiful, mysterious woman. Her adventure will take her far north to a land of fighting bears, clans of witches, and scientific experiments. Lyra doesn't know it yet, but her destiny is somehow wrapped up in her journey to the north, but she must discover that destiny by herself. The fast-paced action creates a story that you can't put down because you really, really want to know what's next...in fact, I already have the next book to pick up and read. Read this book if you love fantasty, if you're looking forward to the film and want to read the book first, or if you've heard the controversy but want to learn the facts straight from the source. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.