Tolog Review: The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass
by Phillip Pullman
reviewed by Zhou Fang

Ever since I read The Golden Compass, the story became stuck in my head and kept replaying. I was surprised that the little girl Lyra, the main character has such strong courage and high intelligence. 

The Golden Compass is a compass that is able to tell the truth. The author Philip Pullman tells a story of another world where everyone has their own daemons. Lyra heads north as Mrs. Coulter’s assistant to rescue the kidnapped kids while she later discovers huge secret during her adventures. The Golden Compass attracted me at the first sight because that its setting is quite interesting and full of imaginations.

I admire Lyra and regard her as a heroine even though she is a young girl. One interesting thing is that the “hero” of this book who saves the world is not a superman but a little girl. As a student taking Women In Myth, I think the book shows feminism. Lyra is that kind of spunky kid who has moxie inside her soul. Lyra acts bravely when she goes to the experiment station as a spy all by herself. Moreover, her wisdom makes her come up with a brilliant idea that she pretends to be a daemon and saves herself and the ice bear. I assume that Philip tries to tell his readers that girls can also be as brave and smart as boys. 

Another important theme of The Golden Compass that I want to talk about is the friendship between Lyra and the ice bear. Lyra helps the ice bear get back his amour and the ice bear saves Lyra’s life in return. They both understand that they can rely on each other. Their relationship kind of reminds me of Kristoff and the reindeer in Frozen. True friendship is not going to parties together but helping each other and share no matter sadness or happiness together. I think Philip is trying to teach his young readers the true “brother/sister code” through Lyra and the ice bear. 

Overall, The Golden Compass is a great fiction book. I highly recommend this book for young, brave women and anyone who loves adventures. The plot of The Golden Compass is rather unpredictable and catchy. Impressively, Philips describes every detail so vividly that I felt like I was there with the characters and witnessed the whole story. So why not now sit down and take an adventure with our little heroine Lyra?