Northern Lights
Dæmons. The manifestation of a soul outside of a persons body. It’s such an imaginative, un-normal idea, and I love how in the parallel universe this is set, it is totally unimaginative and thoroughly normal. Lyra has to be my favourite heroine of all time. Feisty, aggressive, brave and very much a free-spirit, her unwitting betrayal of her friend Roger also shows she has a softer side as she vows to rescue him. A race of Armoured Bears! Who would’ve thought it? Opposable thumbs and all, such wonder. Much is left unexplained in this first book (Lord Asriel’s motives, Mrs Coulter’s motives, what is Dust?), which rather than leave you cold, it only makes the desire to read the second book grow inside you.
The Subtle Knife
This book introduces Will, who is probably my second favourite hero of all time (just behind Mr. Baggins). It also introduces the Subtle Knife – it’s blade is so keen it can cut through the layers between dimensions – yet another of the concepts that makes this trilogy so unique and compelling. To help us keep track of which universe we are in, there are small images in the corners of the pages – I thought this was a touch of genius. This book, like the first, was full of mystery, piling up the doubt over who the good guys and bad guys actually were – Lord Asriel wants to kill God, but isn’t “God” a good guy? Then is Mrs Coulter, working for the Church, on the side of God, and goodness? I love how our hero’s fates were so intertwined and the similarities they shared. I couldn’t help but feel I was peering in through a private window into their blossoming relationship as they travelled together, falling slowly into love with one another without realising it.
The Amber Spyglass
Although separated for the most part of this book from the “main story”, I loved Mary Malone and her journey through the strange world of the animals who drove on wheels. Her journey in discovering and understanding Dust was just as enthralling as the discovery of Lyra’s “death” and their journey through the underworld. All the while, Mary was being chased by an agent of the Church who met a totally unspectacular end without her ever realising he was there – that was another highlight. The trilogy culminates in a massive war between good and evil, which was portrayed with all the chaos and confusion of how I would imagine a real war being. I must admit, I was expecting a massive twist. I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting this twist to be, but that it never came did not matter. The ending of this trilogy was entirely satisfying, but incredibly sad. That Lyra and Will have to spend the rest of their lives apart is heart-wrenching, but very brave – they sacrifice their relationship so that everyone in every other dimension are spared the Spectres.
This series has it all. Good versus Evil, action, adventure, mystery and magic. It tackles huge themes, asks big questions, challenges what you believe in and there’s a prophecy about the main character – a must in any self-respecting epic. Check them out.
