Raven’s Dark Angel Musings

Golden Compass Trilogy

I received these books from my mother, who is also a book fanatic like me, and I was instantly absorbed into the story of Lyra, one of the main characters in the trilogy. It basically deals with a young girl who came into a golden compass of sorts and ended up in other worlds with a young boy, Will. But I’ve not reached to the end yet. It talked about “Dust” or the dark matter that exists in the universe that aren’t seen by human eye. For some reason, the plot line reminded me of the infamous “Paradise Lost” by English poet, John Milton. I remembered reading the poetry when I was a young teenager (growing up my parents had these old fashioned books of all well known authors, poets, scientists, mathematicians, etc. covered in old fashioned way with gold embossed letters) and then I was transported to this world where Victorian era/ industrial revolution technology existed. It had references to the Bible, especially the “original sin”, “Adam and Eve,” and “the serpent.” These books are a must to adorn the shelves of steampunks everywhere! Without going into details about what the stories are all about, I read some reviews and complaints from a certain group of people who protested against the movie “Golden Compass” and the books. At first, I didn’t know why they were so upset and wouldn’t show them to the children since these books are written for young adults. As I read through first two books of the trilogy, I realized with a surprise that I am getting on what the author’s trying to say between the lines. I’m on the third book The Amber Spyglass and it was getting closer to the point where the author reveals his belief or opinion on God. Let’s say he was definitely an atheist or so he seemed. But I cannot deny the beauty of his writing and I was impressed the way he wrote because he was able to come up with alternative worlds of his own imagination and, I’ve read a lot of books in the past, I’ve not found a book that is similar to his imagination in the way he write. So, let’s say his books are eye opening and you’re going to be in for a ride. I strongly support in freedom of speech and thought, and I don’t think anyone should censor this author’s books because what other way can we come up with thoughts and assessments of our own if not censored by parents or schools? I cannot imagine a world where everything is being censored before it hits the shelf. I can understand why Christian parents didn’t like the books. But they have to remember that the books are purely fiction and isn’t used to brainwash children but to enlighten them to different way of thinking and imagination. Kids always have active imaginations which is very normal. So, I encourage everyone to keep an open mind when reading Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

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