The Golden Compass: The Rant

So I finished reading the first book in the "His Dark Materials" Trilogy, The Golden Compass, and I have some issues with it. I thoroughly enjoyed the strange setting. It felt unique, fresh; it had a similar feel but took it in a different direction. It was a sort of Indiana Jones fantasy keeping mired in ground scientific fact but altering those facts with a fantasy flair. I enjoyed the setting immensely. However, this book was written to be a trilogy and as such, we were chasing a McGuffin the entire book, only getting enough answers to make us ask further questions, which can only be answered by reading the entire trilogy. And while I respect the grandiose method of his story telling, and in his defense, he sells the whole trilogy as one book, I am irked by the serial nature of novels written for the younger audience. Furthermore, the big reveal at the end of the first book revolves around a sort of church bashing and alternative Judeo-Christian belief structure where the church seems to be the unnamed enemy to scientific knowledge as they have been seen historically, which doesn't bother me as it is a fictional tale loosely based upon our own reality, but it's almost an agenda and I can see why some Church groups were asking people to boycott the movie. I guess I should go see the movie now.

With that said, I recommend the book and I'll get around to the second book soon, after I finish reading Children of Men, which the movie was based on. I recommend the movie if you have not seen it. It's very good. The book is way different and also very good, if somewhat unrelated.

Rant over

Mikey