His Dark Materials Series - Philip Pullman

A few years ago a friend of mine told me they were going to make a movie of the Dark Materials series. She spoke of the series as if I should have known them and read them as I was growing up. When I was looking for a gift for a pre-teen neice, I picked up The Golden Compass – seripitiously reading it before wrapping it. I enjoyed it, reading it quickly in one night; intending to pick up the rest of the series as a future gift. I don't think she ever started The Golden Compass. Now I am buying her gift certificates to her favorite clothing stores, having given up on finding a book she'll read.

A few years passed and I found the entire series at a used book store. The price was right – used and at a store where I have credit. I was in the mood for some light fiction –something to read on a flight. I packed up the entire series for the long weekend.

I quickly fell into the story – suspending disbelief at the thought of a young girl and her daemon traveling the worlds, rescuing friends, and changing the course of history. I enjoyed the theological commentary, the literary references (maybe it was my recent reading of The Dante Club?), and the themes of friendship, self-reliance, and the power of intuition combined with thinking. Some of the thoughts were obvious, but I found enough hiding under the surface to enjoy them.

This series will join the others on the shelf. I think I'll enjoy reading them with my son when he is older.