Not once have I been astounded by fantasy classic authors for their ability to create different worlds and make them seem real. I was blown away by Pullman’s story, I can’t help but feel for Lyra, Pantalaimon, and the characters they have met on their journey. I enjoyed the excitement of looking for the lost kids, traveling with the gyptians and fighting with Iorek.

I’m having a little problem taking in what the novel says about religion, daemons, other worlds, and sin though. There are so many sectarian or anti-sectarian concepts crammed into the last three chapters of the novel that upon reaching those parts I couldn’t help but wonder why Lyra had to go through a perilous journey only to listen to a sermon. It doesn’t also help that my readings on the Northern Lights hinder my understanding of how plausible it is to have a different world beyond the aurora. That and the fact that I am 27 years old…

All in all, I was captivated by how the novel was pieced together, how I could easily relate to the young Lyra and her knack of expressing how she sees the world. Then again, I would have loved the book had it subtly presented religious concepts.