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Review: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Posted by Eric Hendel February 18, 2020

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Review: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

It may seem strange to say that Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy is a series whose political and social themes have been under-appreciated. However, this was my main impression when recently rereading the first book in this series -- 1995's The Golden Compass (which, incidentally, is also published under the title of Northern Lights in the United Kingdom). While the complete His Dark Materials trilogy is frequently characterized as an extended allegory for the dangers of religious institutions, after rereading this book, this ultimately struck me as somewhat misplaced. While it's true that the characters of the His Dark Materials trilogy eventually declare -- and win -- a "war on God," I think the assertion that Pullman's work acts only as an allegory against religion misses a fundamental aspect of what he accomplishes with this story. Pullman examines not only themes of corruption and abuse of power, but also the complicated and someti

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