The Golden Compass Part I of
His Dark Materials Trilogy sometimes known as Northern Lights -
by Philip Pullman
Brand New 9 CDs 10.75 Hours - Performed by the
Author along with a full cast
In The Golden Compass, visitors meet for the very first time 11-year-old Lyra
Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up in the precincts of Jordan College
in Oxford, England. It instantly becomes well-defined that Lyra's Oxford is not
exactly like our own - nor is her planet. In Lyra's globe, everyone has a
individual dæmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This really is a globe in which research,
theology and magic are carefully intertwined.
Sample Golden Compass Audio mp3
These tips are of small concern to Lyra, who at the outset of the story,
spends nearly all of her time with her friend Roger, a kitchen boy. Together, they
share a carefree existence scampering across the roofs of the university, racing
through the streets of Oxford, or waging war with all the different kids in town.
But that lifetime changes forever when Lyra and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, prevent an
assassination attempt on her uncle, the effective Lord Asriel, and then overhear
a secret discussion about a mysterious entity termed as Dust.
It is at this time that kids mysteriously started to disappear. Children, and
just the youngsters, are vanishing at the hands of what become termed as the
"Gobblers." Who the Gobblers are and what they wish is unknown, but shortly,
kids from far and broad are disappearing without a trace, even Lyra's superior
friend, Roger.
But before she may start her look for Roger, Lyra is introduced to Mrs.
Coulter, a stunning and bewitching female. Mrs. Coulter is a scholar and an
explorer - apparently everything that Lyra might ever hope to be. Mrs. Coulter
takes Lyra under her wing and uses her as an assistant to aid in the upcoming
journey to explore the Arctic North. On the morning she is to leave Jordan
College, the Master of the school offers Lyra an alethiometer, a uncommon and
effective instrument with all the energy to present the truth in every factors.
While under Mrs. Coulter's guidance, Lyra learns of her mentor's important part
in Church's General Oblation Board, a.k.a. the Gobblers, the party responsible
for the disappearing youngsters. It is revealed that these kidnapped kids are
taken to Bolvangar, a spot in the far North, to engage in Dust
experiments whereby they are severed from their dæmons through a procedure called
intercision. Lyra additionally learns that the Church has grabbed and imprisoned Lord
Asriel in the Arctic area of Bolvanger where he has undertaken Dust
experiments of his own.
Horrified at what she has learned, Lyra and Pantalaimon flee Mrs. Coulter's
house in the center of the evening and are rescued through the kindness of 2
gyptian guys. The gyptians are a gypsy group of boat-people who reside a harsh
existence found on the water tempered by their unwavering sense of family, loyalty and
love. It is the gyptians' kids who have suffered many at the hands of the
Gobblers, plus they have vowed to travel North to rescue them. Lyra pledges to
share what she knows, rescue her dear friend Roger, and eventually discover her
imprisoned dad. Through the gyptian elders, Lord Faa and Farder Coram, Lyra
is bewildered to discover that her parents are Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter.
Despite this shock, Lyra instantly learns to read the alethiometer and know
its messages. Although her alethiometer allows her to discover the truth in
everything around her, Lyra is uninformed of the incredible part her own existence
plays in the fate of the universe. Lyra is the topic of the excellent prophecy in
which she is destined to commit a fateful betrayal that might determine the
future of all worlds.
To succeed in the rescue mission for the kids, the gyptians enlist the
alliances of 3 folks who come to respect Lyra dearly: Serafina Pekkala, the
witch queen who reveals that the fate of universe lies in Lyra's future; Lee
Scoresby, a Texan aeronaut and commander of the hot air balloon; and Iorek
Byrnison, a renegade armored polar bear, deposed as king of his clan by a
deceitful brother. While on their extended, difficult journey in the far North, Lyra and
Pantalaimon are kidnapped by hunters who take them to Bolvangar, the spot
where all of the kidnapped youngsters have been brought. At extended last, Lyra is
happily reunited with Roger, but to her horror, she witnesses intercision, the
gruesome Dust test that separates child and dæmon. Banding together, the
youngsters and their daemons escape the terrors of Bolvangar, fleeing into the
protection of the gyptians, Serafina Pekkala's witches, Lee Scoreby's balloon, and
Iorek Byrnison.
Although the kids are rescued, the journey for Lyra and Roger is far from
over. They travel further north and finally find Lyra's dad, Lord Asriel.
Lord Asriel has experimented with Dust also, and has noticed its part in
crossing the barriers into alternative worlds. He has built a bridge to another
planet, but crossing that bridge needs the vitality introduced in an intercision.
Unable to sacrifice his own child, Lord Asriel makes Roger his prey and escapes
to another planet. The universe has been broken and Lyra's friend lies dead, but
she vows receive revenge and discover the secret of Dust.
The Cast
Stan Barrett - Lord Asriel/Iorek Byrnison
Andrew Branch - Kaisa/Able Seaman Jerry
Douglas Blackwell -John Faa/Iofur Raknison
Harriet Butler - Bella
Anna Coghlan - Bridget McGinn
Ruper Degas - Pantalaimon
Alison Dowling - Mrs. Coulter
David Graham - Jotham Santelia
Stephen Greif - Martin Lanselius/Sysselman
Garrick Hagon - Lee Scoresby
Andrew Lamont - first Gyptian Boy
Fiona Lamont - Martha
Alexander Mitchell - Hugh Lovat
Arthur Mitchell Charlie
Hayward Morse The Butler/The Chaplain
John O'Connor The Dean
Philip Pullman Narrator
Anne Rosenfeld Mrs. Lonsdale
Liza Ross Stelmaria/Billy
Suzan Sheridan - Serafina Pekkala/Roger
Jill Shilling - Ma Costa
Stephen Thorne - The Master/Farder Coram
Rachel Wolf - Annie
Joanna Wyatt - Lyra
Other components played by members of the cast
About the Author Philip PullmanPhilip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is an English author. He is the
best-selling writer of His Dark Materials, a trilogy of fantasy novels, along with a
amount of alternative books.
Biography
Pullman was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England, to RAF pilot Alfred Outram and
Audrey Evelyn Merrifield. The family travelled with his father's job, including
to Southern Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), where he invested time at school. His dad
was killed in a airplane crash in 1953 when Pullman was 7. His mom
remarried and with a move to Australia came Pullman's discovery of comic books
including Superman and Batman, a medium which he continues to espouse. From
1957 he was educated at Ysgol Ardudwy school in Harlech, Gwynedd and invested time
in Norfolk with his grandfather, a clergyman. Around this time Pullman
noticed John Milton's Paradise Lost, which would become a main influence
for His Dark Materials.
From 1963 Pullman attended Exeter College, Oxford, getting a Third class BA
in 1968, in an interview with all the Oxford Student he reported that "he didn't
love the English course" and that "I thought I was doing very perfectly
until I came out with my 3rd class degree and then I realised that I wasn’t —
it was the year they stopped providing 4th class degrees otherwise I’d have
1 of those". He noticed William Blake's illustrations around 1970, which
would furthermore later influence him greatly
Pullman wedded Judith Speller in 1970 and started training kids and composing
school plays. His initially published function was The Haunted Storm, which joint-won
the New English Library's Young Writer's Award in 1972. He nevertheless refuses
to discuss it. Galatea, an adult fantasy-fiction novel, followed in 1978, but
it was his school plays which inspired his initially children's book, Count
Karlstein, in 1982. He stopped training around the publication of The Ruby in
the Smoke (1986), his 2nd children's book, whose Victorian setting is
indicative of Pullman's interest in that era.
Pullman taught part-time at Westminster College, Oxford between 1988 and 1996,
continuing to write children's stories. He started His Dark Materials about 1993.
Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in the US) was published in
1996 and won the Carnegie Medal, the most prestigious British children's
fiction awards, and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award.
Pullman has been composing full-time since 1996, but continues to deliver talks
and writes sometimes for The Guardian. He was granted a CBE in the New
Year's Honours list in 2004. Pullman equally started lecturing at a seminar in
English at his alma mater, Exeter College, Oxford, in 2004. He is currently
functioning on The Book of Dust, a sequel to his completed His Dark Materials
trilogy.
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials consists of Northern Lights (titled The Golden Compass in
North America), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass (see equally a brief
companion piece, Lyra's Oxford, containing goods of interest along with a brief story,
in addition to the yet-unpublished prequel, The Book of Dust ).
The initial amount of the trilogy, Northern Lights, won the Carnegie Medal for
children's fiction in the UK in 1995. The Amber Spyglass, the last amount, was
granted both 2001 Whitbread Prize for right children's book and the Whitbread
Book of the Year prize in January 2002, the initial children's book to get
that honor. The trilogy won favored acclaim in late 2003, taking 3rd area in
the BBC's Big Read poll.
In 2005 Pullman was announced as joint winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial
Award for children's literature.
Philosophical and religious perspective
Pullman is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association and an
Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society.
The His Dark Materials books have been at the heart of controversy, specifically
with certain Christian groups. Some, including Peter Hitchens, claim that he
actively pursues an anti-Christian agenda. Proponents of the view quote the
important articles he has created regarding C. S. Lewis' series The Chronicles
of Narnia (which Pullman denounces as religious propaganda), and the normally
bad portrayal of the "Church" in His Dark Materials.
The 2 series have some resemblance. Both feature youngsters facing adult moral
options, chatting animals, religious allegories, parallel worlds, and concern
the best fate of those worlds. The initial published Narnia book, The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe, starts with a young girl hiding in a wardrobe, as
does the initially His Dark Materials book, Northern Lights (published as The
Golden Compass in North America).
Some, including Hitchens again, have enjoyed the His Dark Materials series as a
direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis's series.Pullman has additionally criticised the method
Lewis excludes the character Susan within the final 'heaven' scenes in The Last
Battle, suggesting she is refused for her growing worldliness. Lewis devotees
argue that Pullman has read too deeply into this; Lewis prepared no statement about
Susan's ultimate destiny, and not excluded the possibility of her rejoining
her neighbors in paradise later, as they are dead and she continues to be alive.
But, Pullman has found help from alternative Christians, many notably Rowan
Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. These groups and people point out
that Pullman's attacks are focused found on the constraints of dogmatism and the utilization
of religion to oppress, not on Christianity itself. Dr. Williams has gone thus
far as to propose that His Dark Materials be taught as piece of religious
knowledge in universities. Moreover, even authors of functions focused on important
appraisals of religious themes in his writing have described Pullman as a
friendly and good debating partner.
Screen adaptations
* A movie adaptation of The Butterfly Tattoo is set to movie in 2007. It is
a Philip Pullman supported project to let young artists a chance to receive movie
industry experience.
* A co-produced BBC and WGBH Boston tv adaptation of The Ruby in the
Smoke, starring Billie Piper and Julie Walters, was screened in the UK on BBC
One on 27 December 2006 and premiered on PBS Masterpiece Theatre in America on
February 4, 2007. The BBC and WGBH have plans to adjust the different 3 Sally
Lockhart novels, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin
Princess, for tv.
* A movie adaptation, titled His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, is to be
introduced in December 2007 by New Line Cinema, starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel
Craig and Dakota Blue Richards.
Bibliography
Non-series books
* 1972 The Haunted Storm
* 1976 Galatea
* 1982 Count Karlstein
* 1987 How to be Cool
* 1989 Spring-Heeled Jack
* 1990 The Broken Bridge
* 1992 The White Mercedes
* 1993 The Wonderful Story of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp
* 1995 Clockwork, or, All Wound Up
* 1995 The Firework-Maker's Daughter
* 1998 Mossycoat
* 1998 The Butterfly Tattoo (re-issue of The White Mercedes)
* 1999 I was a Rat! or The Scarlet Slippers
* 2000 Puss in Boots: The Adventures of That Many Enterprising Feline
* 2004 The Scarecrow and his Servant
The New-Cut Gang
* 1994 Thunderbolt's Waxwork
* 1995 The Gasfitter's Ball
Sally Lockhart
* 1985 The Ruby in the Smoke
* 1986 The Shadow in the North (initially published as The Shadow in the Plate)
* 1990 The Tiger in the Well
* 1994 The Tin Princess
His Dark Materials
* 1995 Northern Lights, retitled The Golden Compass in the US
* 1997 The Subtle Knife
* 2000 The Amber Spyglass
Companion Books
* 2003 Lyra's Oxford
* 2009(According to Pullman himself, Although this might change) The Book of
Dust (not yet published)
Plays
* 1990 Frankenstein
* 1992 Sherlock Holmes and the Limehouse Horror (from Wikipedia)
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