The Golden Compass, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Golden Compass. 

How was your reading experience this week? Did you fly through the chapters because you were already invested in the story and the characters? I definitely felt like I had an easier time reading this second section because I was so connected to the characters already. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to each of them. 

This section was way more emotionally intense than the first section, didn't you think? I had such an incredibly hard time reading about what the Gobblers were doing to the children they took. I could not believe that they were separating the children from their daemons. I think it's easy to imagine the daemons as little pets since they take the form of animals. But, when you read the section where Lyra thinks she's going to be cut away from Pan, you can see that daemons are part of a person, not just a cute little sidekick. I felt completely sick to my stomach during the scene where Lyra finds Tony Makarios. He was so helpless and so pathetic. I could just imagine a boy so full of despair clutching a piece of dried fish because he had nothing else. What did you feel while reading that chapter? How did you react when you read about the "intercision" and the machines the Gobblers had? 

Iorek Byrnison was a really important character in this section. Did you enjoy meeting him? It made me feel good that Lyra had such a powerful ally by the end of this section. She just seems to exposed and fragile--I was glad once she got Iorek on her side. Wasn't it so cool to imagine a huge polar bear wearing battle armor? 

What did you think of Lee Scoresby? I thought it was incredibly interesting that he was able to fly a hot air balloon. I wasn't sure how necessary a balloon was going to end up being, but it sure came in handy at the end of the section when they used it to escape from Mrs. Coulter. Scoresby seems to be a little bit of a wildcard character. I'm not sure if he cares about much other than getting paid. I hope he ends up being a trustworthy character. 

Most of the action of this section took place after Lyra was captured and taken to the Gobbler's laboratory. I was so relieved that she found Billy and Roger at that place, and I was glad that they were all safe. It didn't take Lyra very long to take control of the place and figure out how to get them all out of it. I don't think she would have gotten very far without the witch's daemon's help. That goose was really helpful. What did you think when they found all of those daemons in cages? I really can't believe that all of the children were able to escape safely. I thought for sure they were going to be captured again. 

I'm still not completely sure what Dust is. It seems like it has something to do with aging and innocence, and we hear that Lord Asriel is hoping to use it as a bridge between worlds. Do you have more of an idea what it is? 

Finally, the atethiometer plays an important role in this section, and the fake version Lyra creates helps her escape from Mrs. Coulter. Do you think Lyra will be able to get it to Lord Asriel? What do you think he will do with it if he gets it? 

What did I leave out from this section that you really enjoyed? Make sure to leave a comment to let me know if I didn't mention one of your favorite scenes. And, before you go, check out the video below to see what author, Philip Pullman, thinks of the new mini series adaptation. 

Thanks for following along this week! I hope you're able to finish Part 3 before joining us next week. I can't wait to hear from you in the comments section.