Shannon Costello

This fairly well-written fantasy trilogy by Philip Pullman, which I checked out from a middle school library, consists of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Lyra, a main character in all three books, is a rowdy young girl who is drawn into the pursuit of a mysterious substance known as dust, perceived as deadly by the intolerant and all-powerful Church of her world.

I am sorry to say that Pullman’s major thesis seems to be that Christianity is a mistake, albeit a powerful one. He takes the idea of an omnipotent God with absolute authority and does his best to demolish it.

The church in Lyra’s world had believed in God, the Authority, and in His “Kingdom of Heaven.” But at the end of the story, the main characters are seeking their place in the Republic of Heaven, which has no need of God. For me, the punch-in-the-stomach point was where Lyra and Will happened upon the Authority, an angel who had set himself up as God. He was senile, and so old and withered that when they brought him out into the open air he simply faded away. He was referred to as the “Ancient of Days.”

I was rather shaken by the audacity of these books, but I am glad for the reminder of the existance of such books and their potential faith-shattering influence on young, unsuspecting readers.