Cyre2067
The Living Force
Recently was interested in this title as it's set it be a major motion picture released on 12.7.07. The story follows and 11 year old named Lyra, very bright, curious, adventurous who gets wrapped up in a world of intrigue very quickly. She grows up in England, @ Oxford specifically, but their Earth is a parallel one and it has a few interesting twists.
Each person has a daemon, which could be described as a familiar - an animal being that's a part of them. It follows them everywhere and is as intelligent as it's human. It can talk, and up until puberty it can shape-shift into any animal or insect it wants to. Typically they cannot go but a short distance away from each other. The church is very influential in politics, and it has a division doing odd research that requires the abduction of children. It's all being run by this woman, Marisa Coulter, and it's done in the artic or The North, as they refer to it.
The story starts with Lyra sneaking into a men's only lounge where she overhears a mystery about a substance called "Dust". Her Uncle, Lord Asriel, is very interesting in it, and he's been doing research and was able to photograph the stuff.
From here the story takes off, Mrs Coulter shows up and wants to take Lyra north. Lyra's enchanted by the possibility and agrees. Of course she doesn't yet know of what dark dealings Mrs Coulter is involved in, but it does come out in time. The morning before she goes with Mrs. Coulter the Master gives Lyra an Aleithiometer, which "Tells the Truth". It's a clock/compass looking apparatus that has three adjustable arms and one that swings one its own. Around the periphery there are 36 different pictograms that have an assortment of different meanings. Lyra teachers herself how to use it, you can frame a question using the three adjustable arms and then the fourth arm swivels around to different pictures to give an answer. The way Lyra talked to it, and got useful info from it reminded me of how Laura channels the C's. Although Lyra doesn't double check, research, or confirm what comes through - thus the distortion.
Overall it's a cute story, short, only 300 or so pages, and with Flying Witches, Talking Armored Polar Bears, and a truth-telling compass it makes the whole story very worth-wile.
Each person has a daemon, which could be described as a familiar - an animal being that's a part of them. It follows them everywhere and is as intelligent as it's human. It can talk, and up until puberty it can shape-shift into any animal or insect it wants to. Typically they cannot go but a short distance away from each other. The church is very influential in politics, and it has a division doing odd research that requires the abduction of children. It's all being run by this woman, Marisa Coulter, and it's done in the artic or The North, as they refer to it.
The story starts with Lyra sneaking into a men's only lounge where she overhears a mystery about a substance called "Dust". Her Uncle, Lord Asriel, is very interesting in it, and he's been doing research and was able to photograph the stuff.
From here the story takes off, Mrs Coulter shows up and wants to take Lyra north. Lyra's enchanted by the possibility and agrees. Of course she doesn't yet know of what dark dealings Mrs Coulter is involved in, but it does come out in time. The morning before she goes with Mrs. Coulter the Master gives Lyra an Aleithiometer, which "Tells the Truth". It's a clock/compass looking apparatus that has three adjustable arms and one that swings one its own. Around the periphery there are 36 different pictograms that have an assortment of different meanings. Lyra teachers herself how to use it, you can frame a question using the three adjustable arms and then the fourth arm swivels around to different pictures to give an answer. The way Lyra talked to it, and got useful info from it reminded me of how Laura channels the C's. Although Lyra doesn't double check, research, or confirm what comes through - thus the distortion.
Overall it's a cute story, short, only 300 or so pages, and with Flying Witches, Talking Armored Polar Bears, and a truth-telling compass it makes the whole story very worth-wile.
