I started His Dark Material the other day and I am almost half way through the second book. I thought I should get a head start so when the test rolls around I wont be pulling an all nighter. I really do love the book though. I had seen the movie and when I started the book I was thinking it was going to be similar yet there are so many differences. Obviously the writers had to clean it up a little bit and couldnt add all the little side parts of how Lyra's clothing was made from all these different animal insides. It was a little more graphic in the book then it was in the movie. I wont go into so much detail for those that have not read it yet but it is much different then the book.

I really an curious as to how Phill Pullman is going to kill God in the book. I know there is some connection between Dust and God but I am not sure how that connection is made. As far as I have gotten it seems to me that Dust is something that is good. The animal Daemons are the connection between Dust and people. And from that I think the Daemons are good. I really like Pan and I don't like to think that he symbolizes something evil. Unless the connection between Dust and People is not what I think it is.
I know there is some controversy between the book and the Church and I can see some examples of that. The Church in the Golden Compass is attempting to keep the people ignorant and prevent them from growing into adults and becoming free thinkers. There is some connection between the fall of man and the Daemons once they commit to a shape. And the Church attempts to separate their Daemons from the children in order to stop that fall and maintain the innocence of child hood. I think that would be a good topic to think about for a paper and talk about the loss of innocence in children.
I dont know how it is going to play out but I am really excited to finish.