His Dark Materials

4 out of 4 stars

Philip Pullman has created a masterpiece with His Dark Materials trilogy, consisting of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. I could not put these books down and when I had finished one I rushed out to the bookstore to get the next volume. I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, and thought that the recently released 7th anf final book was a fantastic capstone to the Potter series, but I think Pullman's workwill stay with me longer, keep me thinking, and keep me re-reading.

The first book, The Golden Compass, follows Lyra as she discovers more about herself, the world around her, and the part she may play in history. This book takes place on an alternate Earth, where every human has a daemon companion, which are animal representations of part of the person's soul, and who act as a lifelong companion to each person. What a cool idea! I wish I had one of those. Anyway, I don't want to say too much about what happens in the novel, except that Lyra discovers she is destined to play a large role in human history and that she is being sought after by various people and factions.

Again, as I don't want to spoil anything, as I feel this series is such a treat for the eyes and mind, all I will say about the second and third book is that Lyra continues her journey with a companion, Will, who is also destined to play a significant role.

Aside from the wonderful storytelling, I love how this series incorporates philosophy, religion, physics, geography all into a readable, engaging story. Some people consider these novels to be "anti-Christian," and I can see where they are coming from, but it may be more appropriate to see these books as anti-organized religion, with a heavy humanist aspect. These novels make you think, which I always appreciate.

I hope to see more from Pullman in this universe in the future, but I will always enjoy His Dark Materials.

Diamonds Are Forever

RATING: 3 out of 4

This is the fourth book by Ian Fleming to cover the adventures of James Bond. I've been reading the novels in the order in which they were published, which provides a good perspective on how Fleming intended the character to be portrayed. Diamonds Are Forever, like most of the Fleming novels, is very, very different from the movie version. For the better! If you count yourself as a James Bond fan, do yourself a favor and read the series. One of the great things about the books is that since they are so different from the movies that it's like a whole new adventure.

The novel follows Bond as he follows a diamond smuggling ring from Africa, through London to New York to Las Vegas. Along the way he runs into Tiffany Case, one of the more interesting female characters I've seen interact with Bond. She acts as a good foil to Bond, and actually has more depth than you would think. As in each of the previous novels Bond's US counterpart Felix Leiter joins in on the fun. Over the top bad guys make this a great ride.