I've been diving into the initial trilogy of his dark materials again due to an overwhelming need for familiar comfort and so I searched threw my childhood memories for some nostalgic gems.
Now as I'm well into the first book of the series I am reminded of why I love it so much and why, in my opinion, the trilogy still stands up as a good piece of writing even without the influence of nostalgia.
Lyra's character is great, both then and now, especially to me. Her character especially shines in her interactions with other characters, more so with characters she trusts.
The story is also well paced and events are presented in such a manner that is understandable but doesn't necessarily spell out for the reader therefore not all the details are clear to us and we are left with some blank spaces to fill over the series. This mainly due to the presence of the characters daemons.
Daemons are such a fascinating facet of the story in terms of both the world building and lore as well as being used as a narrative tool. The daemons adds depth to the accompanying characters by voicing they're thoughts about events and they're thought processes in relation to the stories events. This also allows the daemons to act as a voice for the reader to see into the story and the characters In greater depth.
The stakes are also an important part of the series as they continue to rise through the story and that contributes to a sense of growing tension and adds a seemingly dangerous edge to a child's journey.
Perhaps I'm biased as I have always loved this series since I was introduced to it as a young child but I believe that this still holds up a great piece of young adults fiction and is a great read even if your not a young adult.














