But in Pullman's books sometimes authority is correct, other times wrong. And the lesson of only listening to legitimate authorities is one on that appeals to me. This is a part of growing up. You have to learn to make your own decisions. In fact, one of the main themes of this series focuses on growing up. Becoming an adult. The above is from my review of the His Dark Materials trilogy of books, including the Golden Compass. As I was reading over this line a very disturbing thought had hit me. Technically, and legally, I am grown up. I am an adult. This is all there is to ...

I've just finished reading all three books in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It's a fantasy series for young adults that is comprised of the books the Golden Compass, the Subtle Knife, and the Amber Spyglass. The name of the trilogy comes from a poem quoted in the start of the first book. This stuff, His Dark Materials, are the reserve of matter that God uses to create worlds. It's especially fitting considering this fantasy series takes place in a world much like ours, but different in many ways, as well as many other worlds including our own. His Dark Materials A ...

Once, I wished there was an afterlife to believe in. It was in October of 2006, when a man took 10 hostages, all girls and women, and killed 5 before committing suicide. For a moment, I wished there was an afterlife, especially a hell, for this man. (If you read the reports, you find out this is less than half of what he had planned.) But then that very moment I realized how silly the idea was. If there was an afterlife anything like what most people think of an afterlife, then the death of the girls are almost trivial. Yes, their time on Earth is cut short. But this Earth, this ...