Inside the Golden Compass

Posted on by scott

As you may remember, I spent most of this summer editing an anthology about Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. All the contributors were other YA authors, and we had a great time geeking out on daemons, amoured bears, and dark matter.

So I’m happy to announce that The World of the Golden Compass is out now! It’s available only at Borders bookstores (because they are the publishers) and is chock full of 19 silvertongued essays.

Here’s an interview with me about the anthology.

pullmanantho1.jpg

And here’s the list of essays and contributors:

“Pants on Fire” Carole Wilkinson
“Bushido Bear” Linda Gerber
“The Dangerous Worlds of Pullman’s His Dark Materials”
– Cinda Williams Chima
“Lord Asriel: Dad from Hell or Heroic Rebel?” Sophie Masson
“Hot Sex and Horrific Parenting in His Dark Materials” Maureen Johnson
“The Mysterious Mrs. Coulter” Ellen Steiber
“Shedding Light on Dark Matter” Ellen Hopkins
“Dæmons and the Hunt for the Human Soul” Susan Vaught
“Ghost in the Machine” Diana Peterfreund
“Where You Lead, I Will Follow” Deb Caletti
“Dear Soul” Juliet Marillier
“Tempest in a British Tea Cup” O.R. Melling
“Pullman’s Dark Materials” Alison Croggon
“God is in the Stories” Ned Vizzini
“Dancing with the Dust” James A. Owen
“Losing My Religion” Nancy Holder
“Unreal City” Elizabeth E. Wein
“A Short History of Hell and the Crabby Old God Who Sends You There”
– Herbie Brennan
“Philip Pullman and the Loss of Joy” Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson

Pretty awesome line up, huh?

Click here to read an excerpt from my introduction and here’s where you can buy it online.

161 thoughts on “Inside the Golden Compass”

  2. i actually bought that cuz our school is taking us to see it for ideo…which is this big weird celebration we have…im gonnna have to read it now! =D

    aly-wa

  5. there are actually three different books in the series. They’re awesome!!!!! if you ever get a chance to read them you should b4 you see the movie cause it will help you understand the movie way better. 🙂

  6. My mom said that she heard in the last book they try to kill God. I dont no if it is true. so correct me if its a rumor or a diffrent movie.

  7. foolio! im gonna go get that. hey! i wonder if BORDERS has a day after thanksgiving sale…hhhhmmm…

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!!!

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😀

  8. Bran-la, there is big controversy over these books for exactly that reason. The books are definitely an attack on modern religion, whereas the movie has tried to tone it down. I’ve heard they are good pieces of literary work, but I’m saddened that young children are reading these book so filled with hatred towards religion.

  11. I am to Jillian. I dont think it is right. Its ok to not like a religion but to put it down and make it so people ‘kill’ there beliefs is wrong. Im not allowed to see thw movie and honestly, if they have it in there i dont want to. I cant stop people from reading or seeing it but i can stop myself.

  14. hhhhmmm…i dont really have a religion to be truthful. and my family isnt big on stuff ether. i mean, i think there christian, and i think my moms cathlic. but we dont go to church or anything. yeah. but i dont have a religion at all. yeah…

    just to let you no, ECLIPSE IS ALMOST IN THE LEAD!!!!! go vote! hurry! EXTRAS HAS TO WIN! its only ahead by a couple points, and im voting like crazy over here! help meeeeeee!!!!!!!

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 💡

  15. I no, your telling me thats all ive had for the last 4 days and im pretty sure ill have it for dinner! URG!

  17. Well, it doesnt matter if you have a religion. Its just wrong to dis others, no matter what they are, religion or not!

  19. they kinda want to know more about it…they just gat sucked into it i guess.
    im not really sure about it so dont get mad at me or anything.i think that some people might choose to believe in other religion.

  22. Well i just think it wrong i dont really care what other people do tis not my busisness ans im not mad at you. you didnt doanythin wrong.

  25. Oh, wow! His Dark Materials were an absolutely amazing trilogy. First read them in sixth grade, and have since went back to them a few times. Those essays sound quite interesting!

  26. They spelled ‘theaters/theatres’ wrong and spelled it ‘theathers’ on the interview page. Weird.

    I’ve read the series at least five times and I can’t wait to get the book!

  27. EVERYBODY! GO VOTE FOR EXTRAS ON THE BORDERS THING! eclipse is ahead! how can this be happening!?!?!?! go vote! vote for your lives!!!!! no seriously. go vote.

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😈

  28. Well i fininshed the last days NOW IM GOING TO SOPIL IT SO DONT READ IF YOU DONT WANT TO NO!!! i would have never guessed that the tittle of the book was there band nme. huph. Never. i like it though. I like that min and moz are together (except for the occasional 1 day breakup). Im glad he became a peep. there we ment to be. O and i was suprised thats the girl came back for her gutair. who would have guesses.
    THIS IS THE END OF MY FOOL SPOILERS, LOVED THE BOOK.!!!!
    Well i no what im gonna have for dinner. no really you dont have to guess, reall. i bet you. know. really. no. really. ok, ok, if you insist on me telling you. SOUP, WHOA 4TH DAY OF SOUP AND IM STILL NOT LOVIN IT. UD THINK THAT BY NOW I WOULD LOVE IT BUT I DONT. o and um i have no clue why that was in caps.

  29. And, talk about cold. i am freezing my butt of. Usually when they say, “Theres a cold front.” I walk out side, get a couple of breezes and yet my body is still burning. but they said, “theres a cold front, about 50 degrees.” And i thoght i would wear my sweats, very smart. I am still freezing but at least im cooler than a guy in shorts. Fawesome!

  30. And my house isnt any warmer. Turned on the heat and its still cold, wth the additional (o so great addition) smell of burning hair.

  31. hhhmmm…its not that cold over here. of course, over here, during this time of year, 10 degrees is warm. so…yeah. and its not raining. and it usually is…

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! :nuetral:

  34. my brother told me the other day “his dark materials” was the best series he’s ever read (he hasnt read uglies) and told me to read it, so i started the golden compass and thought, i will never like this more than a scott Westerfeld book but now i wont be so hard on it wen reading it….i have this thing about people trying to make another book take uglies place:) sum say im to obessed….

  35. There is never such a thing as obsession with uglies. being too obsessed onil applies to books with horrible lituarture. (i hope i spelled that right)

  36. i am obsessed with UGLIES. and Midnighters. and Scott.

    but i totally no what you mean Rosie-wa. i avoided reading Twilight for seven months in fear it wood take the place of Scott. i finally began yesterday. im about a third of the way threw the book, and i am now relieved. its a pretty good book. but it still cant stand up to EXTRAS. i mean, like the style and all. its just a little old fashioned. and theres not that much detail. time flashes by to fast. i dont like books with sentences like, “six weeks passed, and he still hadn’t spoken to her.” which is exactly what she does.

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! :mrgreen:

  39. Wow, that’s a lot of great authors. I’ve got to read that. Though it might help to read the actual His Dark Materials books first…

  40. hey! Indigo-la! long time no see! or…here! or…yeah…HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

    i think they shood wait on the UGLIES movie. personaly. cause, i mean. its by the same people who made eragon! they totally killed that movie! eragon now has a really bad rep at my scool. nobody will read it. just cause the movie sucked!

    so id rather they wait til someone like say…the people who made harry potter or lord of the rings into a movie. no what i mean? they totally stick to the book. i like that. and hopefully by then i’ll look 15. then i can audition to. that wood be fool. considering i have an agent an all. (i was in a bunch of commercials in like…second grade).

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 💡

  41. not to alarm anyone. but…

    GO VOTE!!! VOTE FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!! eclipse is in the lead again!!!!! i cant do this by myself!!!!! help meeeee!!!!!!!

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😈

  42. You no lizzy-wa, it creeps me a little when you do the little devil smily. Its kinda…….scary. Im cant watch scary stuff. Freaks me out.

  43. hehe. sorry Bran-la…hehe. just felt a little twisted at the moment. ya no. you’d think twisted wood look more like some smiley with his tung hangin out and his eyes crossed or sompthin…there is a difference between twisted and evil tho. the smileys i mean.

    😈 👿

    see? but i’ll stop. altho i cant promise you that i wont occasionally use those in the future. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *cough cough spaz attack cough*. sorry. gained control.

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😀

  45. hmmm…am i the only one who actually left, forced to spend a full day with family?

    i…still haven’t read that. so maybe i finally will. or see the movie. or something. i have a funny feeling we have the second two in the series but not the first, for some reason. whatever. i’m tired now. just putting in an appearence. goodnight.

  49. thanks so much for this post–I’ve been hunting all over the web for this! (seeing as it doesn’t appear to be on sale in Borders in the UK…). Great job, Scott, thanks for your work on this anthology. I’m proud and delighted to be included!

    xx, e wein

  50. HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY EVERYONE!! (we’re u all up @ 4 am for kohls after-thanksgiving sale ❓ )
    no, ur not alone serafina and bre-la, i spent the whole day at my grandparents. i tried to get on to here but my grandmas computer is really wierd. and i was gonna say, lizzy-wa you dont have to be afraid of twilight replacing uglies. i just finished it and i still think uglies is better.

    on another note: congrats scott! i dont think im gonna read it cuz i’ve never read his dark materials, plus u didnt even write an essay but i read ur intro and its pretty good.

    now off to re-vote for extras!!

  51. Yes Serafina you were the only one forced to spen the whole day. I only had to spend 4 hurs. although during the hours i got on the comouter (hehehe).

  52. TODAY IS BALCK FRIDAY! Is it called that beause there will be so many ppl in the store your likly to get a blck eye?

  53. no, hehehe. its called black friday because of something to do with accounting. its a good kind of black i think. when something is in the black zone as opposed to the red zone cuz everyone is buying stuff. i dunno. my dad tried to explain it but i got really confuzzled ❗

  55. Wow, those are some good line ups. How come you didn’t write one? Or did I just miss your name…

    Wow, I haven’t been on here since the Extras came out. THere has been loads too many people…but I guess that’s what happens when you become famous!

    Kadie-Wa

  56. What do u mean by good lines, Kadie-wa?

    Its good to have you back! Everyday us a new conversation(more like every comment)!

  57. I figures since it was after thanksgiving, more ppl would be talking but if you dont i guess the……fool.

  59. well i was at my grandma’s house, which was okay, but she woulda gotten annoyed if i spent all day on the computer, so i didn’t.

    and Lizzy-wa, Twilight could never replace Uglies because Uglies is fawesome and Twilight sucks. i mean, tally has a personality and makes choices and has a spine and thinks for herself and isn’t obsessed with either of her boyfriends, and even however many years in the future, she still acts like a 16 year old would. none of those things can be said for Bella Swan, 40 year old romance freak in a 18 year olds body living in some bizarre fantasy world filled with the most boring vampires ever.

    okay. trying to stop ranting now.

    scott-la, u should post more Hiro chapters, those were awesome!

  60. tell me about it. and for the record, i said i WAS afraid. after i got about three pages in i realized how not good it was. i mean, on a scale from won to ten, Scotts books are all ten, and twilight is about a seven. ish. maybe less…yeah…

    i stayed home all Thanksgiving. yeah. we have so many leftovers. two. much. turkey…..and ham….

    I AM SOOOOOOOO TIRED!!!!! i LOVE black friday. altho i had no idea people called it that til a couple days ago when my teachers started calling it that. then we had a big hour long chat about it. then i kept seeing it everywhere. but, i will still call it The Day After Thanksgiving Sale. thats what i used to call it…before…well, i still call it that..so…yeah. wow. a lot of ….s in this comment.

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 😀

  61. anyways. i got up at 3:00! this morning. i WAS gonna go to Kohls, but the parentals made other plans. we ended up going to a really sucky Pennies to get a CHRISTMAS tree. they didnt have a juniors section, so i went to look for the girls section, and they only had Girls Plus clothes. which i am not. i where like, a size twelve slim in the kids section…yeah. and then i had to stand in line for a half hour with my dad to go to Best Buys.

    he wanted a monitor and a spindle (love that word) of blank dvds. he went to get the monitor, while he told me to get the spindle (still love that word). he said if i got the spindle i cood get sompthin. the line was 387 people long. yes. i counted. and it said in the add that there were only 8 spindles available. i new i wasnt gonna get it. but i tried anyway. while he walked really slow to the back, i practicly ran.

    i must say i am proud. i did not get elbowed or stepped on. of course, i am great with crowds. small and quick. and an excellent weaver. i got to the back within a second or too. keep in mind it is a big store. rite when i got there, some brain-missing teenage boy took the last one. i cooda punched him…it probably woodnt have much effect on him considering i came up to his knee…or so. hehe.

  68. i luv the beans bran-la! and i was voting for extras a few hours ago but it didnt do anything!! :O i went shopping at 11:00 but i didnt even get anything. im really tired. does anyone know how to make a sleepy smiley ❓
    👿
    heh heh heh

  74. *Shaking…so…many…comments*

    OMG I had to leave yesterday at 8:00 and I just got home today about 15 minutes ago. I MISSED OUT ON SOOO MUCH!!! But I read all 73 comments (73 right now, that is).

    My grandparents have a computer but we only went over to their house for an hour and I wanted to spend time w/ my grandmother, who just came out of the hospital…I’m afraid that next time she won’t. Come out of the hospital. alive (ooh..that sounds morbid.) So I refrained.

    And i am sooooo NOT reading those books. I mean, they killed God!!! I think that is ridiculous. Not to offend anyone. I mean, they could be good books. But anti-religion. Even if I wanted to, my mom wouldn’t let me.

  75. I no me to, i think its rude. im not going to read it. Well i cant, my mom wont let me. She saud i cant see the movie and i cant read the boook. Its ok to not like a religion but to go and dis it and try to killl there belifs is wrong.

  79. I had to wake up at 6:30 to go to my grandparent’s house. and it was impossible not to. all 8 people in my family were sleeping in the same room (A very small room) in my dad’s brother’s house (I hate the word uncle. sounds nasty) speaking of nasty…my little sister just pooped in a chair. lol TMI, right? Ok, well, anyway, my little sister always wakes up early and she is loud.

    I slept pretty much the whole way back. Home sweet home…

  82. ewww that’s nasty! You don’t want to know all the places my little sister has pooped…

    Oh, I had a lot of time to think (11 hours in a car in just two days…too much time.) And i came up w/ this:

    Midnighters theme song – Five Minutes To Midnight by Boys Like Girls. Jonathan’s POV about Jess.

    Pretties theme song – Bubbly by Colbie Caillat. Tally’s POV about Zane.

  86. OK go to the post ‘More NBA Books” and at the very end it says in orage ‘click here’. And you click there. The voting is on the right side of the page.

  89. urg, i spelled Fawesome wrong. 😥 I hope that works. Im watching SponageBob and the guy is going HOOPLA HOOPLA HOOPLA HOOPLA Ha, he is funny!

  93. You can!!!!!! Of course you can!!! it would be cool if he looked at it. 🙂 please do cause I’m too lazy…

    now to go vote for Extras…

  95. hey, lizzy-wa, if ur here, i was thinking that it’d be cool to post more of my Graduation story (cuz i happen to have more) on the HQ. like, i could send u part or something and we could post part every week. or something. or maybe there’s a way i could access it and post myself. hmmm…just a random idea. it’d be kinda cool, i think.
    u should ttly add the wiki to the links list too. cuz we’re all connected and stuff.

  96. Well yall should update the HQ.(was it just me or did that sentence bring out my innner texan) I havent seen anything new on there foe awhile so…..ya.

  97. Ok, one thing i hate about the lapyop. It blocks me from the stupidest things. I can go on youtube but u cant i cant go on to the Darkiling warewolves HQ! How retartded! URG!

  105. hehe. Okay that’s really silly. I would still be voting for Extras but I had to get off. *sigh*

  106. whoa, we topped a hundred comments in two days.

    hmmm…burned-up boy on Ghost Whisperer is actually sort of hot. no pun intended. he’s got that cute vagrant thing going.

    now i return to my mad writing of my friend the nameless icelandic oracle living in a house made of bones. maybe i’ll name him Daniel in honor of Burned-Up Ghost Boy. or i’ll stall by googling icelandic names. oh wait, i remember. he was gonna be Erikir.

  107. i went book shopping today!
    The Uglies books were face-up, recommended, and were on the top of the stand!!
    ok, well, i bought:
    The Luxe
    Robot Dreams{the last one}
    and Avalon High {don’t really like it so far}
    _____________
    okay, well, i made a new page called “Questionatos” on wordpress- plz visit!!

  108. You know serafina, i cant tell you i like it because i cant get on. It sucks. I have no clue y that would be locked, but youtube wanted, youtube has some really bad stuff on it.

  115. hey yall. Ive been doing some browsing latly. Is Scott for the Writers Strike? I mean who isnt? jw. and plz tell me that i am not the only one who is…. i just wish that the companies would give them what the writers want. >Paige is missing her Moonlight and just about to miss Desperate Housewifes.: ( <

  120. Scott, you are my second favorite author of all time. I *love* that you enjoy the work of my first favorite author of all time, and it makes me respect you so much more.

    (Also, the just the thought of this book makes me drool, I’m buying it tomorrow, and will carry it on my person until I get a chance to finish it… which is what I did with The Amber Spyglass come to think of it… when it finally Finally FINALLY came out, lol, I waited what 5 years?)

  121. FINALLY IM ON MY REGULAR COMPUTER! It only took an overnight sleep. Amd Mr./Mrs. tigressflowers, there is no better author than scott-la. He is fawesome.(arent you scott-la) Now i can visit the HQ!

  122. Yes Serafina, i want to read more of the graduation. Its really good, and its driving me crazy, considering theres only 5 sentences.

  125. hey Co-Prez-la! i have an idea. i dont really wanna post my email on here. so you cood like, go comment on the club or sompthin, and put your real email. then i oood email you my email. then you cood email me parts of the story. make sense?

    i wonder if anyone else wood like to post more of there story. that wood be somewhat kinda fool. cause i woodnt mind posting more of my story. i have too chapters of the Midnight Chasers version with Eliza. yeah. that wood be kinda somewhat foolio. whatta ya think?

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 💡

  130. I gotta go. I need someone to fill my place voting for Extras. It’s a tie now, but I’m afraid it won’t last long…

  137. We learned this in math last year…they round it to the nearest whole number. I’m sure a few people voted for the other ones, but not enough to round up to 1%, so it is rounded down to 0%.

  138. wow, i just noticed that i forget to publish my page on wordpress. wow, i;m so stupid. it was saved 4 three weeks, i visited wordpress, but i forget to get it published. sheesh.

  143. all peeps lover go to this web page (click on my name) its the best page ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  146. wow, i went to that page and you were right (peepspeep, and monklover!) that page is so cool everyone click my name ang go to it!! its so cool!!!!!!~!!!!!!!!!!!! if you don’t see it you have no life ok maybe im agsegerating but its so cool go to peepsrduhbomb.wordpress.com
    it has an ugly thing and oh just go to it its so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    go now don’t waste time
    go now!!!!!
    go go go!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

  148. Oh! Bran-La and Sarafina Zane, are you talking about that contest that Lizzy-Wa had!! That was totally fun! I voted for you, btw.

    Kadie-Wa

  149. Okay, so Justine (you all know her, from her blog and of course, the author and Scott’s wife) Well, she is very happy today. Can anyone tell me why? Apparently it’s a big Australian thing today, but I can’t figure out what it is?!?! Can someone please tell me what’s going on that i’m totally missing?

    Kadie-Wa

  151. I dont go onto Justines blog. Only scott-las.
    Today were taking Christmas pictures. Yeah.
    Today im going shoe shopping.
    Today i might go to a teen life church.
    Today i will do the last of my fun, o fun, homework.
    Today will be so fun.
    Today i will read else were. So far it ok, hoping it gets better.

  158. lol. Personaly i try not to talk about my waste and hygine soultions on the enternet. Netherless, Scott-las blog. And it turns out i didnt go to church.

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