Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I never thought I'd review THE GOLDEN COMPASS, because most of my feelings about this book are mingled and confused. I will say that it is not badly written -- in fact, it is very well written -- and its characterization was excellent. But...gosh, how am I supposed to say this? Before I get a million people writing "BOO THAT REVIEWER" hate reviews, I want to say I am absolutely against censorship of all kind, since I have personally felt the shame and fear of discovery that comes with reading a great book that is considered by your school, friends, and even relatives to be evil. I also want to say that I love such books as Harry Potter, The Dark is Rising, Fly By Night, and So You Want to Be a Wizard that people often discredit as ungodly and BAD. Also, even though I go to a Christian school, belong to a very -- very -- conservative church, and live in a godly family, I don't consider myself a Christian fundamentalist, in the negative sense. (When people hear those two words, I'm sure the picture that pops into their head is a huge book-burning party, meal included, at your local church.) And I was certain that I loved The Golden Compass when I'd finished it, I'll admit that in a heartbeat, despite the little nagging annoyance about the "daemons" -- I mean, how close can you get to saying the kids are followed by demons, even if they aren't like demons at all? -- and also Lord Asriel's declaration at the end that God was stating his tendency to sin in Genesis. What?! Even in the revised version of the Bible quote in The Golden Compass, I couldn't make sense of where he got that. But anyway. It wasn't The Golden Compass that bothered me, except for those things and the glaring disgust of the church -- but face it, I've got a little disgust for the medieval Catholic church too -- (not the modern one, the MEDIEVAL one. It started the Inquisition and the Crusades and such things, didn't it?) Then I read The Subtle Knife. Aspersions on the church I can handle, but declaring war on God Himself? And WINNING? Er, that's a little much for me. I'm sorry, call me whatever you like, but though I liked both Lyra and Will, I honestly couldn't get past that part where it was obvious where the next book was going to lead. I never read The Amber Spyglass in entirety, though I probably should. I read bits and pieces (what's with Pullman calling God 'The Authority', anyway? Never heard THAT one...) but it never appealed to me. Now, if I read it at all, I read The Golden Compass. It, at least, was a good adventure story with hardly any annoying accusations about Christianity and organized religion in general. Please do not think I'm telling you that this is a heretical and blasphemous series worthy of your fireplace only. Anyone who says that of pretty much ANY fiction book is, in my opinion, bigoted. You can say you'll never read it, you can say you hate it, but you should always give someone a chance to figure out their own opinion on that. (I'm talking about books, not truth, for any hypersensitive reviewers who want to jump on me for a "moral relativist" point of view, which I can say firmly I do NOT have.) Nor do I believe that anyone who dislikes this trilogy and its message should be laughed off as ridiculous and fundamentalist. Surely we're allowed to voice displeasure when someone writes not a story with an atheistic bent or even a glaringly obvious allegory, but an angry and sometimes even hateful-seeming anti-God book? Again, I had no problem with books like The Dark Is Rising (merely showing that the author is not a Christian -- I can respect that, if not agree with it) and Fly By Night (ditto). I have no problem when an author shows their beliefs in their books, that is their right, just as it was C.S. Lewis's right to profess his beliefs in his books. It's only when it gets vindictive, unfair, and simply untrue that I take serious issue with it. P.S. I know very well that I'll get about a million "UNHELPFUL" points for this. I'm sorry. I don't really care. It's just my opinion.