I cannot talk about my favorite book without discussing a book series that had a profound effect on me. As a child, I found myself very interested in science. The scientific worldview, it seemed to me, conflicted with my religion, Judaism, and at the time I could not think of a way to resolve the discrepancies. His Dark Material is a fantasy trilogy that I read in middle school, and one that opened my eyes to theological thought, and its ability to coexist with rational, scientific thinking. Phillip Pullman presents the first book in the series, The Golden Compass (from which was made a very bad movie adaptation), as a more traditional fantasy novel set in an alternate universe; much of his world is familiar, but every person is born with a daemon, an animal companion that is intrinsically linked to their souls.

The latter books in the series, though veer off on different course, as the protagonist Lyra begins journeying through various different universes in search of Dust. Dust is Pullman's fictional spin on dark matter, and is central to the novels. It is revealed (spoiler alert) that Dust is a conscious particle, and imparts knowledge and sentience to whatever it settles on. This science fiction/fantasy/theological trilogy nearly presents its own religion to the reader, one it which the original sin (knowledge) is a beautiful, positive component of existence. the His Dark Materials Series, it turns out, is a retelling and inversion of John Milton's Paradise Lost, in which established religion is criticized and the "original sin" is praised.

Reading the trilogy was a revelation for me; I could finally reconcile science and spirituality. While I did not necessarily believe in the fictitious world that Pullman presented (the series is only the slightest bit indoctrinating) I began thinking about the world around me through a different lens. Maybe through the Amber Spyglass?