The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials)

I read this in high school for summer reading and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. A lot of people, mostly religious groups, like to accuse this book of attacking Christianity (more specifically Catholicism). While it's no secret that this religion has a rather dark history, I don't see the book as misleading. Rather, I feel the book highlights the dangers an organized religion can pose...more

I read this in high school for summer reading and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. A lot of people, mostly religious groups, like to accuse this book of attacking Christianity (more specifically Catholicism). While it's no secret that this religion has a rather dark history, I don't see the book as misleading. Rather, I feel the book highlights the dangers an organized religion can pose (Witch hunts, torture, indulgences, etc) and uses those to paint the faces of our antagonists. The bad guys aren't Christians or Catholics, they are the dark side those religions can present, just like anything else in life.   hide

His Dark Materials is probably one of the best trilogies ever written: Pullman is a real genious that has created an amazingly intricate fantasy world that’s seems so real in that we really feel for the characters. This first novel takes place in society that seems very similar to 19th century Victorian era. So in some ways it is behind our time now, technologically speaking, but in other...more

His Dark Materials is probably one of the best trilogies ever written: Pullman is a real genious that has created an amazingly intricate fantasy world that’s seems so real in that we really feel for the characters. This first novel takes place in society that seems very similar to 19th century Victorian era. So in some ways it is behind our time now, technologically speaking, but in other aspects it is far ahead from ours which makes it very intriguing. Something that I personally love is Pullman’s creation of daemons – the manifestation of the human soul in as an animal that is part of oneself and also ones best friend at the same time. During childhood, these daemons can change shape, so sometimes they may be a bird or a dog or really anything they want to be. Then when the person reaches adulthood, they take on a fixed form that reflects the person’s personality. Northern Lights is esentially the quest of Lyra and her daemon as they journey to save their best friend Roger and all of the other kidnapped children with the aid of an armoured bear, an aeronaut, a witch and the kind of all the gyptians. Yes, it is an awkward group, but it nonetheless creates a wonderful atmosphere for storytelling.   hide

Probably one of my top five favourite books. Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass (or Northern Lights as it is called in the UK) is a masterpiece in literture. The book captivates your attention from the first pages and becomes impossible to put down as you contemplate the fate of Lyra and her pet demon Pantalaimon. At first glance the book seems fairly simple, but underneath this is a complexed...more

Probably one of my top five favourite books. Phillip Pullman's Golden Compass (or Northern Lights as it is called in the UK) is a masterpiece in literture. The book captivates your attention from the first pages and becomes impossible to put down as you contemplate the fate of Lyra and her pet demon Pantalaimon. At first glance the book seems fairly simple, but underneath this is a complexed plot which adequately explores themes such as horror, innocence, religion and ultimately the common of age of the books heroine Lyra. I personally feel it a shame I haven't read it's sequels. I've read it numerous times and I have the same reaction as the first time; amazing. At the end of the book, you'll be wishing you had a demon, flew with witches and met the fearsome armoured bear Iofur Rankinson. Simply brilliant. Not only as a childrens book, but it has amazing cross-over appeal to adults.   hide

Never in my life have a watched a movie and then read a book and been SO surprised! They're really very very different (and I know people say that all the time, but the movie missed a lot, and possibly... the point.) But this book was so wonderful, I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it-- I only wished I'd read it when I was younger when it originally came out. It's a really...more

Never in my life have a watched a movie and then read a book and been SO surprised! They're really very very different (and I know people say that all the time, but the movie missed a lot, and possibly... the point.) But this book was so wonderful, I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it-- I only wished I'd read it when I was younger when it originally came out. It's a really creative and fun adventure that's well written and completely interesting. I can't wait to pick up the next book. Sort of a side story and what originally caught my interest in the book itself-- I had gotten the movie The Golden Compass and was telling my sister I had it and was going to offer it to her and my nephew to watch. Before I could even finish the offer my sister got this real huffy, arrogant, and irritated voice and said, "I don't want to see it, I know what it's about." And goes into great detail (telling me she read the book) and the 11 year old girl sleeps (has sex) with the boy (who I'm guessing she meant Roger-- which never happened in THIS book at least, and judging by the end of the story, won't happen in the other books either, at least not with Roger anyway.) She continued to bitch about the author being an atheist and him using his book to turn other children into atheist. Which, really, even as an underlying story, that's like saying the Chronicles of Narnia is going to turn your child into a Christian (and it's just a stupid idea all together). I don't find the ideas about religion to be so offensive that a kid would interpret it in a "harmful way". I do think by the end of the story you get an idea that it's okay to question authority because authority doesn't always do what's right-- and whether you want that to mean religion or government is up to your own interpretation. Also, I think my sister over reacting to whatever she heard (because it's apparent to me now that she never read this book) is pretty ridiculous considering just how different the movie was from the book, and I believe any reference to religion was taken out of the movie. I know I read somewhere that the movie didn't do well in the states (probably from ignorant book reviews from people like my sister) but I think so much may have been changed, that it would be kind of difficult to go on from here anyway. As much as I would like to see this story done properly as a movie, there just may be too much (and too much damage already done) to make it right. I really did love it and if you have an open mind and aren't like my sister (judging a book by it's cover! hah.) and enjoy fantasy, this is a really great read for even adults!   hide

I don't intend to say I was disappointed but I was very much less impressed then I was hoping to be. I suppose that's the terrible price to pay for expectations.Daemons are fascinating and a wonderful idea and makes me feel a kid again, wanting a daemon for my own.But otherwise, much of the book left my head tilting sideways. The cast feels a mite bloated, the concept of Dust seemed too...more

I don't intend to say I was disappointed but I was very much less impressed then I was hoping to be. I suppose that's the terrible price to pay for expectations.Daemons are fascinating and a wonderful idea and makes me feel a kid again, wanting a daemon for my own.But otherwise, much of the book left my head tilting sideways. The cast feels a mite bloated, the concept of Dust seemed too ambiguous and revelations don't come as revelations but more of "WHAT?" exclaimations. I suppose... there was too much traveling? Touring the alternate daemon-filled universe seemed to take precedence over the human element. You have a lot of action happening but not so much of getting closer to the characters. Not that I want to say I'd prefer things to be reduced to a soap opera but the construction feels too emotionally distant. I don't really feel as if I like or dislike Lyra and the rest of the epic-sized cast. Perhaps the tale is something focused on events, not people? Is that putting it too badly?   hide

Unbelievably imaginative and incredibly intelligent, this series will not only captivate you with engrossing, three-dimensional characters and gripping action--it'll expand your mind (if you've got an open one). It gets a lot of bad rep for its "anti-Christian" agenda--and the incredibly clumsy last few chapters of the final book really support...more

Unbelievably imaginative and incredibly intelligent, this series will not only captivate you with engrossing, three-dimensional characters and gripping action--it'll expand your mind (if you've got an open one). It gets a lot of bad rep for its "anti-Christian" agenda--and the incredibly clumsy last few chapters of the final book really support that bad rep--but the majority of this three part story is honest, intelligent, exciting, and, really quite spiritual. If you have an open mind and would like it expanded, read this book. Its worth your time. Also, for the record, the main bad guy in this series is NOT God, and the characters do not kill God. In the third book the characters reveal that the entity they thought was God is in fact just an angel. And heck--the main characters DEFEND this angel from bad guys when they do meet him. The characters themselves come out and say that they themselves don't know if there is or is not a Creator--and that's it. So God, actually, isn't even IN these books. What these books ARE, however, is a pretty harsh and biting, and ultimately unbalanced, assessment of organized religion. I wish Pullman had been able to approach his subject matter a bit more fairly, because he really had an almost perfect trilogy on his hands--intelligent, engrossing, emotional, spiritual, completely unoriginal--until he fumbled by letting his agenda reign free in the series' final chapters. Whether or not you agree with the author though, this series is still worth experiencing.   hide

Maybe I expected too much, but my first read through, I wasn't that impressed by this book, despite the raves from many friends and critics. While it definitely invents a new fantasy world, the world didn't really "come alive" for me. It seemed narrowly constructed around the main characters, and I had trouble imagining the "extras" having independent lives outside...more

Maybe I expected too much, but my first read through, I wasn't that impressed by this book, despite the raves from many friends and critics. While it definitely invents a new fantasy world, the world didn't really "come alive" for me. It seemed narrowly constructed around the main characters, and I had trouble imagining the "extras" having independent lives outside of the pages we were reading; they seemed to be missing a certain depth or inner life that would make them full supporting characters. I don't know if they are missing something, or if my internal comparisons to G.R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, and Tolkien are unfair. (To be sure, Pullman DOES however avoid many of the pitfalls of the three, especially Jordan's lush but repetitive descriptions and execrable padding.) The nations didn't seem as real as Jordan's exhaustively detailed cultures do (much less the near-anthropological depth and inventiveness of Orson Scott Card's fictional civilizations). And I just found the protagonist largely uninteresting -- she was acted upon by much of the plot, and her "destined to be great"-ness didn't draw me past her general immature-little-girlness, a certain preciousness I found much less entertaining than, say, that of Harriet the Spy when I read those classics as a youth. Am I lacking imagination or appreciation, or is this "new classic" lacking something overlooked by others?   hide

I should first note that I listened to the audio book for this novel. I've read it before, but I enjoyed the BBC Adaptations narrated by Philip Pullman for the other two books so much, I thought I'd give the first a try. I am so glad that I've read this book as an adult, as I think a lot of things would have been way over my head as a child. Lyra is such a unique, complex, and wonderful heroine,...more

I should first note that I listened to the audio book for this novel. I've read it before, but I enjoyed the BBC Adaptations narrated by Philip Pullman for the other two books so much, I thought I'd give the first a try. I am so glad that I've read this book as an adult, as I think a lot of things would have been way over my head as a child. Lyra is such a unique, complex, and wonderful heroine, full of courage and passion, yet childishly unrefined and a bit of a dirty little barbarian. The book is a great mix of fantasy, philosophy, and science, intelligently written, well-paced, and deeply satisfying. A lot of religious people are peeved about the obvious "anti-organized religion" tones of the book, but at the end of the trilogy, one can easily look back and see that it is deeply spiritual its own way. This series as a whole is powerful, and the first book is fantastic!   hide

The first book in a trilogy. About to be released as the film "The Golden Compass" on Boxing Day this year (2007). Fantasy story about an 11 year old girl, Lyra who is fated to make a big difference in not only this world, but all the other connected worlds in the universe. She inherits a magical "altheiometer" which lets her ask questions of present and future events, and gives her the answers....more

The first book in a trilogy. About to be released as the film "The Golden Compass" on Boxing Day this year (2007). Fantasy story about an 11 year old girl, Lyra who is fated to make a big difference in not only this world, but all the other connected worlds in the universe. She inherits a magical "altheiometer" which lets her ask questions of present and future events, and gives her the answers. On a mission to rescue her friend, Roger and her father, she befriends a group of Gyptians and an armoured bear who accompany and assist her along the way. The most interesting thing about this story is that all humans have their own pet animal "daemon" which are a part of you, though not physically atached. Somewhat of a best friend for life. A story of good triumphing over evil, an interesting and different read. I enjoyed it and will be interested to see how the book is adapted to the screen.   hide