The Golden Compass
Ratings1,394
Average rating4
Interesting concept and might have appealed to me 20 years ago. Now its just feels like this is primarily a child's bedtime story book with no real substance for adults. Had to read given all the hype but I wish i had skipped this altogether.
As an educator, I've always been ashamed to have missed this one. Finally catching up with it, now I can't imagine it being lumped in with “children's books.” It is for very mature, thoughtful children if you must keep it in that category. Other than having a child protagonist, I found this a very adult read. Of course it has all the intriguing theological themes I'd heard about, but it's also an extremely well paced fantastical adventure. A book I'd definitely want my children to read, though not one I could see reading aloud to my class.
This is magical, charming, and ageless. Lyra, a young orphan raised by scholars at Oxford, becomes entranced by the mystery of “Dust,” a strange phenomenon about which no one seems to know anything definitive. Along with her constant companion, a daemon named Pan, Lyra sets out for the North in pursuit of the mystery, avoiding the Gobblers, befriending the Gyptians, and determined to save the children kidnapped for unknown (but surely nefarious!) purposes.
Everyone should read this lyrical, almost myth-like tale. A fantasy as compelling as Narnia and better than Harry Potter!
very wordy. slow to start and only picked up in parts. I struggled to finish it and still don't understand the premise.
When I first read this, I was young and impressionable and I could not put it down. This time around, I'm a little less likely to be wooed by books (and I consider that a disadvantage to growing up as well as a major downer). I liked it...really liked it, in fact. The writing is beautiful, the characters are well-drawn, and the world is complete and satisfyingly different from our own. I wish more than anything that part of my soul went walking around outside my body in the form of an animal. Still, I can't see giving this book a full five stars for reasons I can't quite articulate. It was missing...something.
I first read this book in 7th grade and stayed up most of the night to finish it in one day–I could not put it down. The trilogy is timeless, dealing with subjects that all ages can relate to. Both Lyra and Will are great characters to follow as they have to face very real, deep issues and what it means to grow up and find your truth in a sea of different ideologies. The world Pullman created is amazing and I revisit it every few years.
Still one of the best, most fully-realized fantasy worlds I've ever read.
Also, I want a daemon.
Good. So good I skipped lunch. So good I have to go buy the other two books, right now!
Really enjoyed the characters, places, mystery and story development here. Was able to forgive the author for the crazy religious implications that were approached. The end really left you hanging and I felt ripped off for the time invested to get no closure at the end.
An excellent book much to my surprise. If you had told me a month ago that I'd love a book that featured talking animals, I would never have believed you. Pullman's world has so many odd and interesting things going for it, I experienced the same thrill as I did when I first read Dune. Excellent characters, especially Lyra, of course. I'm starting the second book tomorrow.
Incredible. It was described to me by a co-worker, Laurence Campling, as something to read when you're ready to grow up from Harry Potter. He was underselling it.
His Dark Materials is an incredible exercise in physics, fantasy, philosophy, and above all, storytelling.
The alternate worlds are breathtaking in their specificity as if Mr. Pullman has been there. The thoughts and motivations of the characters are deep and real. The situations and decisions faced are never easy and never simple. There are no “happy endings” but not all endings are bad either, rather they are the real mix of good, sad and real that we experience in our lives, however still writ large enough and fantastical enough to be much more interesting to read than our own mundane daily diaries might be.
I highly recommend this series as a thought-provoking challenging and entertaining way to wile away the hours.
Lyra, a young girl living a sheltered life with scholars, goes out in search of her father and mysterious Dust, with help from gyptians, witches, and bears, assisted by a golden compass. A story for those who love adventure, with just enough Deep Meaning to intrigue.
I adore these books! The characters are so well-drawn, the relationships so real. And the evil in these books is extremely disturbing. Any author who depicts killing God as a completely non-cynical, compassionate act is going to rate highly in my book. Brilliant.