Rating: 
Summary: Top-notch fantasy
Review: I've read a lot of fantasy in my life, from Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Peake through Brooks, Donaldson, Eddings, Rowling and Zelazny. It gets harder and harder to find fantasy that does not have a been-there-done-that sort of feel, but Philip Pullman has done just that with his trilogy, which is both exciting and a completely unique sort of fantasy story.In the Golden Compass, we are introduced to Lyra, an eleven year old orphan living in an alternative version of Oxford, where technology and government have developed differently. Everyone in this world has a daemon, a spiritual companion that takes the form of an animal, and that is just one of the things that gives this world unique character. Lyra learns that there is a mysterious substance called Dust that exists in the Arctic which has arcane properties. Her uncle is pursuing the Dust and in the process has been put in great danger. Lyra is intent on rescuing him as well as saving a friend who has been kidnaped by the Gobblers, a strange group said to be experimenting on children. Along the way, Lyra picks up many strange allies and enemies and gets into deeper and deeper danger. There are witches, warrior bears and the fortune-telling alethiometer (the golden compass of the title). And there are even other worlds. I am mentioning only the barest elements of the plot to keep the reader from being deprived of the pleasure of discovering the wonders of this book himself. And though there are those who have said this book is okay for young Harry Potter fans, I would disagree. Both in subject matter and narrative complexity, this book is aimed at an older audience. I have enjoyed the Potter books, but this is a more deeply magnificent story and an easy five-star selection.
Rating:
Summary: captivating!
Review: with action from morning to the setting of the sun, this book leaves you with wonder. the well-developed characthers in The Golden Compass define this book as full of personality, and you find yourself falling in love with the strong-hearted bear. bravery and fantasy surge through this book right to the end!
Rating:
Summary: The Golden Compass
Review: The Golden Compass is the first book in the trilogy "His Dark Materials." The other two books are The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The Golden Compass is an exciting, adventurous book about a girl named Lyra Beleque who happily lives at Jordan College, having mud wars with the Oxford gyptians, and exploring the roof and wine cellars with her friend Roger, the kitchen boy, her whole childhood life. All of that changes though, when the children stealing 'Gobblers' come to Oxford and Lyra is sent to live with the amazing Mrs. Coulter, while discovering her amazy destiny. Lyra finds herselft sailing North with the gyptians, flying with clans of witches, fighting and befriending deadly armored polar bears, and making tough, life threatening decisions that could change the coutcome of the future forever! Explore The Golden Compass with Lyra and her comrades in this exciting fantasy that will keep you guessing the whole way through.
Rating:
Summary: stunning
Review: This is a great book, as are all the others in the series. I loved it and couldn't put it down for a minute! Wonderful plot, great characters. This is the first book where you meet Lyra and some other friends. Please read it! Its one of my favorites!
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Piece of Literature
Review: My mother had an older copy of "The Golden Compass" in our bookshelf at our apartment, so I picked it up since I was looking for something to read when I was at work. After finishing it, I was glad I picked it up.
The main plot puts the main character Lyra on an incredible journey that has danger at nearly ever turn to which she seeks out the question that puzzles all: What is Dust? She is also on a quest to save her friend Roger from The Gobblers, who inturn have their own plans with the dozens of children they capture. I can't give too much away, but since this is Book I in a series of three, this is a nice kick off to Pullam's His Dark Materials trilogy. He manages to create vivd, Narnia-esque scenery and flare within every turn of the page, leaving you wanting to read on.
The only flaws I could only point out where that he created Lyra to act like a young teen; perhaps somewhere between the ages of 13 to 15 (She is in truth 11, but her characterzation makes her appear much older) and their are sections inwhich he tries to be too political and scientific, thus creating long and boring conversations and sequences that I had skipping through and having to re-read in order to piece the story. I also felt that, despite this is a so called "young adult novel", adults would understand it fairly well too without feeling dumbed down by the vocabulary and such.
All in all, if you enjoy a good fantasy novel, this is a much read.
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Summary: The Golden Compass
Review: I absolutely loved this book! Lyra's journey through worlds and times is so compelling and page-turning. At times it's a little hard to follow, but at the end of His Dark Materials you feel like you were one of the characters and you feel like you've lived their experiences. It's a great book for all people and it's so powerful and moving. You can't dislike this book. I advise everyone, every single person, to read theese books. They're truly a work of art.
Rating:
Summary: This book is great!!!
Review: This is an example of great young adult writing. It doesn't hide anything like some books try to do, assuming that the kid doesn't have a grip on reality. Instead Pullman assumes the reader has a pretty thorough reading history and isn't naive or squemish. A great heroic story that leaves you wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: I liked it much better than reading from the book, but I did not like how the pages were short, there ended up being over 1,000 pages. =)
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Summary: If you have any imagination...
Review: This book (and the entire trilogy, really) are the most original fantasy I've read in *years*! I'm a die-hard fantasy/sci-fi fan, but so much of fantasy is derivative of Tolkien. It's been done folks, and much better than you could ever do it in a re-hash, so let's move on, can't we? Phillip Pullman has created a simply *amazing* multi-layered fantasy world with truly original and wondrous elements: daemons; armored bears, the alethiometer, and much, much more. You can read it simply on its surface as a great story. If you've ever studied philosophy, religion, physics, etc., you can end up with a deeper, more eminently satisfying read. Of course, this is a fantasy novel which means you've got to be willing to suspend your disbelief, take some things on faith, use your imagination, and so on. I've read the negative (one-star) reviews of this book, and as far as I can tell, they were written by people who (a) have their own agenda and can't abide anyone disagreeing with their comfortable little world view; (b) lack the imagination, intelligence, or whatever to let go and enjoy the ride; or (c) haven't read the book at all and based their reviews on the reviews of others and/or of critics. Well, that says a lot, don't you think? Think for yourselves -- read the book for yourselves. The vast majority of you will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive Candy With a Deep Bite
Review: Already much-acclaimed, this book needs very little introduction. It is Pullman's entrance into the big-times, an original tale in the vein of many popular old fantasy writers, particularly C.S. Lewis, but the story is uniquely and entirely his own. I was drawn completely in within the first few pages, given no chance to set it down for long. It begins simply enough, with an unruly girl, Lyra, and her daemon hiding in a closet to save her uncle, Lord Asriel, from poison and to spy on a meeting. Some very strange and exciting things are heard here, but afterward live goes back to normal in the streets of Oxford... until a mysterious and beautiful woman shows up to spirit Lyra away to London. Before she leaves, the Master of her college gifts her with an odd golden machine covered in symbols. In London she becomes enveloped by Mrs. Coulter's high society, until she overhears at a party information about the 'Gobblers', a mysterious gang, almost urban legend, allegedly behind the disappearance of poor children in cities. She realizes at once that she must escape and sneaks away, running through the city until a violent encounter with slavers leads her to meet up with a gyptian family she knew from home. They are willing to hide her away, having heard that she's wanted, and take her to a meeting of all gyptians. They are organizing an expedition to find their own missing children, and figure out that they must go north. At first Lyra isn't welcome, but she soon becomes indespensible when her machine turns out to be an alethiometer, able to tell past, present, and future to one who is attuned and knows how to interpret it. This proves useful when they need to recruit a bear for the expedition by finding his armor. Farther north, they are ambushed and Lyra captured and taken to the facility where the other children end up, soon making a horrifying discovery. She ends up finding a way to burn the building down after Mrs. Coulter arrives, and just as her expedition shows up to crash the party, then spirited away by balloon to a lonely isle where her Uncle Asriel, actually father, is exiled. A lot of cunning keeps her alive long enough to get to him, but not to stop him from opening a path to another world -- which she follows. This book never stops moving. That is probably the most addicting part of it; no matter where you stop, there's always something peeking right around the corner that makes you _have_ to come back just as quickly as possible. At the same time, it's too fast for a single sitting; you just have to take a breather here and there to let things settle in your mind. There are many fascinating threads here, tied together in a world very like our late-19th century England. Daemons that are almost a physical manefestation of the soul; armored bears who are barbaric knights; a gizmo that speaks knowledge; the Aurora with the strange city inside it; and the mysterious Dust that everyone is so interested in. Yet it is all handled deftly, with easy aplomb. Even the more fantastic events and items turn out to have believable and grounded histories. One of the strongest points is in how the story unfolds: Instead of long expositions explaining every detail, or completely skipping by them, the world emerges in bits and pieces in thoughts, memories, and dialogue. In large part the reader is left on her own to figure out what's going on and why, given hints and pushes; the reader feels whirled along following Lyra, barely a moment given to see into other people. And now for the next chapter Pullman is giving us an entirely new world to discover. The story quietly explores its spiritualism, often mentioning the Church and Mrs. Coulter's connection, but never really showing how it affects others except indirectly. To Coulter, is it simply a vehicle to power, or is it a deeper faith that coincides with her ambitions? Instead, it focuses on the idea of external spirits: Children whose daemons are malleable and chaotic, adults' that are more fixed and sturdy, and especially a daemon being a soul; just the idea of being without it is horrifying. Thus the plot twist is pretty easy to see. Witches can send their daemons much further than others, and they are thus more autonomous. Then you have the bears, whose armor is practically their soul; they can make more if they have to, unlike humans. And there are people seen without souls, some mentally enfeebled, some just... lifeless. So it becomes the subject of some philosophizing. Highly recommended to anyone with an imagination and sense of wonder. This is something that will be as fresh and wonderful every time you read, and I am doubly looking forward to the next installment.
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