Rating: 
Summary: Wow!! Harry Potter, move over
Review: Ok, I love Harry Potter as much as the next reader. But my library listed Pullman in its "If you loved Harry Potter..." section and thank goodness they did! I'm not sure how I had managed to avoid reading anything by Pullman in the past but tore through Golden Compass and am well into Subtle Knife (Book 2) now. This is truly a well crafted story, with amazing characters and an odyssey at its heart, in the tradition of Tolkien, most especially. From the very first sentence on the very first page you'll be sucked in (promise! It's an awesome beginning) and the book builds from there. The subtle differences between our world and this continue to delight. And daemons?!? Super concept and one that will have you wondering what YOUR soul-in-animal-form would take. Absolutely enchanting. Thank you Phillip Pullman!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not for children
Review: This is the first in a well-written and compelling trilogy -- but there is no way that I would give this book to a child. The books are quite dark, questionably violent, and have a desparate sadness to them that is hard to shake. A great read for adults, but a hard hard one for children.
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Summary: Magickal!
Review: Philip Pullman is the obvious predecessor of "those other books" in this genre...namely, the "Harry Potter" series...but with a huge difference. Pullman creates a world at once believable and fantastical, with enough seriousness to make it all worthwhile!Lyra is just a girl, with no more thought of the future than any young lady. But, her future, unbeknownst to her, is already underway. And what an incredible future it is! It will take her to lands far beyond her imagination, and will introduce her to events that will change her forever. Her gradual and poignant loss of innocence is well-told, with careful sensitivity to details and a masters eye for magick. As we read along, being fully seduced by Pullmans easy craft with language, we find ourselves more and more submerged in Lyra's world and the things she becomes involved in. This first-in-a-trilogy story is, "The Golden Compass" is a book to search out and read--and that won't be too difficult considering that these books are finding great success now! You won't be the same after reading these...and they're definitely for every person who still harbors a child within who yearns to fly!
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Summary: The Golden Compass
Review: The Golden Compass (or 'Northern Lights' as it is known in the UK) is THE BEST book for twelves and over. Its story line twists and weaves and has you on the edge of your seat about 90% of your reading time. The bad guys are really bad, the good guys aren't wimpy. Harry Potter literally wilts beside it however for some reason Harry Potter outsells it all the time. If I do have a critisism, it is that the story line is pretty confusing but I beg of you - DON'T GIVE UP AT THE FIRST CHAPTER! With perseverance, you will crack this tough nut and appreciate it. You must own this book. Story-9/10 Brill but Confusing Characters-10/10 Beautifully Described and realised Locations-10/10 From Oxford to the Arctic-Wonderfully different
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fantasy books in decades
Review: This is a book I've recommended to just about everyone I've come across recently: it's one of the most absorbing reads I've had in years. Pullman creates a world very much like our own but still very different, and its details are absolutely fascinating. Every human being has a daemon--a materialization of his or her spirit in animal form--, and the entire world is governed by a Popeless Catholic church; an enormous conspiracy forces the work's heroine, Lyra, to venture to the frozen North, where she encounters tremendous wonders and stupefying dangers. Although Pullman wasn't able to bring off the following books in his trilogy to the same degree of satisfaction, THE GOLDEN COMPASS reamins an absolutely fantastic read, with thrilling detail and breathtaking ambition.
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Summary: A beautiful book
Review: The first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy , The Golden Compass, takes place in our world, but things are different. Every human has a daemon, a creature that goes goes wherever its human goes. There is a strange, unknown substance named Dust. And Lyra, a young twelve year old girl, is the one who runs away from Jordan College to the cold North to pursue the Gobblers, people who kidnap children and destroy their daemons, a fate worse then death. Lyra is strong, and with the help oh her magical compass, she bravely attempts to stop them. But along her journey many events happen to her. As she journeys to Lord Asriel again, she realizes that she was making a mistake all along. A terribly painful mistake. I recommend The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, the His Dark Materials trilogy to any reader of any age. The first book itself is one of time's all-time greatest novels, a novel that is so powerful it will literally force the reader into reading the next book, The Subtle Knife.
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Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: Phillip Pullman is truly one of my favorite authors. I have read both The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife two times through already, and am beginning my third round in preparation for my soon arriving copy of The Amber Spyglass. It is a truly amazing book with so many places that will make you gasp, cry, and wonder all at the same time. Honestly, when I finished The Subtle Knife for the first time (two years ago) I was so angry at the last sentence, that I threw the book onto the floor and started screaming. It leaves you at such a pivotal moment in the plot that I could barely contain myself until the sequel arrived. It is that good of a book. If you've already read the series and are looking for more of the same class with which Phillip Pullman writes, I would suggest Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. It is an extremely well thought out 5 part series. The first book is extremely easier and lighter reading then the rest though. But still I would definitely reccomend it.
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Summary: A Book For Adults That Love Childhood
Review: Phillip Pullman as of this book has become one of my favorite obsessions. The story he tells is one that might scare children, but adults who can handle the seriousness of it will want to drench themselves in the fantasy, the detail, and the exquisite imagination that brought it all together. I know I did this - I found myself completely absorbed by The Golden Compass at five a.m. every morning. Well, for three days at least, since that was all it took for me to eat it up. Of course I bought a copy for my cousin, who became an admirer as well. Since then I've started hounding bookstores for the release dates of the follow-ups of the series. This was one of my favorite books of all time.
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Summary: A Wonderful Fantasy To Lose Youself In
Review: Wondering what magical world to enter into while waiting on the next Harry Potter book? Look no further, Lyra Belacqua has arrived.The heroine of Philip Pullman's intricate and bewitching trilogy that begins with "...Compass", is a young girl living among the scholars at Jordan College in England. Her parents, who had died when she was a baby, had left her in the care of her Uncle, Lord Asriel. Like any great hero or heroine she is a child "who has a great destiny that can only be fulfilled elsewhere-not in this world, but far beyond. Without this child, we shall all die. So the witches say. But she must fulfill this destiny in ignorance of what she is doing, because only in her ignorance will we be saved." So says one character to another. Her destiny begins to be realized with her Uncle's return from the North where he speaks of mysterious things going on. At the same time children begin to disappear, and the rumors of what is happening to them isn't nearly as horrifying as the reality.Accompanied by her trusty daemon,(an animal companion that seems representative of the soul), a colorful cast of characters, and a great warrior Polar Bear named Iorek, Lyra sets off on an unforgettable adventure. Personally, I found the first seventy pages or so a little slow going as the plot is set up, and the reading level is slightly more demanding than the Potter books. However, once the action begins to really motor along, it's a hard book to put down, and one adults and children will love equally.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman is one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read.Its originality and scope are breathtaking.The world that Pullman creates in this novel is realistic,even though it is full of armoured bears and witches.Pullman's writing style is beautiful,though it may be a bit too grownup for smaller children.He tends to have the adults say things that are over the heads of the children in the story and probably are to the children reading the books also.But that doesn't matter.Children and adults both are sure to love this wonderful book.I've never read of a fantasy world so original.The daemons were a masterful and wonderful creation,Iam completely in awe of Mr.Pullman's genius...his alternative Oxford is one of the best alternative worlds I've read.After reading The Golden Compass you will immediantly want to start The Subtle Knife,also a fantastic book that stretches the boundaries of imagination even farther.I can see His Dark Materials trilogy becoming a classic alongside such books as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings and The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake. If you liked The Golden Compass then you should also read The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake,also fantastic and original flights of imagination and fancy.
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