Rating: 
Summary: Lyra is the best story character ever created!
Review: I enjoyed reading The Golden Compass very very very much.
First, like the Harry Potter series, it is very interesting to read about a world different from us, with creatures like armoured bears and witches.
Secondly, this book explore on some great themes, like love, growing up and also religion. Some people think that His Dark Materials Series are much too "dark", because it rejects the ideas of the Church, and they think that this is not suitable for children. I don't agree, because I think we should read about different ideas of others, and seeing things and religion in different angles will help us to develop our own ideas.
But what I like most about this book is Lyra!!!!!!! I think she is so reckless, brave, passionate, quick-witted and is a good leader! I just love it when she used her wits to trick Iofer the bear king, and how she rescued the children in Bolvangar etc. She is a hero!!! I really wish that she is real, because it is so interesting to have a friend like her. I think that she is the best story character ever created, because she has good qualities and bad qualities, and she does unexpected things that make this book so nice to read. And Philip Pullman describes her feelings and emotions realistically.
Rating:
Summary: best in its class!
Review: can't say more than all the thousand plus reviewers have already
said....but as an adult, let me tell you this book is amongst the very best ive ever read. a more compelling story for me than even the great trilogy, LOTR. the only stories which come close to the stories of Lyra Belaqua are perhaps the Wrinkle in Time stories.the best part is they do not feel like children's stories at all.
the tale moves the reader emotionally and intellectually and has many layers to ponder as the stories move forward. i hope there are teachers for whom this is required reading in their classes. read them and enjoy, read them and think, read them and feel yourself transported to new worlds that have much to teach us about our own.
Rating:
Summary: A "Must Read"
Review: I gave the book The Golden Compass five stars. This book is a science fantasy about a young girl named Lyra who lives amongst the scholars at Jordan College and plays in the streets for adventure. But Lyra's greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she overheard the hushed talk of an extraordinary particle. This particle could unite whole universes. But those who feared the particle would do anything to destroy it. Find out how Lyra will save the world while many don't even know she is doing it.
I loved the characters. His writing style made them seem so realistic and easy to relate to. I wasn't so interested in the beginning, but one quarter of the way through it I couldn't put it down. I learned to be more imaginative and to be in charge of my own destiny through this book. This author has also written many other mystery trilogies.
Rating: 
Summary: *What I Think* ClArK
Review: This book has a great plot with many cliffhangers. The story just makes you want to continue reading. There are so many fun things to read about that happen to Lyra. She is a risk-taker and does dangerous things with her friends, daemon, the "Gobblers", and her uncle. Phillip Pulman has an adventurous imagination, and thinks up of many interesting events that take place. Similar to most books, there were some parts that didnt appeal to me. Lyra and her friend went down into the wine cellar, broke bottles, and got drunk; it didnt seem to fit with the rest of the book and the stories plot. I enjoyed reading this book and hopefully I will be able to read the rest of Pulman's series.
Rating:
Summary: Armored Bears, alethiometers, daemons...
Review: This series is my favorite out of all the other books that I have ever read, and they number quite a few. The world(s) that Pullman has created is amazing - daemons, panserbjorne, alethiometers, the Silver Guillotine, Specters. I can't believe that all of this came out of one brilliant mind, and I truly adore the novels. The characters - Lyra, Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coulter, and Pantalaimon for now, and Mary Malone, Will Pary, Serafina Pekkala, and Lee Scoresby a little later - stay with you after the end of the last book. I plan on getting the companion book on the 29th, and I hope that Pullman fans will also to support the author.
Rating:
Summary: 1,000 Reviewers Can't Be Wrong
Review: According to Amazon, I will be the 1,009th person to review this book. This review applies to the entire series, but since you have to start somewhere, I'll post it here. Also, I'm reviewing the Audio series, read by the author with a full cast. It was *very* well done. I'm a fan of radio drama and books on tape. For centuries storytelling has been verbal, and this series is a sterling example of why. Hearing this story told in this way, narrated with a full cast of actors for the roles really brings it to life. And what a beautiful story to bring to life. This story is elegant, compelling, and wow does it cover some ground. This book is intimately intertwined with the Judeo-Christian Mythology and the Church, and borders on heretical. I was telling my friends when I was reading this that I was surprised this book was advertised in the teen's section because it really shakes some fundamental beliefs many people have about God and the Church. This is something parents should take into account when allowing their children to read this series. I read once that plot is caring about the characters enough to turn the page. Well these characters... From a talking Bear King to a Texan Aeronaut (he operates a hot air balloon), who become the closest of friends... these are characters you will come to love. And Lyra, the main character... As that Texan Aeronaut said, I love her as if she was my own daughter. The world these characters inhabit is one of the most imaginative I've seen in a long time. It's as imaginative as Oz, or Wonderland, and at the same time, more believeable, and traverses the landscape from Heaven to Hell. In many trilogies, you get a sense that in the 3rd book that the author is tying up as many loose ends as possible, and yes I did occasionally get that feeling, but by and large, each book took you in a direction that was completely unexpected, and often left me in awe of it's scope and imaginativeness. There are some truly heart wrenching moments, and moments of sheer ecstacy. As others have said, you will love this series. I personally gaurantee it. And if you're at all interested in storytelling as an art for the ears and not just the eyes, pick up the audio version.
Rating:
Summary: Action-Packed
Review: "The Golden Compass" is a great reading experience because of the marvelous action that sweeps you up and doesn't plunk you down until the last page. The main character Lyra Belacqua is an amazing young lady, especially considering how completely nuts her parents are! Her father, Lord Asriel, is hardly fatherly; and her mother, Mrs. Coulter, is power-hungry. Neither parent offers the affection children crave; and yet Lyra is such a well-balanced practical little sprite that we easily forgive social maladjustments like lying, which actually proves an asset and earns her the nickname "Lyra Silvertongue." Philip Pullman did expand my vocabulary a bit. "Oblation" is a religious term for a sacrifice; and here we have a church-sponsored agency that surgically alters children and adults into zombie-like automatons. "Alethic" means "Of or relating to truth"; and here Pullman creates the "alethiometer" than can actually read truth in a crystal-ball "golden compass" manner. Iorek Byrnison and the culture of the bears is an amazing fictional culture. The idea of having a bear who wears armor as if it were his soul seems completely normal in this world. The battle for Bolvangar and Iorek's fight seem to climax and turn the tide. I found the book a bit hard to take with the cruelty toward children that this evil world seems to inflict. But Gyptians Farder Coram, John Faa and the Costas ground the book with a sense of emotional loving reality. The daemons are charming with their animal forms and human attachment. The other culture of the witches is also tremendously interesting with the daemon goose of Serafina Pekkala freeing the little daemons who've been surgically separated. Lee Scoresby as the balloonist is a wonderful mercenary character. The book does have a dark tinge to it, as do the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings books. But Pullman does a great job of wrapping you up in the action and carrying you along, while the deeper philosophical meanings lay smoldering beneath surface. It's a great ride! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Concept, OK Implementation
Review: I really liked the concept behind this book. But, Pullman's implementation is lacking. First, I have problems believing that any 11-year old (even one in a fantasy novel) could or would behave as the one in this book does. Heck, you could push her to the age of majority (18) and I still would have the same problem. Second, the novel's world doesn't make sense. Yes, I know it's an alternate reality. But, the mish-mash of technologies present are silly. For the most part, the culture seems to work on a set of technology from the 1500s to the 1800s. But, then there are things thrown in which indicate technology from the 1900s or 2000s. I just can't come up with a logical technology tree that would allow this to happen. And, finally, all the characters around the protagonist are basically cardboard cutouts: they have no depth of personality. For instance, I still can't figure out what's motivating all these bad guys to do the horrible things they're doing to these children. Sure, near the end, Pullman explained what they think "Dust" is. But, I still can't see how these people made the leap from having that knowledge to, essentially, mutilating and killing children.
Rating:
Summary: Pullman creates a masterpeice!
Review: Philip Pullman creates a masterpiece! The Golden Compass is a rich fantasy filled with action and adventure, along with the hardships of growing up. The reader falls in love with the young and carefree heroine, Lyra Belacqua, and with her lovable daemon sidekick. Pullman reveals the personality of all of the characters through their daemons; which are visible souls of humans. Pullman throws you into the book, with its complex world where science, religion, and magic all thrive. The fate of the world lies in Lyra's hands, whether she knows it or not. The book is written with much imagination and thought. I enjoy the book because of its unique setting and energetic main character. Filled with love, friendship, and loyalty, along with danger, betrayal, and heartbreak, the reader cannot help but love the book. The reader is never bored with Pullman's intricate and intriguing plot. The Golden Compass is a fantasy people of all ages should read and enjoy. After reading this exciting novel you will be asking for more and more, and wanting your own personal daemon.
Rating:
Summary: review of book
Review: This is a good book, as it tells a story of the friendship in Lyra Belacqua. She shows great courage as she goes on her adventures. In jordan College, she plays and runs free, until the adventure begins and she goes to live with a Mrs. Coulter. this is where it starts to get intereting.
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