Rating: 
Summary: Young readers beware
Review: Though the characters are captivating, and the world Pullman creates is vivid and rich, this series of books is NOT for readers under 15. Parents should be prepared to read the books with their children and engage in fairly complicated discussions about parental violence, the nature of God, and even budding sexual feelings.
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Summary: The Real Deal On The Dark Materials Trilogy
Review: In short, this was absolutely the best series of books I have ever read. Philip Pullman manages to create a world that you feel a part of equipped with a cast of characters that you will love and cherish. The series can at times seem heart-wrenchingly sad, hopeful, or deeply philosophical. Although I do not recommend this series for children under the age of 13, I do think that teenagers and adults alike will adore the adventures of Lyra, the ever-endearing Pantalaimon, Will, and many more. And at a great bargain like this, you should definitely buy this now!
Rating:
Summary: A great series
Review: Pullman's books really pull you head first into the story and get you wanting more. Discovering His Dark Materials was a really wonderful moment. I read The Golden Compass each night for a week until I finished it...wrong.
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Summary: Philip Pullman
Review: This book is FANTASTIC! Get locked on as you travel through the different dimensons of the galaxy. Find new worlds and meet new people. Fill the thrill. travel with Pan, Lyra, and WIll. This book is absolutely FAB. In minutes you will be Hooked.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best, and my favorite.
Review: This trilogy has occupied more than enough of my time over the past few years. I read the Golden Compass, and then the Subtle Knife.. and at that time, the Amber Spyglass wasn't even out, so I read both of them over again, and then when I read the last one, it all came together. It's a wonderful read, great fun, exciting, full of adventure, and it's all set in a wonderful world unlike anything you could ever dream up. Fortunately for us, Pullman has, and what a world it is... after I was finished reading, I just wanted to go there, to be there, more than anything; and I wished there was more to read. The story is that of young Lyra Belaqua, who you meet in the first pages. You learn that people in this world have "Daemons" -- magical parts of themselves that take the form of animals (one of Pullman's greatest ideas). The adventure soon starts as Lyra finds out about Dust, and of the North where secret and cruel experiments are going on. It just gets better and better and better in the two books following "The Golden Compass," And you'll read for hours on end, mystified. Or, at least I did. The only downfall of these novels is Pullman's obvious opinions of religion, which he makes clear mostly in The Amber Spyglass by killing God and through a smattering of mocking religious allusions (my favorite: preemptive absolution). I have no problem with that; however, I know that many people will. So, I warn you with this: these novels are not for those who are deeply religious. But man, if you can just get past that, or even learn to accept that, then this becomes almost a perfect trilogy. Okay, the other thing about this is that it isn't a children's series. I wouldn't even call it a pre-teen series. Definately 13 and up here. You may see reviews that say that the last book is just sick, but I can tell you honestly that it isn't. Pullman writes that "scene" so well that it isn't even obvious what has happened, and it all is very fitting, purposeful, and required to the story. Speaking of the end, it will surprise you. No doubt. If you're sensitive, you will cry. If you aren't, you'll probably still cry. It's that powerful. You know the characters so well by the end that it's impossible not to feel their feelings and thoughts yourself. I know I'm being ambiguous. It's like they say -- You'd have to read it to know. So buy this now (no, they're not paying me ;-), and read it, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not for children- content appropriate for teens and up
Review: This trilogy is one of my favorite series, along with Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time Series, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern series, and Tolkien's books; but do not compare them, they are all very different, and written for different audiences. Having spoken to an acquaintance of the author's, I believe (from his comments) that these books were written for an older audience- adults, even, though you would not guess it from the beautifully illustrated covers. The stories become progressively darker and more complicated, and I believe there is quite a bit of symbolism. Before writing these books off as anti-religious, I would read them with a "Great Books" view- why did he use this... or have this character say or do... . I would really be interested in hearing Philip Pullman discuss these books. I have read the series three times, and have enjoyed the books more each time.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of storytelling and ideas.
Review: Consider this: stories are a vital component of being human; without them, we would merely reproduce and die. That said, if the library of the world were on fire, and I had time to rush in and save only a handful of stories, this would be one of the first I would grab. I've been a lifelong reader and have a degree in Literature--I've read more than my share of stories. Philip Pullman has done an incredible thing by bringing these books into being. The story, though fantastical in many ways, speaks volumes about human experience: innocence, guilt, love, loss, and hope. The creativity is boundless; ideas about god, souls, consciousness, evolution and even contemporary physics are sculpted into a brilliant narrative. The underlying themes include a critique of dominant religious paradigms, which of course raises major antipathy in some readers (see other reviews). But I fail to see how a story that espouses freethinking can be anything but positive. Besides, the story is greatly concerned with--to oversimplify--love and responsibility; how can that be a bad thing? Above these undercurrents, though, the story is exciting, complex, and touching. There are moments that bring tears, goosebumps, and exhilharation. Pullman proves just how entertaining a profound story can be. If none of that entices you, Pullman has also invented one of the most fascinating ideas ever with his concept of daemons: animal-like companions that embody a person's soul. After finishing these books, you'll wish more than anything that you had one. I will read these books again and again, send them to my friends, leave copies lying in cafes, and read them over and over to my children. There are precious few stories that can compare with His Dark Materials. I only hope they eventually receive the widespread attention they deserve; if they were as widely-read as Harry Potter, the world would be the better for it.
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Summary: The Good with the Bad
Review: I read the last book in the series, THE AMBER SPYGLASS two years ago and I'm STILL thinking about it.
From a literary perspective, these books are gold. They're in more of an adult style than the Harry Potter books. In fact, these books, in more ways than one, defy all comparison with Harry Potter. They are completely and utterly different. These books succeed on more than just the way that they are written. If the muse who dreamt up the Harry Potter books had gone to someone other than JK Rowling, then the Potter books would have failed miserably.
Now that we have that out of the way, we have the plot. The good? Pullman has dreamt up more amazing locales, intriguing and loveable characters (human and otherwise) and plot twists than many, many other writers could possibly attempt. Pullman has a gift for showing the reader a setting without bogging them down with too many details. Surprisingly enough, the only even slightly-clichéd characters is the main one, Lyra Silvertongue (she starts out the adventure with a different name but I cant spell it form memory). Lyra is the token female rebel who refuses to wear dresses and runs about with boys. Thankfully Pullman has given us Pan to counterbalance her attitude, and their chemistry is wonderful.
The bad? In the second half of the series (from about halfway through THE SUBTLE KNIFE onwards) the plot becomes a battle between humans and God. By the middle of book three, Pullman has completely erased the meaning of good and evil. Witches are good, (some) angels are bad. God is a weak, frail old angel, and humans were not created but were born out of "Dust".
Parents-you should definitely read this over before letting your children read this ones, especially if they are young. The book openly denies the existence of God and even goes so far as to have him be killed. If you are religious at all, you definitely want to review this book first. Even if you aren't, the lines between good and evil are seriously blurred here, not a good example for young children. If you're Christian, Harry Potter is nothing compared to this.
Otherwise, the story is wonderful. The characters are real, and you actually care about them. In every way a superior read to Harry Potter. But if you're even remotely religious, you'll probably want to forget HIS DARK MATERIALS.
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Summary: Intelligent, challenging Children's literature
Review: These books are what the very best of Children's literature does. They are entertaining and fanciful, yet they simultaneously challenge and educate both the mind and heart. Like hot soup when you are sick, they are "Good and Good for You." "His Dark Materials" are a great counter-point to the mindless fun of Harry Potter and friends. Pullman's writing is educated and insightful, his characters are real and multi-faceted. The series is packed with adventure, ideas, beliefs, fantasy, talking armored bears, Texas Balloonists, animals, gypsies, and just about everything else. The tone of the series is serious, and as dark as the name implies. "Chronicles of Narnia;" "Prydain Chronicles;" "The Hobbit;" "Harry Potter;" "The Time Quartet;" "Wind in the Willows;" and now..."His Dark Materials." Philip Pullman, welcome to the club.
Rating: 
Summary: Grossly Disappointing -- definitely unsuitable for children
Review: In our home we read books together out loud as a family activity. We selected Pullman's His Dark Materials as a good set to read because of all the awards it received and because we enjoy fantasy series. Bad choice! The books are poorly written -- the last volume was so boring that my youngest kept dozing off -- and worse than that, the final message is NOT appropriate to children. I'm not a Christian, so I don't have a problem with Pullman's hatred of Catholicism. [Though, I do wonder if he wasn't one of those poor young alter boys who was abused by his priest years ago. That would explain his near hysteric anti-religious tone.] By the time he got around to killing God in the third volume, we were so tired of his bigotry that we all just laughed. What bothers me most about His Dark Materials is that Pullman tells us that in addition to God, Good and Evil are also dead. To prove this he turns his villians from the first volume (both of whom are child abusers and murderers) into semi-heroes by the third volume. And then in a final (totally unexplained) triumph he saves the universe by having two thirteen year-olds have sex! This man has serious problems. He has my symphathy. But, that doesn't mean we should expose children to his sick musings.
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