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Summary: The Golden Compass
Review: This is a very good book. It takes place in Oxford, England, and shows the life of a half-wild little girl growing up there. everything suddenly changes when The Gobblers turn up. They are people who snatch children away. A very suspensful book, I could hardly wait to get the next one. The books are like chapters. Where one ends, you think, Thats not an ending! but you can't wait to rerad the next one.
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Summary: Amazing Imagery
Review: Philip Pullman has an amazing way of painting pictures with words. He has a unique talent, I think, for creating characters and scenes that are just familiar enough to be believealbe and able to be related to, and at the same time just unfamiliar and exotic enough to kindle the imagination and keep the pages turning.Animator Hayao Miyazaki needs to see this movie. The heroine and her daemon reminded me a lot of the heroine and her cat in his film "Kiki's Delivery Service". I think Miyazaki could have done a splendid job making this book into an animated film.
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Summary: Different...
Review: This is the weirdest book I have ever read. It wasn't bad, but if you aren't a big fan of science fiction you probably won't like it as much.
The first few chapters are good, and so are the last. I didn't understand half of what the characters were talking about, though. And SO MUCH of it was sci fi, I couldn't read large amounts of it at once.
But this book does have some GREAT things about it. The deamons are great! So is the concept that they can't be very far away from you, and that they change shape until they get to be a certain age. One of the charcters in the series' deamon stayed a dolphin, so he must always be on a boat or near his daemon.
The Golden Compass was cool, too.
There were a lot of parts I didn't like. A lot of things are mixed in together, and at least I didn't understand them. First of all, Lyra's uncle is fighting some religous war. He's also searching for this mysterious thing called " dust", which humans have never heard of. Then there's the Texan aeronaut. Plus, there's those witches, one of whom has a goose for a daemon. At the end there's a place with all of those kids, who are having their daemons tkaen away, which I still don't get. And the whole thing ties in with the Northern lights. Most of it takes place in the snow, but some of it takes place at Oxford and Jordan colleges. Then there's those talking bears. And then those Angels. Plus ther'e the bad guy ( girl) who isn't very nice. I read this book when I was eleven, but I can't wait to read it again. I think if they did a good job, a movie would be cool.
So I do reccomend this book. Older people might like it more.
Truthfully, I loved and hated this book.
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Summary: Harry Potter For Grown Ups
Review: Actually, this first book in Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy is probably written for pre-teens and the like. But who is to say that adults can't suspend their imagination and that grab that magic carpet ride into the world of make believe? Lyra Belacqua, our main character, lives among the hallowed halls of Oxford in an England of an alternate universe. But don't let that put you off for there are parallel universes that she will discover - one of them being our own. For once she hears of the magical Dust, rumored to posses some pretty profound properties, her adventure (and ours) begins like a whirlwind. This is an epic fantasy reminiscent of C.S. Lewis or Madeleine L'Engle. Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, take off to wonderous places that appear familiar to us at first blush. A daemon, by the way, is a small creature that can take various forms and serves the same kind of role that, say, my generation would attribute to Jimeny Cricket. Still, armored bears (who have first and last names - and can talk!) witches, "Gobblers" who steal children, all populate this novel, along with the alethiometer (the golden compass of the title) to make this a fantasy adventure that whisks us along like Indiana Jones at his best. The bad news is that the book ends much too quickly for my taste, but the good news is that there is another one that follows. A friend of mine, upon receiving a copy of a McCullough's autobiography of MacArthur at a News Years party, turned to her husband and said, "Ill start this as soon as I'm finished with Harry Potter". Adults can make that journey to the land of make believe, and can fly, with their imaginations, to Never-Never Land. Pullman's trip, however, is even better. Hang on and enjoy the ride!
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Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: This book was intruiging and it caught my attention right away. It didn't let me go. Lyra lives in a world similar to our own, however there are some fundamental differences. The church is very controling in Lyra's world, and every human has a companion known as a daemon wo is actually a part of them. There have been strange happenings recently with children dissapearing. When Lyra's best friend is kidnapped, something has to be done. And many life-changing things happen. I recomend this book to junior/senior high aged people who like a good fantasy book. However, my mom read it too and she loved it. After reading this, I encourage you to read the other two books in the trillogy, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Without them, your reading experience will be incomplete.
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Summary: The Bible of fantasy books - almost literally!!
Review: This book is a must for all fantasy readers. It's not the way that Pullman uses description or the characters that he invented, but the very plot itself that makes it a brilliant read. And you can't say that for many fantasy books. The plot in The Golden Compass (or as I know it: Northern Lights) is full of everything any reader would want. But this book is not only for fantasy lovers; it is set in a world like our just in a different time period. Pullman also did not over do it with the fantasy. There are no dragons or fairies or princess in towers waiting to be rescued. In fact, the whole trilogy is loosely based on Milton's Paradise Lost and this book introduces you to it. The book is mainly directed towards sensible and mature children (and adults!) over 10 years old because it deals with some matters that young children might not understand especially in the last several chapters so be warned. Also, the book takes some time to get into but if you keep reading it'll get clearer so if you buy it and then freak out on the first page just keep going, it's mainly at the end that the action begins. This is a book that I think everyone should read because the older you are the differently you will read and understand it. I have read it almost 100 times and I am still not bored of it!!!! Just like Harry Potter, Animal Farm and Lord Of The Rings, it is something you have to read in your life.
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Summary: Immensely complex, imaginative and DARK story
Review: This is the first installment of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy. First of all, I have to warn you that this is no ordinary children's book. If your idea of children's fantasy is Harry Potter (no offence), this book sits at far end of your bookshelf. This is immensely complex, imaginative and most of all DARK story. The book starts out innocently enough with a young girl Lyra and her daemon, a pet/alter-ego, called Pantalaemon. But you will soon find out that the leading character Lyla is not a typical fantasy heroin. Often times, she is very self-centered. She is emotional. She is mischievous. She charms, she lies and she curses. Other characters are equally unusual. As you go through the volumes you will encounter armored polar bear, warrior-witches who mate human males (excuse me isn't this a children's book?), roller skating elephant people, gay angels, dragonfly riding spy fairies and assassin priest. Number of readers rated this book very negatively. I believe that is partly because of somewhat mature content (violence, emotion, complexity, etc.), but most of all, due to the story's anti-church authority, if not anti-Christ underlying theme. I was not least bothered by it. In fact I think the trilogy will live to stand with classics such as Narnia and the Rings. They why didn't I give 5 stars? Well, it is because of the leading character, Lyra. For the same reasons what makes this book unusual, she is a character you love to hate.
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Summary: BORING
Review: I picked this book because everyone told me that it was good but the truth is that it is BORING. Even when I got to the 300/400pg. book it was still boring with no action but confusing words that regular people wouldn't know. (Like Dark Matter) In short don't waste your time on this book
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Summary: will adults love this book?
Review: I read about this series in the NY Times Book review and I was intrigued enough to buy The Golden Compass.I read the book in one sitting during a cross country plane trip and I must admit that it kept my attention. Pullman is an imaginative author and his book deserves acclaim. But better than Harry? A good read for adults? I don't know about that. It is awfully long and I found myself skimming the final 100+ pages just to find out how it all turns out.
The other day I was standing in a bookstore with the sequel in my hand. I read the first page and put the book back on the shelf. I guess that tells you all you have to know.
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Summary: Lyra Conquers Her Problems
Review: The Golden Compass is a great book in which Lyra Belacqua encounters and conquers many problems. These problems and their resolutions create action and suspense that will make you never want to put the book down. The Gobblers (a group of people who kidnap children) take one of Lyra's friend and also many Egyptian children. Lyra runs away from her guardian and gets adopted by the Egyptians. The Egyptians can't take the Gobblers any more and send and expedition north to rescue any children caught by the Gobblers. Lyra goes along and unlocks mysteries and finds more mysteries to unlock. The adventure never ends. Throughout the story you learn more about the characters that you wouldn't have thought of in the beginning. In the beginning Lyra is just a mischivious girl and by the end she is still mischievious but also courageous, smart, and cunning. I find suspense and adventure interesting and this book is full of suspense and adventure which is why I give it 5 stars.
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