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Summary: THIS IS THE ULTIMATE FANTASY BOOK! A MUST READ BOOK!
Review: This book was unbelieveable to me. I was truly astonished when I read this book. I am reading the second book right now (THE SUBTLE KNIFE). This book is with no doubt a must read! If you have read THE DARK IS RISING RISING SEQUENCE (which are all great) you will love this book. This was my favorite book I have everread. THIS IS VERY GREATLY RECOMENDED BOOK!!!
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Summary: Astonishing!
Review: The Golden Compass is a work of astounding imagination wrapped in even better storytelling. Pullman draws you into a fantastic world of heroic beauty and heartless cruelty as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Some have compared the work to Tolkien's trilogy, but whereas Tolkien leads you to believe in the lush reality of his world, Pullman makes you FEEL every glorious victory and crushing defeat viscerally, as if you were there. Intrigue, betrayal, heroic figures, despicable evil -- Pullman pulls no punches from start to finish; this book is as engrossing as it is emotionally exhausting. I have never grown to admire (or hate) fictional characters as much as the ones that I met in this book.
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Summary: READ THIS NOW
Review: I could go on and on about this wonderful book forever, but to spare anyone who has not yet read it and is thinking of reading "The Golden Compass", I whole heartedly implore you to pick it up and start reading before you waste another moment, because I can assure you you will be unable to stop. This book is sublime. Lyra, the heroine, is everything I have ever dreamed of. I love the Alanna series, Ella Enchanted, and heroines of the like, but Lyra, without a doubt, is up there among the most real because her short comings and strengths are so utterly human that I cannot help but wonder at the brilliance of Mr. Pullman's analytical skills. Pantalaimon, her Daemaon (or animal counterpart) is equally humorous and endearing. Iorek Byrnison, an armored bear living in exile is strong and rough yet utterly loveable, as are Lord Faa, Ma Costa, Farder Coram, Serafina Pekkala, and the like. Mrs. Coulter, the beautiful and intelligent leader of the General Oblation Board, and Lyra's uncle Lord Asriel are strong and dark to match any villains- but are they good are evil? Mr. Pullman shapes such complex figures it is hard to say. Once again, I marvel at Mr. Pullman's literary abilities. As an avid reader and long time lover of children's books (I am 13 and female), I consider myself lucky to have come across Mr. Pullman. Harry Potter and Lyra Belacqua in the same decade? We, the reading public, are blessed. From page one, Mr. Pullman takes his reader on a wild ride, with a climax in every chapter, and adventure and tricks around every bend. The suspense and surprise cease to end, and the prose are so beatiful and descriptive that I felt overwhelmed with the power of the Aurora, just as Lyra was, and pictured myself beside her, scrambling along the roofs of distinguished Jordan College. As Lyra edged her way North, I grew intoxicated with the power of Mr. Pullman's story telling, and fortunately, "The Subtle Knife" now awaits me in my bedroom to make sure I never awake from my blissful dream. If you love adventure, bursting imagination, fantasy, robust characters and incredible prose, I implore you once more to run to the nearest copy of "A Golden Compass" and dive in.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fabulous Book!
Review: The Golden Compass is a wonderful book! Being the first in a three book series written by Philip Pullman, it starts the series off with a bang! Lyra, the main character lives in a world much different from our own. In this world every human has a daemon (pronounced demon). A daemon is what you may call one's soul in an animal form. As you can tell from many events in this book, destiny and fate play a large role in all of the series, and it is fun to see how each event leads up to one another, much like in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, if you have ever read that. For a reader of my age group, some parts were hard to grasp at first, but in the end it was all pretty clear. This imaginative adventure will surely have readers of all ages entranced by the clever wording, the amazing creatures that rome the earth, and the mystical places that make up Lyra's world. The second one in the series, The Subtle Knife, was also a superb book and I'm sure the third, and last, in the series (The Amber Spyglass) will be as well, though, I myself have not read it yet.
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Summary: Imaginative but dull
Review: The world of The Golden Compass reminds me most of the Chronicles of Narnia. Because of this I'll make some comparisons with it. The Golden Compass is fantastic in a way akin to that of Narnia. In the main it departs from the cliched dwarfs and elves theme. Like the Chronicles of Narnia, the His Dark Materials trilogy is a fantasy with a serious bent and moralistic subcurrent. In all though I found His Dark Materials to be inferior. It was duller and at many points simply implausible even granting the flexibility due a fantasy and the rules laid out by the author in his fantasy world. This first book is comparable to Voyage of the Dawn Treader or The Magician's Nephew in terms of tedium. The Subtle Knife, the second book in the trilogy, is much more engaging and the most readable of the three by far. Coming across as much as a sci-fi book as a fantasy, the story drew me in to the relationships and internal conflicts of the characters and exuded a spirit of mystery and adventure. The Amber Spyglass though was a big disappointment after the adventure and drama of The Subtle Knife. It read like The Last Battle. The "story" should have been interesting but read more like a sequence of events of existentially bent morality. One more thing, the first two books of the trilogy can be read by young children but The Amber Spyglass I think should first be read by a parent. I definitely do not think it can be construed as an innocent childrens' story.
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Summary: The review on the Golden Compass by Ben Howe
Review: This book is set in a parallel world which is quite simular to our world as it was a century ago. In this world everyone has a demon, a sort of friend, advisor and protector, and no-one could even imagine living without them. The demon of a child can change to any animal form as often as it likes but once a person becomes grown-up it stays as one creature. A girl called Lyra also lives in this world and her demon is called Pantalailmon. She lives in an Oxford college and has never seen her parents. But more and more chldren are dissapearing in the local area and Lyra hears of the horrible rumours: the kidnappers are seperating the children from their demons! So Lyra makes her way into the north to save her friend Robert, with the aid of the golden compass, a magical insrument. On the way she meets dangerous armour-polarbears and flying witches which help her in her fight against the kidnappers and in the end she comes closer to the secret of the mysterious northern lights. This book is a mixture of adventure, thriller and fantasy genres. The part I liked best about this book was the amazing use of imagery on both charecters and settings. The only thing I disliked was that it took quite a long time to get into the story. I would reccomend this book to both adults and older children who like fiction.
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Summary: 'The Golden Compass' or 'Northern Lights'
Review: The magical story of Lyra Bevilacqua, a young girl who has grown up in a colledge, surrounded by people much older than herself, apart from the kitchen boy Roger. This is a FANTASTIC read as Lyra sets out on an epic journey, to find Roger once he has been taken by the, 'gobblers', you are immediately entranced. Roccomended for ages 10 - 13
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Summary: Think you don't like fantasy? Read this!
Review: I always said to people that I didn't like fantasy or science fiction novels. Then I bought this at a bookstore, and I couldn't put it down. The plot is so unique and original, and the world is so believable that you find yourself wishing that you too had a daemon companion. This is a great introduction to a fantastic series.
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Summary: The Golden Book
Review: This was an astounding book for many reasons. At first, it seemed to be a non-fiction book and I was almost turned away from it but my instincts told me to read on. What I found, was that the main character, Lyra, lived in a world that was in fact much different than the world in which we live. In Lyra's world, science, theology, and magic intertwine completely. All the children in Lyra's world are being kidnapped by "Gobblers" who follow Dust, a mysterious entity. Lyra and her friend Roger end up foiling the assassination of Lord Asriel, her uncle. As the book goes on, an interesting feeling comes over the reader. He actually gets lost and confused as to what is going on. Many would say this is bad, however, it adds to the atmosphere the book creates. Though the reader feels slightly lost, he knows that something bad is going on and this feeling coupled with the confusion makes the reader become entangled in this book very quickly. It is, in fact, this feeling of confusion and desperation that makes the reader actually know what Lyra must be going through. The simple theme of the fact that there are many different worlds, such as Lyra's compared to our own, makes those with any bit of an imagination ask the question, "What if this is all real?" The end makes the reader want to go out to the nearest book store and read the next two parts of the series.
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Summary: My Favorite Fantasy Book ever!
Review: This book makes you happy or sad! It is so well written! I love it! I have read all 3 books!
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