Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely spectacular!
Review: Northern Lights is one of the best books I've ever read. Philip Pullman is an amazing writer and has the power to control you through his books. Lyra Belacque is a young girl who lives in Jordan Colledge, Oxford. Her daemon's name is Pantalaimon and together they discover many things. Her friend, Roger, is kidnapped and Lyra goes North determined to find him. Her journey itself is marvelously described and very exciting. The North has armoured bears, with-queens with their clans and a charming, beautiful young lady with more than that to her personality. But what Lyra doesn't know is that her coming to rescue Roger will cause a lot more things to happen, including betrayel...
This book is brilliantly written and charmingly gripping. Truly a writer's masterpiece!
Rating: 
Summary: Illuminating Northern Lights
Review: Philip Pullman's book is a great read for non-fantasy fans, as well. Following in the footsteps of many classical novels (including "Brideshead Revisited" and "North and South", to name but two) it's essentially an Oxford book. Pullman's Oxford, with its mediaeval customs, is interestingly cross-fertilized with futuristic aspects. But there are other settings, with influences including semi-Amish for the gypsies, and of course, the far North. Genre-wise, academia meets sci-fi, with elements of odyssey (= journey). The characterisation offers a neat twist on "buddyship": an anti-heroine in the person of tomboyish, malevolent Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, who changes shapes at will. Daemons are similar to the human's soul, and all the human characters have them. In "Northern Lights", the villainy of Gobblers is interlinked with the phenomenon of Dust, with children, adults, and daemons. Non-human characters include witches and armed bears. The narrative teems with suspense, terror, love and tenderness, wringing a gamut of reactions from the reader. I enjoyed reading this. Pullman is inventive without being strained, clever without being arrogant or judgmental. The descriptions are spellbinding. A real page-turner for all ages - and by the way, Britain's National Theatre are apparently dramatising it, so keep an eye open!
Rating:
Summary: Eat Your Heart Out Harry!
Review: I'm reading this book because it(His Dark Matierials) ranked SO highly in The Big Read (number 5).I read it over a couple of days so it's easy to read,compulsive, and good fun.The prose,every paragraph is concise and not as disordered and messy as J.K.Rowlings. NOT as great as the media suggest(so far!).Also I'm forty and this is obviously a childrens book which is why I've maybe been a little generous with the mark.Am I alone also, in thinking Harry Potter can't cut the mustard when up against Lyra?I found it better than the Harry Potter books and, I think ,would have loved it when I was younger.I'm also hoping that it(the whole trilogy) will merit a 5/5 when I've finished.The concept of Daemons/severed children is clever and,emotionally,gives you something to 'hang on to'.I've found with some adult fantasy books that I've read recently that the respective authors really struggle to get you to care that much for characters outside the 'main cast' spectrum.I.E.Although HP's parents are dead,I've read too many of that type of cliche d device for it to really pull me in,though this could be due to age and too much experience again.Reading this,my first childrens book for a year,was very enjoyable but,as I said earlier,I hope for better in the next two volumes.
Rating:
Summary: A Book to Cherish
Review: Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, first book of His Dark Materials trilogy, is an absolutely astounding book. It is centred around a girl called Lyra with a distinct personality. Readers will immediatly be drawn to her spicy attitude to life. She is made to leave her normal life with curiosity of the fact she will travel with Mrs Coulter, who seems to Lyra like an interesting person, despite her odd thoughts about `Gobblers' and the mysterious disappearances going on.It is revealed Lyra has special powers.
You will be pulled face-first into Lyra's world. There are many mysteries that you will want to ponder too. If you like fantasy or adventure books, and that appeals to most people, read this book because it will thrill you the whole way through.
Rating:
Summary: Simply... WOW!
Review: This book is just... WOW! It is the story of Lyra and Pan, in a world similar to our own, yet vastly different. However, Pullman is clever and subtle in revealing this world to us, and by the end of it, it feels like this world could be our own, because we know it so subconsiously. The thing that really captivated me about this book, however, was Pan and daemons. It made me feel so lonely, like I wanted to have a daemon all of my own (and it wasn't til the next book that I found out I have!).
Rating: 
Summary: FYI
Review: "Northern Lights" (British title) is published in the United States as "The Golden Compass" and is the first volume in Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: KeWl Bo0K!
Review: This book in really good. I read it in year 4 and now I had to read it 4 english. I think that I got more out of it now than bak then. The plot is really interesting but slow at some points. If ur not in to fantacy u won't enjoy this book (Melissa!)
Rating:
Summary: Fully
Review: Like i fully like luved this book it is fully like the bomb baby. How much do yous fully luv this book? It is fully like the 1st and fully like the best bk ive eva read! How fully awsoeme am i? Luv yas alls.
Rating:
Summary: An Exciting and Suspenseful Read
Review: Northern Lights is a complicated and suspenseful book, with the right amount of adventure. I think that it had a sense of mystery in some places, yet was sometimes a bit uneventful. The book seems to indirectly challenge the church's power, yet does it so subtly that if you are reading it for pleasure, not evaluating it, you might miss some of the comments that are slipped in. This is a clever way of conveying and idea, and highlights some points. It made me consider the church's power over people in our world. Continuing the story in The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass really completes the book and your understanding.
In my opinion a great read with the right amount of everything!
Rating:
Summary: The book i once read by me
Review: I found this book unbearably boring at first and I was almost tempted to put it down but luckily it was compulsory for us to read it and I continued. Once I got into the book, and the storyline and plot developed, I became more involved in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have now proceeded to read the next two books in the series....You must read this book!
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