Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy, drama, mystery, soon-to-be classic, adventure!!!
Review: Lyra Belacqua, a precocious adolescent of unknown
background, lives in the care of the scholars at Jordan
College of Oxford University. The time period is ambiguous
and could be the distant past as easily as the future. Spunky and strong in character, Lyra discovers secrets about her own identity as she becomes involved in uncovering the hideous, clandestine research of misguided scientists. The
adventure leads Lyra to the Artic regions where the intrigue
is resolved. This is the first volume of a series which leaves the readers anxiously waiting for more. Highly recommended!
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Summary: Joe's Review
Review: Title: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Genre: Science FictionThe Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is very well written and entertaining. This fantasy about Lyra and Pantalaimon, her daemon, is exciting, scary, and adventurous. It would be horrible if this book didn't win any awards. There is a lot of suspence especially after the chapter when Lyra meets a Gobbler, or her mother, for the first time and doesn't know it's her because Lyra was told her parents were dead. The Gobblers, or the General Oblation Board, take the children to the North where they cut them from their daemons. Lyra meets many friends that are witches, bears, ands Gyptions. They fight evil while she learns about her past and what she must do. Lyra gets the golden compass which is really an alethiometer and has to learn how it works. The alethiometer is a truthmeasure that can answer any question you ask it. Lyra uses her friends and the alethiometer to gain knowledge about her parents who both want to get into the city inside the Northern Lights and eliminate original sin. It all starts when she hides in the retiring room where girls aren't supposed to go and she spies on her father. She sees the Master try to poison her father who is also Lord Asriel. In this exciting novel Lyra gets herself into trouble and almost always gets herself out of it.
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Summary: Wonderful for ALL ages
Review: The Golden Compass as well as the other books in His Dark Materials are amazing and incredibly well written. They can be read by children and enjoyed but adults when reading will better understand the hidden meanings and the deep and mind provoking story. Wonderful and amazing, hopefully the movies will be a success as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Ehhh
Review: I had heard a lot of promising things about this book and found it be just "okay." The story itself has much promise, and starting off I got myself ready for one of those whirlwind reads. It never even got off the ground. The writing is very bland and undescriptive, filled with chunky, somtimes awkward dialogue. With a story based in what appears to be an alternate reality of our world, there is so much more that could be done with actually desribing the settings and even people, so readers can get a vivid feal for the storyline.
This is tolerable in the first half of the book, but in what should be some of the most exciting parts of the book, I've experienced the most anticlimatic storytelling of my life. It really feels like the author had so much he wanted to include he was just too impatient to actually include fillers for entertainment value. Instead it's and this happens and this happens and this happens, all one right after another, within pages of a few paragraphs of conversation.
And naggingly, but not so important, is the not so subtle context. When dealing with a reality based entirely on things that are very familiar, I found the use of skewing current words and phrases to make new words for this book more than irritating. Ethinicities, simple nouns, languages; the author just kind of adds a letter to the regular spelling to make it new an improved. Either take somethign very familiar and put it on a slant that makes people think, or create something totally off the wall and include what you know.
I realize that this is a young adult book, but honestly I wouldnt have been entertained by this book when I was younger and it wasnt very entertaining now. If its wasnt for the promise this book has I would have probably rated it lower.
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Summary: A wonderful trilogy debut
Review: The Golden Compass is a rich and darkly written book suitable for children and adults. The author deftly reveals the setting as part of the action and builds the tension and threats to Lyra to the end of the novel. This is book one of a trilogy called His Dark Materials (a nod to Milton's Paradise Lost). The beginning and the ending are the most fast-paced and interesting, and the story does slow down in the middle as Lyra travels with the gyptians northward. I found the story entertaining, thought-provoking, and unpredictable. By the time I reached the climax, Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon were real people to me, and the world seemed as genuine as our own.
Rating: 
Summary: Rather underwhelming...
Review: After hearing so much about this work of fiction, I was rather underwhelmed by the predictable narrative. It conveys neither passion, nor thought; it is neither inspiring, nor thought provoking. It is anti-religious, but offers nothing to the reader in terms of finding value, meaning or faith in the non-religious world.
Other than that :) the wording is precise; the reading is smooth, although somewhat boring and utterly forgettable.
Rating:
Summary: Some Books Degrade with the Age of the Reader
Review: [...] It was an OK/average book if you are under 11 years old (Lyra's age) or have an I.Q. under 100. This book is completely predictable and consequently anti-climactic to anyone with decent maturity and reasoning skills. The writing style starts out OK (1st 20 pages) and then I think Mr. Pullman got bored said "heck with it. Let's put some product out there and make some money." I won't be buying the 2 sequels. Don't even compare it to Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is a far better writer than Mr. Pullman. However, that is not to say that Rowling is as good as Tolkien or Susanna Clarke. Buy it for your kid, but don't insult your own intelligence by deigning to read it. Pullman is still however, much better than Tim LaHaye of LEFT BEHIND series fame. LaHaye and R.A. Salvatore are the absolute bottom of the barrel. They should be arrested for putting pen to paper as far as I am concerned.
Rating: 
Summary: The Golden Compass
Review: Rohan 11/24/04
Book Report
Title: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy
Lyra Belacqua lives a happy life with the scholars, In Jordan College never going to school. She rarely gets to see her uncle, the famous Lord Asriel. When he comes to visit from the north she spies on his presentation to the scholars about a sort of chemical called Dust which effects the human adult, but doesn't effect children. He also says that the Gobblers (creatures that kidnap kids) have been taking kids to the north to experiment with them. When he is ready to leave back to the north Lyra asks him if she can come with him. He refuses to take her, but he gives her a golden object that looks like a compass. He calls it an "Alethiometer."
Once he leaves Lyra meets a very nice woman named Mrs. Coulter in a party at Jordan. Mrs. Coulter takes Lyra to her residence to live and help her with her mapping. After time Mrs. Coulter gets mean and starts shouting at her, so during a cocktail party at Mrs. Coulter's place Lyra runs away. While she is out alone in the city she finds some Gyptians (people who she didn't like when she was in Jordan College.) They take her to their water boat/house, and take care of her. She meets their leader, an intelligent tall man, who tells her what the Alethiometer is for. He says that it answers the questions that it asks you by pointing to three of the many symbols on it. He also arranges for an attempt to get the kids back from the Gobblers in the north. She is denied again to go to the north, but she sneaks into one of the boats and goes to the north to save the kids with the Gyptians.
This book has a lot of good writing and descriptions. It isn't too easy and not too hard. It was very easy to follow the story, and I really enjoyed it. The author didn't put so much description that it was boring, and not so little that I didn't know what was going on. I could imagine the story happening.
This book is the first of a series of three books. I really liked this story's theme and conflict, which is mainly saving all of the kids that have been captured by the Gobblers. I will definitely read the rest of the series. Out of five I give this book a four because of such a good story line.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK ROCKS!
Review: This book was an hidden gem to me. I didn't know much about this book and its story line. I was completely captivated by the story and Lyra. I really enjoyed the mixing of magic, theology, and science, as well as the daemons.
Pullman's imagination develops a great world, that the young and old will enjoy to read. The story introduces us to Lyra and an Oxford that differs from our own. The people of this world all have a daemon that is connected to the individual's soul. The mystery unfolds as we find that children are disappearing. When Lyra's friend disappears then Lyra starts the search for him and why the children are being taken. The search take the reader to the North Pole and we meet a number of different people and characters along the way.
I haven't read the remaining two books in the trilogy, but they won't be far behind. Enjoy this book and world that is created. Younger children will also be captivated by the story.
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Summary: An adventure that leaves you waiting for more...
Review: I bought "The Golden Compass" while waiting in the San Francisco Airport during a 9 hour layover. I love reading children's books and the cover looked interesting. However, I was unable to keep my eyes open and fell asleep until the announcer kindly woke me up to tell me I had to get on my plane. Somehow the book ended up in the trunk of my car and remained there for about 2 years. One cold night when I was stuck waiting to pick someone up, I went rummaging around in there and found it. So I started reading. I didn't stop reading until the next morning (well, despite the half hour when I hurriedly dropped my friend off and flew back to my house to keep reading). I scoured the local bookstores for the two sequels the next day.
The Golden Compass begins a trilogy that takes you through the mind and spirit of one brave and amazing little girl. It explores spirituality, theology, "magic" (if you can call it that), and just the trauma and joy of growing up. It's a beautiful beginning. Overall, it is a story about growing up, about finding out what innocence really is, and about finding yourself.
You will, however, need to buy all three books at one time. You'll be left with more questions than answers after this one. And, I'd have to say, this is a book for mature children. I'm not saying a kid couldn't handle this, I'm saying it has to be a mature individual, one able to understand abstract concepts and ideas. And one who is open to new ideas and ways of looking at things. This trilogy could really scare some kids. It reminded me a lot of when I read The Last Battle
by C. S. Lewis. I was in 5th grade. Didn't quite scare me, I'd have to say, but shook me, deeply. This book has the same quality.
It's a fantastic adventure and any young person could identify themselves with Lyra or the other main characters. A definate read for the mature young adult.
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