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Summary: Pullman didn't have to write such a stupid book
Review: This book had cuss words that could have easily been avoided as well as many other inappropriate things..don't waste your time on this book. The even altered the BIBLE in this book. STEP AWAY
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Summary: Don't let your kids read this!
Review: This book is not appropriate for children! I am very open-minded but my (very advanced) 10 year old read this book and was really bothered by it - I took a look and my 10 year was right! This had horrible underlying themes - don't waste your money on a series that is titled "His dark materials". I took for granted since had won several awards it was ok - it's not.
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Summary: Listen to the audio!
Review: I have listened to The Golden Compass for the second time, and it has lost none of its spellbinding nature the second time around. The production is superb, and the characterizations by the readers full of drama, enhancing a book that already stands on its own. Lyra, the main character, is a strong female protagonist, like Sally Lockhart of Pullman's other trilogy, The Sally Lockhart Trilogy, although younger. Ideas such as "dust" and the creation of "daemons" keep you intrigued. One character I tho't was weak, however, was Lee Scoresby, the Texan aeronaut. I think Pullman created him after John Wayne,of whom I'm not fond. There are so many interesting characters (e.g. Mrs. Coulter, Iorek Byrneson (sp?) the armored bear, the gyptians, etc), however, that we can forgive Pullman one less than stellar creation.I think this is a series that teens 14 and up would enjoy. It has some violence and a dark tone to it, but it's far more benign than many books for that age group, yet enough to keep a teen's interest. Pullman's writing has a lot of depth, and I personally encouraged my 14 yr old son to read it (and he has expressed an interest when he heard part of the audio production.). But please don't compare it to JK Rowling's books--yes, they both have witches, but the tone is very different and the stories appeal to a much older crowd.
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Summary: The best Books I have ever read!
Review: This book is #1 in the "His Dark Materials Trilogy". I am 15 and these are the best books that I have ever read. If you like Harry Potter, you'll love these, and vice versa. I even preferred thes 3 magnificent books to Harry potter. They are beautifully written, and they end beautifully... A huge reccomendation that you read them!!! Philip Pullman has an amazing imagination!
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Summary: A children's book this is NOT
Review: When this book was first released the reviews were glowing, but they all mentioned it as a children's book. Well, I wasn't really interested in reading a children's book, so I never got around to reading it. But then a freind gave me the audio cassettes, knowing how much I like audio dramas. I was astounded, both the the terrific performances and the amazing story! The story was so unique and complex, and the charaters so compelling that when I finished listening to it, I had to go get the book and read it too. IT IS JUST THAT GOOD!!! Other than the central character being an 11 year old girl, there is nothing childish or child like about this book. In fact, if I were a parent, I might want to read it first just to be sure it isn't a little too potent for my child. There is much deception and duplicity and it is sometimes difficult to know who is on the side of "good." There is also more than a bit of violence. Innocent children are hurt and killed, and the "evil doers" are not always vanquished. That being said, I cannot recommend this book highly enough for adult or young adult readers. That goes for the audio version as well. The audio version is narrated by the author with some excellent performances by top actors from the London stage.
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Summary: Six stars, actually !
Review: Start with a score of ten out of ten, then keep adding. In The Golden Compass (originally entitled Northern Lights when published in UK in 1995), Philip Pullman sets us on the first of three adventures that involve an all-heroine character called Lyra Belacqua. Lyra lives the life of a tomboy with her friend, Roger, but all that changes when Roger is abducted and an attempt is made on her uncle's life. From that point on, we cheer with Lyra, we hurt with Lyra, we laugh with Lyra. So strong is the bond that Pullman weaves between reader and protagonist that Lyra's emotions and our emotions become as one. The fundamental religious bigots have had a field day with His Dark Materials Trilogy (of which The Golden Compass is just the first part). And then the swing-'em-low feminists got at it too! Unbelievable, that! And yet Pullman does no more that Milton in Paradise Lost as he explores the themes of good and evil, love and hate. To tear apart this book, based on the fact that you want a hero not a heroine, or on the Christianity premise, is to miss the beauty and genius of this writing - just because Pullman is clever enough to blur the edges of black and white in places (maybe this confuses the fundamentalists). But the witches, the armored bears, Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel all represent the opposing forces that can be used either for good or for bad. Pullman's theme is as old as time, and his characters are as believable as you and me. In The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman has written a masterpiece that transcends genre. It is a children's book that will appeal to adults - or maybe an adult book that children will find fascinating - a fantasy that will melt the most hardened heart. There is genuine terror in this book; genuine heartbreak. There is betrayal and there is loss. But there is also love, loyalty, and an abiding morality that infuses the story without overwhelming it. This is a 'keeper'.
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Summary: Best book I've read for a loonnnnng time!
Review: This book was so wonderful and exciting! I started the book a while ago, but I kept on getting stuck in the beginning. It took me a month to get over the beginnning.... It was sooo boring. But then it got sooo exciting I couldn't stop! I love this book! I'm starting to read the second book~ can't wait till I'm done with all of them!!!!
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Summary: A gorgeous, soaring book
Review: I usually don't like fantasy books at all (I don't think I've been able to finish a single one, and I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books or Tolkien), so I was prepared to hate this book when I got it as a gift a few years ago. Indeed, I tried to read it several times and couldn't get past the first ten pages or so (I even tried listening to it on tape, which was no help). However, years after I first attempted this book, a friend told me that she had just finished it and I absolutely had to read it. Plucking it off my shelf, I struggled through the initial slowness and confusion of the first few pages and quickly found myself deeply entrenched in the story. I could hardly put it down--the writing is exquisite, the description mesmerizing, and the plot, convoluted as it may be, was actually fairly straightforward, once I thought about it for a while. Several times I found myself literally on the edge of my seat--which usually doesn't happen when I read a book. This novel is rich with glorious description, which would have annoyed me a good deal, if it had been written by someone without such a deliberate eye and gift for expression. Throughout the entire book I was able to picture where I was--it was so detailed, in fact, that I think I would be able to find my way around Bolvangar if I woke up there one morning. I suspect many aspects of this book might turn someone off from reading it. Obviously, it has offended many, whose railings against this book I suggest you take little heed of, if you have any imagination and curiosity at all. In addition, the book has dozens of characters and many confusing parts that are only explained after you are thoroughly confounded, if at all. The setting changes dramatically, and often it's hard to remember exactly how you've gotten from one place to the next. But that is all part of the novel's beauty--that it changes and evolves so fluidly, you don't even realize it. I found myself remembering characters like old friends--when Lyra mentions the Palmerian Professor nearly twenty chapters (and a lifetime, it seemed) after he was first introduced, I felt that flicker of recognition you get when remembering someone you haven't thought of in a long time. The world Philip Pullman created was very recognizable (the streets of 19th century London and Oxford), which helped a lot in the beginning, especially since I had to get used to the idea of the daemon and some of the other things unique to his world. I've always been interested in "the North" and Arctic exploration, so when it was revealed that Lyra was enchanted by this as well, I was completely thrilled. I loved all the characters, even the evil ones. It's not a terribly funny book, but there are amusing moments that lighten it somewhat. And to the person who said that "the polar bear reminded me of the Coke commercials"...I have difficulty understanding exactly why, since polar bears are actually fixtures of the Arctic region, and not just a commercial symbol. I doubt that the actual bears would remind you very much of the Coke bears. And I don't think the Coke bears would be capable of what Iorek was able to do. It should be clear by now that I love this book...I highly recommend it, especially to adults. I think I appreciated it more now (at 18) than I would have at a younger age. Read "The Golden Compass" and don't listen to those who are unable to question and wonder about "the majesty and vastness of the universe."
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Summary: The Golden Compass
Review: This book was so good. If you start reading it you will probably find it boring in the beginning but it gets much better. I may have given this book 4 stars but that is only because of the beginning other wise I would give it 5 stars. This book takes place in some other kind of world. Everyone has some kind of mysterious companion called a daemon. You never really learn too much about them in this book but all you find out is that everyone has one and they can change into any animal they want until you have grown up. Their final shape represents you and your personality. When I first found this out I was intrigued and couldn't stop reading. You have to read this book because you find out some pretty mysterious things in the end.
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Summary: Exciting, Out of This World Reading! Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: For those of you who are tired of reading conventional books, this is a book that takes you into other worlds where you explore them right along with Lyra. It's a non-stop adventure book that keeps going, pulling you along wiht it. When this book ends you will want to grab the next book and keep reading to find out what happens. For thoes who dream of adventure, but can't seem to find any, this book is you ticket out of this world. "The Golden Compass" makes you wonder what it would be like if that is the world we lived in. I would recomend this book to anyone who is an avid reader. I couldn't put the book down and was dissapointed when the book ended. I couldn't wait to get back to the libary to get the next book!
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