His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “MARVELOUS.”—The New Yorker • An Entertainment Weekly All-Time Greatest Novel • A Newsweek Top 100 Book of All Time • Winner of the Carnegie Medal • The Inspiration for the HBO Original Series His Dark Materials
DON’T MISS THE EPIC FINALE TO LYRA’S STORY: THE ROSE FIELD, AVAILABLE NOW!
Discover the modern fantasy classic that kicked off the epic trilogies His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust—a world where humans have animal familiars and parallel universes are within reach.
“Pullman is quite possibly a genius.”—Newsweek
A war is brewing in Lyra’s world between those who would keep people in ignorance and those willing to fight for freedom. Lyra is thrust into the middle of the conflict when her uncle Asriel comes to Oxford, fomenting rebellion, and when her best friend, Roger, suddenly disappears.
Lyra learns that Roger was kidnapped by a shadowy organization that is rumored to experiment on children. To find him, she will travel to the cold, far North, where armored bears and witch clans rule—and where Asriel is attempting to build a bridge to a parallel world.
What Lyra doesn’t know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other—and that her actions will have consequences not just in her world, but in all the worlds beyond.
Look for the modern fantasy classics of HIS DARK MATERIALS:
The Golden Compass • The Subtle Knife • The Amber Spyglass
And Lyra’s adventures continue in THE BOOK OF DUST:
La Belle Sauvage • The Secret Commonwealth • The Rose Field
DON’T MISS THE EPIC FINALE TO LYRA’S STORY: THE ROSE FIELD, AVAILABLE NOW!
Discover the modern fantasy classic that kicked off the epic trilogies His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust—a world where humans have animal familiars and parallel universes are within reach.
“Pullman is quite possibly a genius.”—Newsweek
A war is brewing in Lyra’s world between those who would keep people in ignorance and those willing to fight for freedom. Lyra is thrust into the middle of the conflict when her uncle Asriel comes to Oxford, fomenting rebellion, and when her best friend, Roger, suddenly disappears.
Lyra learns that Roger was kidnapped by a shadowy organization that is rumored to experiment on children. To find him, she will travel to the cold, far North, where armored bears and witch clans rule—and where Asriel is attempting to build a bridge to a parallel world.
What Lyra doesn’t know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other—and that her actions will have consequences not just in her world, but in all the worlds beyond.
Look for the modern fantasy classics of HIS DARK MATERIALS:
The Golden Compass • The Subtle Knife • The Amber Spyglass
And Lyra’s adventures continue in THE BOOK OF DUST:
La Belle Sauvage • The Secret Commonwealth • The Rose Field
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Community Reviews
It was far more complex than I expected a children's book to be, which could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. Pullman isn't particularly funny, his characters are somewhat peculiar at times, and his little girl doesn't always seem to act like a little girl. It's imaginative, but I'm not a big fantasy reader. When I went in search of an online "guide to The Golden Compass", I found articles on the author and some controversy regarding the novel's message.
Apparently, by his own admission, Pullman states that the series is about killing God.
I wasn't too comfortable with that, but I kept reading to see if it was really evident or something a child wouldn't read in quite the same light. My conclusion: an adult might catch some of that underlying message, but a child would miss it.
Apparently, by his own admission, Pullman states that the series is about killing God.
I wasn't too comfortable with that, but I kept reading to see if it was really evident or something a child wouldn't read in quite the same light. My conclusion: an adult might catch some of that underlying message, but a child would miss it.
I wanted to pre-read this for my daughter, age 8. The story was fun and had a good message. I think she'll love this world and want more. I really enjoyed how the British dialect came thru too.
This is kid fiction, so from an adult perspective I'd give it a 3 star.
This is kid fiction, so from an adult perspective I'd give it a 3 star.
I enjoyed this book and it's characters. This series started off strong, but failed to keep the energy and intensity throughout.
DNF. I really couldn't get through this. The beginning was really dull for me and maybe it picked up later on, but honestly you have to hook me in the beginning to keep me going.
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