10.3k reviews for:

The Golden Compass

Philip Pullman

4.07 AVERAGE


3.5
adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

4/5 stars

Definitely think the full-cast audiobook was the right way to go into this for me personally. I'm not usually someone who likes animal familiars or talking animals but I did enjoy them in this instance.

'As a passionate believer in the democracy of reading, I don't think it's the task of the author of a book to tell the reader what it means.

The meaning of a story emerges in the meeting between the words on the page and the thoughts in the reader's mind. So when people ask me what I meant by this story, or what was the message I was trying to convey in that one, I have to explain that I'm not going to explain.

Anyway, I'm not in the message business; I'm in the "Once upon a time" business.'

Really want to read this book... First of the series was meh. Second was amazing.

In terms of authors understanding then I'm confused as to his reaction to those who read religious texts and have some faith, and his disrespect for faith. I am a massive atheist and believe in nothing except whichever philosophical understanding of humanity and morality I chose to adhere to. I agree that zealots are a bad thing. I hate that people taking some sense of faith where their morals align with whatever the morals are of pullman then he'd still consider them something worth dismissing. It doesn't exactly enagege the education encouraged by the books. It does however adhere to the 'pull man' ideology. For anyone who doesn't get that it means his manually utilising hands to excite his penis, which probably then provided translucent fluids which could but statistically majority wise didn't go anywhere. The term wanking could be used.

pretty dull actually, but enough interesting parts and ideas to keep ya going.
adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

10h, 58m
Very good pacing
adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
adventurous hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No