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megan_reads_daily's review against another edition
5.0
Such imagination
Great story and excellent writing. This is an inspiring piece of work. Now I need to read “The Book of Dust”!
Great story and excellent writing. This is an inspiring piece of work. Now I need to read “The Book of Dust”!
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
I already have this series individually, but this compendium is just lovely (and I found it half price, so couldn't resist).
Still a favourite after many many years. Dialogue is a touch clumsier for adult ears perhaps, but the bones of the story still enjoyable. One for the imagination to soak in.
Still a favourite after many many years. Dialogue is a touch clumsier for adult ears perhaps, but the bones of the story still enjoyable. One for the imagination to soak in.
faeonyx's review against another edition
3.0
After having attempted to read this trilogy once before and failing miserably, I finally decided to sit down and finish it. Much of the story left me feeling indifferent to it. This is one of those books that I did not love, but also did not hate. There wasn't a strong draw of emotion until about the last 200 pages or so.
The story follows Lyra and her daemon through different dangerous adventures. First to save the children that are disappearing and then later to discover more about the mysterious Dust. The story, at the heart, was interesting enough with a pull to get to the end, but I found the main character (Lyra) to be fairly unlikable through much of the book. She changes, and improves, as readers move through the entirety of the trilogy, but it was difficult to move beyond the selfish, base characterization of her in the beginning.
What this story did well was to bring the discoveries, theories, and questions of scientific experimentation into the minds of readers, especially younger readers. It deals with fantastical ideas and something that could be considered magic, but gives it a basis in scientific discovery instead of grounding it firmly in unexplained myth and magic. The interesting part about this is that even when scientists are introduced from a world very much like our own, there is still an element of magical wonder to these discoveries. I believe that the story itself explores the importance of experimentation, or even play, in the scientific fields and explains these things in terms that nearly anyone can understand and identify with. Instead of taking place in a laboratory with strict rules and expensive machinery, much of the discovery takes place by the characters interacting with the open world.
His Dark Materials leaves us with an interesting realm in which science and magic exist beside each other, but it also warns against the dangerous power of a hive-mind like religious faith. Many others have claimed that the books are a decisive push against religion altogether, but it seems to comment far less on individual, personal religious faith and pushes against the sort of institutionalized conglomeration of organized, commercialized religion instead. It comments, primarily, on the state of things when the church as an infallible organization, steps in to guide and dictate scientific and philosophical discovery. However, the other themes in the books could suggest that there is a way in which these very different systems can exist peacefully together. After all, there are magical beings such as witches and angels, and even talking bears lurking just around the corner.
Another enjoyable theme in the book seems to be commenting on the fact that it is quite likely that humans as we know them are not existing entirely on their own in the world. In fact, there could be many worlds, which was a theory the church strove to cover up as heresy in Lyra's world specifically. It comments on the advances that can be made when different groups of people, sometimes even from different worlds, set aside these differences and work together for a common goal. The idea is that instead of letting the group be ruled by religious belief and superstition, let the group be ruled by reason and imagination.
Overall, there were parts of the series that evoked strong emotion, but I was left wishing that the intensity of those moments had been carried through the entire book. The use of the Church as the villain became a little tiresome in some places. Just when the story seemed to move in an interesting direction, the reader was always guided back to Church as an organization is bad. There are lessons to be taken away from the series, and I would recommend it in the future, but I was left with few strong feelings about the story and the message in the end. In short, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.
The story follows Lyra and her daemon through different dangerous adventures. First to save the children that are disappearing and then later to discover more about the mysterious Dust. The story, at the heart, was interesting enough with a pull to get to the end, but I found the main character (Lyra) to be fairly unlikable through much of the book. She changes, and improves, as readers move through the entirety of the trilogy, but it was difficult to move beyond the selfish, base characterization of her in the beginning.
What this story did well was to bring the discoveries, theories, and questions of scientific experimentation into the minds of readers, especially younger readers. It deals with fantastical ideas and something that could be considered magic, but gives it a basis in scientific discovery instead of grounding it firmly in unexplained myth and magic. The interesting part about this is that even when scientists are introduced from a world very much like our own, there is still an element of magical wonder to these discoveries. I believe that the story itself explores the importance of experimentation, or even play, in the scientific fields and explains these things in terms that nearly anyone can understand and identify with. Instead of taking place in a laboratory with strict rules and expensive machinery, much of the discovery takes place by the characters interacting with the open world.
His Dark Materials leaves us with an interesting realm in which science and magic exist beside each other, but it also warns against the dangerous power of a hive-mind like religious faith. Many others have claimed that the books are a decisive push against religion altogether, but it seems to comment far less on individual, personal religious faith and pushes against the sort of institutionalized conglomeration of organized, commercialized religion instead. It comments, primarily, on the state of things when the church as an infallible organization, steps in to guide and dictate scientific and philosophical discovery. However, the other themes in the books could suggest that there is a way in which these very different systems can exist peacefully together. After all, there are magical beings such as witches and angels, and even talking bears lurking just around the corner.
Another enjoyable theme in the book seems to be commenting on the fact that it is quite likely that humans as we know them are not existing entirely on their own in the world. In fact, there could be many worlds, which was a theory the church strove to cover up as heresy in Lyra's world specifically. It comments on the advances that can be made when different groups of people, sometimes even from different worlds, set aside these differences and work together for a common goal. The idea is that instead of letting the group be ruled by religious belief and superstition, let the group be ruled by reason and imagination.
Overall, there were parts of the series that evoked strong emotion, but I was left wishing that the intensity of those moments had been carried through the entire book. The use of the Church as the villain became a little tiresome in some places. Just when the story seemed to move in an interesting direction, the reader was always guided back to Church as an organization is bad. There are lessons to be taken away from the series, and I would recommend it in the future, but I was left with few strong feelings about the story and the message in the end. In short, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.
kaynim's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book series that left me stunned for days after finishing it.
jtrogers1992's review against another edition
4.0
Ultimately really enjoyed this! Like all “children’s lit” the allegories can be overly directly but much like the chronicles of Narnia that doesn’t mean they don’t work. Glad to have this on my shelf.
erasmios's review against another edition
4.0
Northern Lights - January 27, 2020
Finished the first book yesterday and here I'm wondering how on earth I never read this book as a kid. Luckily the quality of writing is high and there's enough depth for adults too. I really like the idea of people having their own animal companion and the relationship between them was told brilliantly. The story and the world seem very mysterious in the beginning, but the mysteries begin to unfold very naturally, page after page. Northern Lights was quite a page-turner for me. The characters are great, feel real and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I found Lyra very interesting. She's strong, courageous and loyal, but she's also a compulsive liar, sassy and in the end just a little kid who gets scared and cries when she's hopeless. Northern Lights is a great adventure, very sad and also violent. I didn't know much about it and was surprised at how dark and brutal it can be or how straightforwardly it criticises religion. I don't know why, but I expected it to be more childish like Harry Potter for example. Sometimes the narration was a little too vague for my taste, especially in some action sequences, and a few times things ended up very conveniently for Lyra, but I didn't mind too much because it still fitted the general narrative style. I really liked Northern Lights and I can't wait to start The Subtle Knife.
The Subtle Knife - April 4, 2020
Every time I was reading this book, it felt like I returned to my childhood, which is interesting because I never read these books as a kid. There are many things going on in The Subtle Knife as it's not only Lyra's story anymore but also Will's. It was very interesting to learn about the different worlds, their history and lore. I liked how our world connects with the story. This time it isn't as adventurous as the first part, however, there's more action, more tension and the stakes are higher. There are surprises, tragedies and of course several familiar faces. I think I like Lyra more than Will as a character, so I was a little disappointed that she's not the main character in this book. Some curious questions were also left unanswered (like Lee Scoresby's mother's ring) but hopefully, they're answered in the next book.
The Amber Spyglass - January 17, 2021
I'm just really impressed with how Pullman managed to make sense of everything that was going on by the end of the third part. I also really admire his brutal honesty, considering that this book is meant to be read by children. I'm not sure you could (and probably should not) make a children's book any more honest than what His Dark Materials is. It's gut-wrenching, bittersweet and rough. There's no sugarcoating here, but every adventure is deadly, dangerous and lonely. It often reminded me of The Neverending Story, how the increasingly fantastic events follow one another. From the beginning, the story's been rolling towards an inevitable end which turns out frustratingly cruel and yet very satisfying. Would definitely recommend it.
Finished the first book yesterday and here I'm wondering how on earth I never read this book as a kid. Luckily the quality of writing is high and there's enough depth for adults too. I really like the idea of people having their own animal companion and the relationship between them was told brilliantly. The story and the world seem very mysterious in the beginning, but the mysteries begin to unfold very naturally, page after page. Northern Lights was quite a page-turner for me. The characters are great, feel real and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I found Lyra very interesting. She's strong, courageous and loyal, but she's also a compulsive liar, sassy and in the end just a little kid who gets scared and cries when she's hopeless. Northern Lights is a great adventure, very sad and also violent. I didn't know much about it and was surprised at how dark and brutal it can be or how straightforwardly it criticises religion. I don't know why, but I expected it to be more childish like Harry Potter for example. Sometimes the narration was a little too vague for my taste, especially in some action sequences, and a few times things ended up very conveniently for Lyra, but I didn't mind too much because it still fitted the general narrative style. I really liked Northern Lights and I can't wait to start The Subtle Knife.
The Subtle Knife - April 4, 2020
Every time I was reading this book, it felt like I returned to my childhood, which is interesting because I never read these books as a kid. There are many things going on in The Subtle Knife as it's not only Lyra's story anymore but also Will's. It was very interesting to learn about the different worlds, their history and lore. I liked how our world connects with the story. This time it isn't as adventurous as the first part, however, there's more action, more tension and the stakes are higher. There are surprises, tragedies and of course several familiar faces. I think I like Lyra more than Will as a character, so I was a little disappointed that she's not the main character in this book. Some curious questions were also left unanswered (like Lee Scoresby's mother's ring) but hopefully, they're answered in the next book.
The Amber Spyglass - January 17, 2021
I'm just really impressed with how Pullman managed to make sense of everything that was going on by the end of the third part. I also really admire his brutal honesty, considering that this book is meant to be read by children. I'm not sure you could (and probably should not) make a children's book any more honest than what His Dark Materials is. It's gut-wrenching, bittersweet and rough. There's no sugarcoating here, but every adventure is deadly, dangerous and lonely. It often reminded me of The Neverending Story, how the increasingly fantastic events follow one another. From the beginning, the story's been rolling towards an inevitable end which turns out frustratingly cruel and yet very satisfying. Would definitely recommend it.
hollietoftx's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favourite series ever. Lyra, Pan, Will, Iorek and Lee Scoresby will literally live in my heart forever.
I absolutely adore Philip Pullman's writing and how he crafts such intricate stories.
I absolutely adore Philip Pullman's writing and how he crafts such intricate stories.
maniactoon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
enbylievable's review against another edition
4.0
I finally read the Golden Compass! And it was good! I can definitely see why the Catholic Church felt threatened by this lmao. I kind of enjoyed the absolutely blistering disdain that Pullman has for Catholicism.