His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

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Corie rated it:

09/18/07

bookshelves: book-i-will-never-part-with, bought-based-on-recommendation, fantasy-science_fiction, top_5, true-love, young-adult

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: Anyone 12 and older

Until recently, this series had somehow flown under my radar. It wasn’t until I saw the trailer for the upcoming The Golden Compass movie that I was introduced to Lyra’s world. The trailer made the movie look AMAZING, so naturally (as I always do), I thought…”I MUST read this book!”.

His Dark Materials creates a beautiful, vibrant world with characters as deep as if you had known them your whole life. The books themselves deal with heavy subjects. Nuclear Physics, Parallel Worlds,...more Until recently, this series had somehow flown under my radar. It wasn’t until I saw the trailer for the upcoming The Golden Compass movie that I was introduced to Lyra’s world. The trailer made the movie look AMAZING, so naturally (as I always do), I thought…”I MUST read this book!”.

His Dark Materials creates a beautiful, vibrant world with characters as deep as if you had known them your whole life. The books themselves deal with heavy subjects. Nuclear Physics, Parallel Worlds, Quantum Particles and Theology snuggle right up against equally introspective looks at Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family and Honor. Quite frequently, I found myself looking at the cover of these books again and again to ensure that I was indeed reading a “children’s” novel. When did this genre get so deep? I don’t remember reading anything this remarkable when I was younger. No offense to you, Encyclopedia Brown, my dear friend.

While I hesitate to compare to Potter, I want to point out one main difference which I think is very important to anyone thinking about purchasing this series for their intrepid young reader….while HP deals with the strong ideals of good vs. evil, HDM leans heavily into the actual concepts of both, dissecting each, questioning the origins, challenging the pedestals each stand on. In HP, evil is simply evil. HDM doesn’t assume any such nonsense. If there is evil, it forces the reader to consider why they think that something is evil. Is it really? Or are you just looking at it from a different perspective? Also….for those who thought the HP series was too religious, reader beware of the HDM series. Pullman isn’t vague. He labels his players in the battle of good vs. evil – calling the church, the creator and religions out by name. Note this example: In book three, this sentence appears: “The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all.” Again – I wondered if this was merely an adult book cloaked in child’s clothing (as I lapped up every word).

I thought that the struggles between the Church, The Authority, the Creator, Dust, The Council etc. were deep but thoroughly engrossing. I embraced how Pullman questioned the very beginnings of organized religion and of the creator himself. He turned everything on its ear: Ghosts, Angels, Witches and even Death. He is essentially challenging every reader, regardless of age, to look at the world around you. Why do we trust, why do we believe, what is faith, what is truth? Maybe things are different than what they seem. Perhaps there is more out there than our extremely limited view of physics, theology and cosmology is currently telling us. Maybe the world isn’t round after all. Maybe it’s infinitely layered and unbearably more beautiful than we ever knew.

I’m putting this in my top five for now. Those of you who know me know that this category fluctuates a bit here and there. New favorite reads come along, old one’s fade away as I forget why I loved the world it painted for me. But for now, this series goes in my five. Because, as with every other book in my top five, the characters stayed with me long after I closed the back cover. I cared about them, I felt like I had made new friends and was physically sad to say goodbye to them. And THAT is what makes a book better than just “good”. That is what makes it endearingly wonderful, to the point that you carress the book's cover lovingly everytime you come across it. And becomes one you would recommend to others without hesitation.
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TheDane rated it:

08/07/08

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: no one who is alive. the dead might find it as boring as being dead though, so...

Day late and a dollar short with this one.

My hope was to have read and reviewed His Dark Materials trilogy before the film adaptation of the first third, The Golden Compass, came out last Friday. And I would have too - if it weren't for that sheer enormity of suckiness that was the third book in the series (The Amber Spyglass). *sigh* But then, life doesn't actually work out perfectly for us as often as we'd like. Sometimes there are earthquakes that level cities in Turk...more

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Andrea rated it:

03/05/08

bookshelves: books-i-loved-when-i-was-younger

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: Young Adult fiction lovers

(Spoilers below)

I read the first two books when they came out (my middle school years) but got tired of waiting for the third. However, when this whole controversy over The Golden Compass film adaptation was started by the Christian right, I decided it was time to read the series again. I simply didn't remember Philip Pullman's message about God and the Church disturbing me as a regularly church-going 12 year old. Sure, it made me think about what a corrupt church could do, but it all see...more (Spoilers below)

I read the first two books when they came out (my middle school years) but got tired of waiting for the third. However, when this whole controversy over The Golden Compass film adaptation was started by the Christian right, I decided it was time to read the series again. I simply didn't remember Philip Pullman's message about God and the Church disturbing me as a regularly church-going 12 year old. Sure, it made me think about what a corrupt church could do, but it all seemed hypothetical at the time and certainly didn't present any doubt that hadn't entered my mind before. When various websites quoted Pullman as saying his books are about killing God, it just seemed to me like there was an obvious caveat to that, i.e.: my books are about killing a God in a fictional universe where false authority is used to corrupt, control and destroy lives.

Now, having read all three books and knowing just a little bit more about faith, religion and the history of Christianity, I can see why parents would be concerned but not why they would forbid their children from reading the books or watching the movies. While Phillip Pullman is a known atheist and our "world" undeniably plays a part in Pullman's trilogy, the story is still fictional and Pullman's portrayal of God is just one many hypothetical possibilities. "God" is killed in Pullman's trilogy, but one must distinguish between Pullman's depiction of the Authority and the Christian image of God. Although Pullman's Authority is supposed to encompass all monotheistic and polytheistic beliefs in a god, God turns out to be just a corrupt angel and there is no one obvious creator. But even in Lyra's adventures I could not see anything refuting what I call God (an inexplicable higher force or reason behind all things). Although Dust makes up all living things in this trilogy, there is no discussion of why Dust came to be, just that for Dust to remain people must live truthful and full lives. So for me, it seems entirely consistent with my belief that there is an unseen God or higher uniting power in Lyra's universe that is ultimately good and has some relationship to Dust.

Pullman's books absolutely do not preclude what I call God, or even the God I think most Christians believe in. Pullman does promote healthy skepticism and warns against blind faith and a failure to embrace life in this world, but if anything, I think his books would help parents talk to their children about these abstract and important issues. So whether parenting from an atheistic standpoint or a strong Christian (Muslim, Buddhist, etc.) perspective, I'd encourage parents to let their children read the books if they desire to. Just talk to them afterwards about it. After all, helping children and young adults to try and understand the world around them and discover truth in whatever form they ultimately find it, is never a bad thing and is actually a necessary part of the process of achieving a deeper faith. By the time a person is old enough to understand any anti-religion message in these books, he is old enough to start critically evaluating his belief system....less

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Karen rated it:

02/12/08

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

So, I was interested in reading The Golden Compass series by Phillip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) because some parents have asked us to remove it from the shelf at the school library. After hearing the allegations about the books (that they are intended to persuade children to become atheists), I was feeling like people had not given them a chance. I had already begun to read The Golden Compass before I had heard about any of the controversy, after all, and...more So, I was interested in reading The Golden Compass series by Phillip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) because some parents have asked us to remove it from the shelf at the school library. After hearing the allegations about the books (that they are intended to persuade children to become atheists), I was feeling like people had not given them a chance. I had already begun to read The Golden Compass before I had heard about any of the controversy, after all, and there was nothing that I could find that was questionable. So I continued to read. Even after the second book, it seemed as though he was only speaking out against corrupt religion, which I think is a good thing. Not too far into the third book, however, it was clear that he believes all religion is corrupt.

The premise of the books is essentially that there was an angel a long time ago that put himself above the other angels and called himself God and the Creator (even though he was not) and that his goal is to keep people from gaining knowledge(that's why gaining knowledge was the original sin). The rebel angels (you know, that 1/3 from the war in heaven) have been fighting against him ever since and trying to help humans learn. And they enlist the help of two children to help them destroy God and create the Republic of Heaven (rather than the Kingdom).

There's a lot more to the stories, of course, and they are well written and interesting, but they still really hurt my feelings. In his books, the only religious people are either power-hungry hypocrites or fearful and ignorant. He writes about love and accepting people even with their faults (his main characters are flawed on purpose, I think) and the power of human relationships and following your instincts and the great value of learning. I am in complete agreement with pretty much everything he writes about those things. He seems to have a good understanding of how we all interact with and need each other. But the major flaw I see is that his goal is to show that religion is the antithesis of all of those good things; it is only useful for repressing people. So, while he may know a lot about life, he is quite ignorant about religion and people's reasons for being religious. Maybe he should stick to writing about things with which he is familiar.

For the record, I still don't think it should be removed from the shelves at school. As my sister said to me, "Nothing good ever came from censorship." I agree. It would probably create more problems than it would solve. And I want to have my freedom of expression protected, so I can't take away someone else's. Still, I think parents should be making informed decisions about what their children are reading. ...less

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kristen rated it:

01/09/08

Read in January, 2008

for the most part.... eh.

i thought the golden compass was definitely the best of the three. why? not so much on the prosthelitizing. if i wanted to be converted to atheism, i'd google it. i mean, he spends as much time trying to convince me of the outdatedness of god and christianity as someone peddling the watchtower tries to convince me of my inherently wicked ways or a scientologist spends trying to convince me to read l. ron hubbard. it's annoying. it actually got to be pretty laug...more for the most part.... eh.

i thought the golden compass was definitely the best of the three. why? not so much on the prosthelitizing. if i wanted to be converted to atheism, i'd google it. i mean, he spends as much time trying to convince me of the outdatedness of god and christianity as someone peddling the watchtower tries to convince me of my inherently wicked ways or a scientologist spends trying to convince me to read l. ron hubbard. it's annoying. it actually got to be pretty laughable, all this talk of the death of god and metatron and rebel angels and all that. creative, certainly. but an interesting book topic that is supposed to appeal to young adults and "grown-ups" alike? not really. as i understand it, pullman has quite a following, too. this makes me laugh a lot, mostly because they're following an idea that is simply boring.

trust me, i have no love for organized religion or anything, but i would have a problem with any story that attacked anyone's belief system. if you ask me, the book would have been just as interesting without all the anti-religious messages. i think most of us in the literary western world are aware of several aspects of the bible, and the allegory alone comparing lyra and will and mary malone to The Fall would have made for an incredibly thoughtful, well-balanced central theme. but frankly, all the crap about angels and delving into the origin of dust and lord asriel's fanatacism was simply dull and tiring. i found myself zipping through the end of the amber spyglass (the last book) just so i could simply finish it. there comes a point where you know exactly how the series is going to end, and there are no surprises whatsoever.

the trilogy started off very strongly with the golden compass; i'd give that book a near-perfect rating. the subtle knife was good simply for the introduction of will, who i find a much more redeemable character than the morally challenged lyra (did anyone else feel a little offended that the representation of eve/woman was a lying, conniving, cheating little shit?).

however- i can pinpoint the exact moment where the series started to lose me. it's the chapter with the witches, and serafina pekkala (my favorite character) and ruta skadi have the book-altering conversation about the kingdom of heaven, the authority, and what's wrong with god. i actually put the book down and started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

still, a worthy read. i may pick it up again and reread it, but only when i'm not feeling my zillionth harry potter reread coming on....less

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Yeany rated it:

10/14/07

Read in February, 2004

recommends it for: retna asmoro

If Harry Potter series were considered heretic by some groups of people, I don't know what will they say when they read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials as the books do reflect anti-Christianism with God portrayed as vindictive and authoritarian figure growing ..dare I say it? ...senile and need to be ousted (Oh my God)..

His Dark Materials is a trilogy beginning with the shocking The Golden Compass, and followed by The Subtle Knife and ends with The Amber Spyglass. And if we disregard the...more

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Mathew rated it:

07/18/07

Read in May, 2007

recommends it for: everybody

Could you imagine a story that weaves history, quantum physics, theology, cosmology, trepanning, shamanism, love and the seriousness of adolescence into a coherent narrative? I could not. Yet Phillip Pullman has done just that, and a world more. This wonderful trilogy will lead you along a most unlikely path through some of the biggest questions of life - in philosphy, religion, history, science, and not least literature. That it ...more Could you imagine a story that weaves history, quantum physics, theology, cosmology, trepanning, shamanism, love and the seriousness of adolescence into a coherent narrative? I could not. Yet Phillip Pullman has done just that, and a world more. This wonderful trilogy will lead you along a most unlikely path through some of the biggest questions of life - in philosphy, religion, history, science, and not least literature. That it does so as a masterful, child-accessible and wholly engaging story is a feat of imagination and storycraft easily on par with Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle In Time and its sequels. The book has recently won an award for being "the best children's book in the last 70 years" (see
www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/20...) and I am inclined to opine that this is probably not overstatement.

The first book, The Golden Compass, features the adventures of 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious hooligan in a world almost but not quite ours, and the eponymous mechanism around which much of the story's plot is based. By itself, it might seem like a bit of a flightly read - fun, engaging, imaginative, but a bit strange at times, heretical, even gruesome, leaving one to wonder "What is this really about?" Indeed, some critics (mostly of the sort that would have books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn banned, have come to the shallow conclusion that the series is ultimately naught but a vessel for diatribe against certain institutional religions. While Pullman takes shows a certain wicked zeal in imagining a world in which wicked zealotry is as obvious - and as taken for granted - as political corruption in our own, his purpose is far grander than any partisan attack on stale religion. Rest assured, dear reader, every scene in the book is building towards a conflict simultaneously metaphysical and worldly which is only fully revealed in the third book.

The Subtle Knife introduces Will, a boy of unquestionable grit who is destined to become Lyra's companion. Will hails from our world, but unexpectedly finds himself in a welter of parallel worlds, where he comes into possession of a knife. This knife has two edges; the first edge can cut any material in the world, while the reverse edge is "more subtle still", according to the knife's guardian. The knife quickly becomes the focus of a conflict that not only transcends worlds, but also intersects Will's troubled home life in a profoundly personal way. As new characters and new revelations enter the story, Will and Lyra come to realize that their struggles are part of something much, much larger.

The third volume, The Amber Spyglass, brings into a focus the literally cosmic scope of the battle that centers around Will, Lyra, and the strange objects in their possession. The volume builds to an awesome and largely unforseeable climax, where pivotal events happen in ways that never fail to surprise and yet mesh perfectly with the grand flow of the story.

I will say no more, lest I spoil any of the surprises, except to say that for once I agree wholeheartedly with the critics: this series, and in particular its masterful conclusion, is transcendent, magnificent, and astonishing....less

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Henrik rated it:

(review of isbn 0375847227)

12/30/08

bookshelves: fantasy, philosophy

Read in December, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

A friend of mine once said that a characterization of science-fiction writers is that they have amazing & some of the most innovative ideas and, at best, mediocre writing skills.

It would be too much to say that's the case with this story, but there is of course a reason my friend's remark popped up in my head.

First the obvious: This trilogy is not a science-fiction story, but a unique parallel-world fantasy. However, the bulk of the central ideas are quite scientific... We're talking...more

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Christina Stind rated it:

(review of isbn 0375847227)

12/25/08

bookshelves: 2008, books-i-own, fiction

Read in December, 2008

I didn't know about Philip Pullman and 'His Dark Materials' before the trailers for 'The Golden Compass' aired - and I'm a bit sad about that. I would have loved to have read this when I was a teenager!
Anyways, on to the review:
The Golden Compas
The storyline in The Golden Compas is so well-crafted, compelling and interdependent that it's hard to tell much of it without revealing too much but I'll try.
Lyra, the main protagonist, is a little girl, living at Jordan College, Ox...more

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Christy rated it:

09/27/07

bookshelves: science-fiction-and-fantasy, young-adult-and-children-s-lit

Read in September, 2007

I've just finished The Golden Compass. I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. It was simple yet lovely, with interesting characters, setting, plot. It was so engrossing that I managed to read the last third of it at the courthouse, between jury duty sessions.

I'm sure that a large part of my sheer pleasure at reading this comes from the setting itself, having long been fascinated by the far North, but I think there's quite enough there for those less enamored of snow, i...more I've just finished The Golden Compass. I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. It was simple yet lovely, with interesting characters, setting, plot. It was so engrossing that I managed to read the last third of it at the courthouse, between jury duty sessions.

I'm sure that a large part of my sheer pleasure at reading this comes from the setting itself, having long been fascinated by the far North, but I think there's quite enough there for those less enamored of snow, ice, and polar bears to also love this book.

Can't wait to get started on the next book!

*****************************

The Subtle Knife follows through on what is set up in The Golden Compass (although with significantly less snow and fewer polar bears). The characters continue to gain depth, the plot moves forward quickly and in interesting ways, and the world-building is fabulous.

I really like the way Pullman plays with big and important ideas about the basic nature of reality and about faith without the book ever feeling preachy, heavy-handed, or overly intellectual. Moreover, he plays with these ideas at the same time. In Lyra's world, Scholars study experimental theology, which is in our world known as physics. I'm incredibly curious to find out how Pullman elaborates on this connection between science and religion, between these two different ways of exploring our universe and creating meaning, in the final book of the series.

*****************************

Wow. I mean, wow. I enjoyed this book, this series, so much that I cannot wait until I get a chance to read them again. It's a beautiful rendering of the process of coming-of-age and exploration of both what makes us human and what religion can offer us. Pullman's concept of "the Republic of Heaven," as opposed to the kingdom of Heaven is moving and one that I will want to return to.

I highly recommend this series. If you love fantasy, you can't not love this. If you like fantasy, this is the perfect series to illustrate what fantasy really can do. If you don't like fantasy, well, perhaps you should. Perhaps you will after reading Pullman's trilogy. Because this is fantasy that provides escape to another and very interesting world, but it is not merely escapist fantasy. It is also fantasy that speaks directly of and to our world and our experiences. ...less

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Joe rated it:

06/05/07

bookshelves: childrens, fiction, wonderfultalesofscienceandoradventu

I like my wild, adventurous fantasy tales as much as the next fella, but I have some issues with this series. First, it clearly wants to be the anti-Narnia, and that's fine, but I wish it wasn't so blatant about it. Many of the characters exist solely as two-dimensional metaphors and many of the plot developments and magical or fantastical elements of the world seem to exist solely to make the point that no, we're not in Narnia anymore, the lion is not Jesus and actually the church is trying to...more

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Saved By Grace rated it:

11/20/07

recommends it for: idk

I have to admit that I really liked these books even with the controversy surrounding them. Well-rounded people must do as I try to and remember that these are ONLY BOOKS. Others should remember this as well. If you don't like it, don't read it, I always say. If you don't think the movie coming out is a great thing, don't watch it. I probably won't be able to watch the movie when it comes out. So be it.

But the books were pretty cool, save for the ghosts and stuff like that...(an...more

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Tanya rated it:

06/11/08

i really enjoyed these books. the author some huge stabs at religon/god. NOT for young readers.

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Clayton added it

08/18/08

I am not sure how to rate these books. They are really well written stories, with sharp insights, enjoyable characters, and a great plot. On the other hand, these books are a direct attack on belief in God in any form. They are the first set of books that other Evangelicals have gotten in a huff about where I agreed with them. I think that for kids, and many adults, these books could be very damaging to their faith. It presents a compelling image of a world where God is not necessary and in fact...more

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Meg rated it:

03/03/08

Read in February, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I just read the His Dark Materials (a.k.a. The Golden Compass) trilogy. There will be spoilers here.

If you are an easily-offended Christian...heck, if you are a somewhat-difficult-to-offend Christian, you probably don't want to read these.

I didn't see the movie, and I knew nearly nothing about the series going into it beyond the idea of daemons (from the cool meme on the movie site) and armored polar bears.

Even before reading the Acknowledgments at the back of the trilogy, I coul...more

His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)

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