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Title: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by PHILIP PULLMAN ISBN: 0-679-87924-2 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Pub. Date: 16 April, 1996 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.63 (1071 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Marvelous dark fantasy
Comment: Philip Pullman's novel "The Golden Compass" is a fine read. The prose is nearly flawless, the pace never falters, the characters are memorable and disturbing, and the world Pullman creates is wild, dangerous, romantic, fascinating.
It is a world that seems very much like our own, at least at first. The (apparently) orphaned young heroine, Lyra, is raised in Oxford University by the dons, in a London that seems to resemble our own. Except that Lyra has a familiar, a 'daemon' as the book calls him, Pantalaimon, a sort of extracorporeal manifestation of her soul, who can assume many shapes, and talk to her, after a fashion. In fact, every human has a daemon. Lyra's world is vaguely English Victorian in character, and is ruled by a benign Roman Catholic theocracy. There are airships, zeppelins, balloons and the like, but no airplanes. There are no electric lights, but something called 'anbaric' lights, which seem similar. There are intimations of atomic power. There are witches, far away in the North, and armored bears, and the Northern Lights, the aurora borealis, which when observed closely, reveals a city in the sky...
The plot is basically a quest, evolving and changing as Lyra undertakes it, which is not completed by the end of the novel, and continues in the next two books in this trilogy, "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass".
The writing is first-rate. Pullman, himself an Oxford graduate, obviously loves the conventions of the Victorian novel, and the conventions of Western literature in general. For example, in describing a fight between two "panserbjorne", or armored bears, we get this Homeric simile:
"Like a wave that has been building its strength over a thousand miles of ocean, and which makes little stir in the deep water, but which when it reaches the shallows rears itself up into the sky, terrifying the shore dwellers, before crashing down on the land with irresistible power -- so Iorek Byrnison rose up against Iofur..."
The characters, like their world, are well-developed, complex, and memorable. Many otherwise entertaining writers cannot create convincing characters to save their lives. Pullman, though, can and does: Lyra, his protagonist, the 'barbarian' child, an accomplished liar and tall-tale teller, but innocent of the snares and dangers of the wider world; Lord Asrial, her 'uncle', arrogant, brave, visionary, ruthless; Lady Coulter, brilliant, beautiful, and dangerous; Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear whose armor is his soul, who is a better father to Lyra than her own father.
This book is marketed as 'young adult' fiction. It's considerably darker than the Harry Potter books, and probably isn't appropriate for readers under age 10 or so. For example, we are told early on of an adulterous affair that ends in a murder, and the description of the outcome of the bear fight mentioned above borders on grand guinol. I gather that in the later books Pullman challenges the basis of Christian faith, which will not please people looking for another Narnia. I loved this book, however, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.
Rating: 5
Summary: It's original, it's captivating, it's my favorite book!
Comment: Wow! This book was amazing! I took it everywhere with me until I finally finished it, and I was sad that it was finished because I enjoyed it so much. But fortunately (as the ending REALLY leaves you hanging) there is a sequel, and the third book in the trilogy should be coming soon. I just hope that it comes next month as one store told me instead of in April as Amazon.com says! I recommend The Golden Compass to everyone; I got both my little sister AND my mom (who doesn't normally like fantasy) interested in these books. This book really will appeal to all ages, males or females, people of any background. It's not typical fantasy/sci-fi; it's something really unique and creative and fun to read. You've got to love the characters, too...just see if you don't become really attached to Lyra and Pantalaimon. Everyone should give the His Dark Materials trilogy a try!
Rating: 2
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: Pullman creates a believable world in his first few chapters and I enjoyed reading that part of the book. I felt that he had a jumble of good ideas and tried to throw them all in at once. In the end I was confused and while I didn't want to give up in the central character and her bear I ended up finishing the book dissatisfied. Perhaps others will like it more; perhaps I read it too quick.
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Title: The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by PHILIP PULLMAN ISBN: 0345413369 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 28 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3) by Philip Pullman ISBN: 0679879269 Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Pub. Date: 10 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Lyra's Oxford by PHILIP PULLMAN ISBN: 0375828192 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 1) by PHILIP PULLMAN ISBN: 0394895894 Publisher: Laurel Leaf Pub. Date: 12 November, 1988 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass / The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman ISBN: 0440238609 Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books Pub. Date: 09 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $20.97 |
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