This book had everything to be a good story, but I guess my hopes were too high.
I loved the idea of daemons, but in the end Pantalaimon is just a "imaginary" friend.
The book as so many little adventures that Lyra ends ups as having just a too eventful trip...
This book reminded me the description that a friend make about the LotR movie. "Just two guys going from point A to point B". In this case is a little girl and her pet daemon. Also reminded me of the last Harry Potter. Same problem. Most of the book is going from one place to another and then something happens...

And all that stuff about Dust, and right and wrong, and fate (and the little scientific details about quantum mechanics and the theory of the multiverse, love the science, hate the way Pullman used it), boring and cryptic... ( )

I'm not really sure...
I don't think I would have caught the growing up metaphor without Pullman's essays. I'm going to have to finish the trilogy to really see the whole picture.
I think this would have made a great read aloud with my kids when they were little. ( )

I was worried going into this one thinking I might not like it as much as I did as a younger reader, but why was I even worried? Daemons, witches, fighting polar bears, this book is SO MUCH FUN! ( )

By far the best of the trilogy, but the subject matter is really not for young kids. Pretty distressing actually, esp. at the end. The movie really glossed over the harshness and then ended before the very worst, so don't be misled by that and think it would be OK for a 9 year old--14 is more like it. ( )

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The mythology is imaginative, well realized, and uses some really great iconography. The animal daemons are a great conceit, and I love the imagery of Dust. The individual characters are well filled out, as are the larger nations/cultures. At times the exposition is a bit blunt, I suppose— Iorek telling Lyra that his armor is his soul, e.g., or Lord Asriel explaining the power inherent in the daemon bond. But that bluntness has been typical of every fantasy/sci-fi book I've ever read, and it's handled as deftly here as I've seen in any other. Overall, this was a fun, engaging read, and I can't wait for my kids to read it so we can share a discussion. ( )

Second attempt. I have no idea why I don't want to keep reading in the series. My youngest son has read this trilogy probably nearly as much as everything else he's read combined,* but I just can't get into it. Tried again for the EVERYONE group, am hoping discussion will help w/ appreciation.

Lyra and Iorek are just too too capable. Pan could be much more of a help than he is. What's up with opposite gender human daemon... what about people who are gay or non-binary? Why does this created world still have women as second-class citizens? Why are Lyra's parents stupid in so many ways?

*Oh, esp. if we add in the trilogy that starts with [b:The Thief|448873|The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)|Megan Whalen Turner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427740839l/448873._SY75_.jpg|1069505], which I also cannot get into. Weird, cuz we're otherwise quite simpatico.

***NO SPOILERS***

I admire Philip Pullman's smooth story-telling and strong writing but was overall underwhelmed by The Golden Compass. This is a basic story of good versus evil. Its various elements are imaginative (I especially liked the alethiometer [the "golden compass" of the title] and the concept of daemons), but Pullman really subscribes to "it's the journey, not the destination." The Golden Compass is mostly a story of traveling. No sooner does main character Lyra arrive at a destination than she's off again--just when things start to get interesting. I stayed patient, waiting for a highly dramatic, penultimate scene involving this girl and the main villain, but all Pullman offered were some small tense moments between the two and more journey.

Mostly, I’m impressed by Pullman's intelligence. I especially liked his Biblical spin on the main concept, and as someone who's fascinated by the idea of the multiverse, I was excited that that comes into play. The main setting--the frigid North, with the Aurora Borealis featured--is naturally magical. Imagery is vivid and pretty. Pullman is talented at describing his many settings in beautiful, evocative language that makes it easy to envision a scene. In particular, I admired his choice of the North as ground zero for some very sinister activity and, along with that, integration of the Northern Lights.

However, this story needed more tension and suspense and less of the everyday; I don't care about what, exactly, it's like to be stowed in the bowels of a ship or to be carried along in a hot-air balloon. I wanted confrontations between protagonist and villain, dramatic moments that would make me hold my breath, and a faster pace. The Golden Compass is an impressive accomplishment, but it can't hold a candle to many other more complex and elaborately developed fantasies.

Because the protagonist is a young girl, The Golden Compass is categorized as a book for children; however, I think adult readers or older teens would appreciate it more. The fantastical concepts are more intellectual than those in, say, Harry Potter, a series that's well suited to children. Much of The Golden Compass's fantasy may go over the head of the same child who read Harry Potter easily. Additionally, The Golden Compass contains one scene of grisly violence that surprised me in its level of detail. Children, especially sensitive ones, may be very disturbed by that.

Overall, The Golden Compass is more smart than exciting, worth reading but not a loss if never read. I'm hoping for a better story in book two. ( )

Have wanted to read this set for a while. I didn't know about it until the move a few years ago. But now that HBO has picked up the rights for the show. I am going to get them done. I finished the first one a few days back and I like it. So far the first book seems very setup for something bigger. I enjoyed it. I guess the hype has made me think of something more religiously controversial. So far I am not seeing what the fuss is about. I know much more has been said about the church that would be more hurtful than anything has been said in this set of books.
The News is more damming.
We will see what book two holds. ( )

- 2020 Rereading -
I remember when I first read this trilogy around 2007. I immediately fell in love with the characters and the storyline. It is still, to this day, my second favorite series of books.

I've read the trilogy at least three times, but the last time was around 2011, so it's been a while. I've loved seeing the TV adaptation of it, which finally included some of the very important scenes from the first book omitted in the 2007 movie. I really love the ideas behind the story and I feel so happy rereading it now because it's bringing me those happy childhood memories back. Also, for a children's book, the writing style is quite beautiful. 4.9/5 ( )

Even better than the first time I read it :') ( )

DNF @ 32% . Pg. 130. I didn't like the thought of "deamons" and the name's were confusing. The dust is the Northern Lights? This feels like something other than MG or YA. It doesn't feel very clear and I don't care. It also almost put me into a slump. ( )

This book has been on my to-read list since about 2003, thanks to a very strong recommendation from a fellow bookseller (Ken) at the time. A few years later another co-worker with unimpeachable roots in the YA (Steph) also heartily recommended it but there it stayed in my to read. Finally a third (Ben) convinced me to purchase and begin.

YA is tough as we get older because an inventive story or strong protagonist can put a positive glow on something with poor writing or weak plot. Memories of books read in childhood don't always affect adults new to the story. I'm happy to say that the Golden lives up to it's reputation.

Somewhere between Fantasy, Steam-Punk and Fable is where this book lives. The elements are familiar but put together in an inventive fashion that is comfortable but not overdone. Of course the lead is precocious and fated for greatness. Of course there is danger and the escapes are sometimes unlikely but never unbelievable.

With (now) 3 more books in the series I can't pretend I know exactly what's going to happen next but I have really enjoyed this first book and am looking forward to learning more as I begin the second. ( )

This was a fun YA read, and I probably liked it so much because it was the first fiction book I’ve read in a *long* time. It was also reminiscent of a lot of the fantasy novels I read as a kid. I had a pretty long stint of reading non-fiction, DIY, and self-help books. Happy that my Secret Santa from last year’s SantaThing awarded me this book! Will definitely be reading more from this series. ( )

This is a very famous YA fantasy, and having read it I'm not surprised. It has complex and interesting worldbuilding, in a parallel universe where people have daemon companions who are inseparable from them. The book can be read as a straightforward adventure and rescue mission, but it also ponders on metaphysics and religion. The only thing lacking is that I would have liked to engage with Lyra, the main character, a bit more. She is likable enough, but I guess the narration was a bit distant for me. I'll keep reading the trilogy, in any case. ( )

Che fastidio quando metto una stella e poi non scrivo nulla!!

da un anno ho fatto caso che TUTTI gli amici e TUTTE le persone che seguo che hanno letto questo libro hanno dato una valutazione alta
TUTTI tranne me... e non scoprirò nemmeno il perchè visto che non mi son degnata di scrivere neanche una parola

GRRRRRRRRR ( )

I’m on the fence between 3 and 4 stars for Golden Compass. My best friend recommended it, so I guess my expectations were very high. The first half or more was SO SLOW I considered DNFing. It got better, and my hope is that perhaps the subsequent two books will move more quickly since the premise has already been fully set.

When this series began, I attended Christian school, so I would have been strongly discouraged from reading it even if it had held any intrigue for me. I understand why the Church would ban this series, because of how organized religion is portrayed. The metaphors are thinly veiled (when veiled at all), and the incorporation of existing entities is blurred with the fiction of the alternate universe in which the story takes place.

Ignoring that, though, the story itself (once it gets moving, finally) is solid and full of action and intrigue. Pullman is creative. I want to live in a world in which everyone has an animal sidekick with her at all times, please. Judged on its own as a fantasy story without any other implications, it’s quite good.

I found it far too dark to consider reading with my kids. (I did try initially, but they fell asleep before I finished a chapter… a few nights in a row.) That was a bit disappointing, since I really thought this series was made for kids/YA. Definitely more YA and not at all kids, IMO. ( )

His Dark Materials is a richly imagined fantasy trilogy with complex world building, vivid characters and a fast paced and riveting plot. The first book in the series, Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass) introduces eleven year old Lyra Belacqua - niece of the famed scholar, Lord Asriel - and her daemon (a spirit animal), Pantalaimon.

A ward of Oxford college, Lyra runs wild as the scholars there try to entertain, tame and teach her. Pantalaimon tries to rein her in but little can stop Lyra when she's made up her mind. Content with her life Lyra gives no thought to the world outside her little bubble - until her best friend Roger, is kidnapped by the Gobblers and Lyra sets out on a quest to rescue him.

I loved Lyra the first time I read this and every time since. Lyra is bold, brash and carefree, prone to lying and capable of incredible loyalty and devotion. I loved her determination to save Roger - even if she's not entirely sure how to go about it.

There were elements of a classic fantasy quest story but then Pullman runs away, making the world building bigger and bolder and creating something unique. The mystery of Dust, the alethiometer (a golden compass-like item that can tell the truth) and daemons kept me hooked, dying to find out more and fill in the blanks. I loved the armoured bears, the witches and the gyptians. And Pantalaimon was the best. I undoubtedly identified with him more as he played the conscience to Lyra's craziness. But you can't have one without the other and they were brilliant.

The conclusion was satisfying (although completely heartbreaking ) while paving a path for the rest of the series to build upon.

A well deserved classic of the fantasy genre. 5 stars. ( )

This series is incredible and it is a crying shame that the religious right shut down the movie series productions. ( )

I don't understand the fuss. The writing style is slow and convoluted, jumps around, and I gave up after a few chapters. ( )

The acting for the audiobook was amazing! It had a full cast, and the narration (parts without dialogue) was done by the author himself. The book was just as good as it was the first time I read it. ( )

It's not my favorite fantasy series, but it's pretty engrossing. The biggest surprise for me was Pullman actually sort of rewriting parts of the Bible to fit his fictional world. That's pretty heavy for a kid's book and bound to confuse (or maybe even upset) young readers who've been raised Christian. Or, you know, their parents. ( )

Just listened to the audio version of this after having read it many years ago in high school. They got quite a few different voice actors and it was definitely a good listen. The story held up, though I was also nostalgic so my standards might not be the same as for reading a book for the first time. ( )

A solid fantasy book that's surprisingly dark for a middle grade audience and holds up well when read as an adult (I haven't done a reread in years; this one was triggered by finally getting around to the BBC/HBO show adaptation which is really well done and expands on the book, as we're very much with Lyra here).

Lyra is a scrappy, clever heroine: lies come easy when she needs to get out of a pinch, and she finds awe and wonder in the world as she heads North. I feel like with some protagonists, there's a need to make them so impossibly perfect, and Lyra en't one of those dolls. Lyra's world is one like ours, but isn't, and Pullman simply presents it as it is without needing to bog the reader down in the details of what's off from ours.

I really don't remember much of The Subtle Knife (except: will parry!) so, looking forward to rereading it. ( )

I Def read this book before but i am excited to read the second one soon. ( )

I Def read this book before but i am excited to read the second one soon. ( )