Northern Lights (His Dark Materials)

This book is far better than the film, The Golden Compass - I decided to read these books as I've seen the film several times and always wondered what happened in Books 2 and 3. They never made the follow up films, apparently due to objections made by the church on anti religious grounds, so the books were the only way to finish the journey. I decided that I ought to read the first book anyway and am really glad I did as it goes into far more detail, switches things round a lot and adds a large chunk on to the end which simply wasn't in the film. I guess if I were comparing it on a level it would be a little bit Hobbiteque in its style - certainly not as dark / deep as Lord of the Rings, but fun to read anyway. Recommend this as a bit of entertaining, light reading

A wonderful adventure by a master storyteller, if you haven't read these books then you're in for a real treat and escape into this amazing world, well worth your time and money. Still waiting with great anticipation for the 6th book of Dust, I just wanted to visit old friends by rereading the series again.

The first in the series. Rather a strange book. Found my attention wandering at times, but persevered. Overall quite interesting but at the end hoped the second book would be better. If I hadn't bought the whole series of three books I would not have bothered to buy the next two.

I don't read fantasy. I just don't. Lazy tales about magical swords and rings of power, McGuffin plot devices that enable undisciplined plotting. But I had to read Pullman's books; his fame alone demanded it. And I'm glad I did. For a long time Pullman didn't publish in e-versions, but I don't buy print books any more, so he's made one extra sale (to add to the millions!) at least... ...first, the quality of writing is effortless. You eyes glide along each page (more correctly, down the column in my Kindle version.) Most impressive is the daemons: they're in the scene but not laboured. Each character accepts them as a natural part of life, as they would in reality. You soon find it perfectly logical that people carry their souls around in a small companion animal; several mornings I woke up looking for mine. The lauded descriptions of an alternate Oxford didn't quite work as well; it's a city I love so I was looking forward to more moments like "Oh! That's their version of...[insert landmark]." It doesn't happen much. Again, because Pullman's not labouring the point. He's not afraid to hurt his characters, or leave them with the messiness of real life to deal with. And the tale expands at graceful pace, broadening from a young girl's secrets to a fully-realised and fascinating world. Like I said, I don't read fantasy. And I still won't. But I do read good books, whoever they were written for and whatever their subject. And as its millions of fans would agree, Northern Lights/Golden Compass is a seriously good book.

I first read this when I was in my early teens and blitzed it in one intense sitting. It's since had several repeat reads and my stepdaughter has started it now. It's a great adventure and the first book of the trilogy is the strongest with a lot of heart, emotion and intrigue. It's had some TV and film adaptations which I've no interest in - start with the book and don't look back!

NORTHERN LIGHTS is a truly amazing and wonderful fantasy tale from the brilliant mind of Philip Pullman. His books are usually brilliant so i grabbed this at once! WOW! A brilliant find! The characters in this book all had interesting backgrounds which helped the book come to life! They were also funny and very realistic. The description in this book was so well written it was like a film was playing in my mind as i turned the pages! You may have noticed that i have avoided describing this as a kid's book as it isn't really. It has quite full on violence and some children under 10 might be a little scared by some characters. But still brilliant for any adult and any teenager! WICKED! 10/10! I highly recommend it!

They are without a doubt, the best books I have ever read. I have read the trilogy many times and the layers of detail and meaning means that every time I read them I always notice something I didn't last time! I love every single character. The only reason I give this book 4 stars is because 2 and 3 in the series are so so amazing!

Northern Lights is a book wrote by Philip Pullman it is a good read

Um nicht wahllos drauflos zu schreiben, habe ich versucht, meine Gedanken etwas zu sammeln und herauszufinden, WAS GENAU an "The Golden Compass" denn nun so faszinierend ist. Aber es läuft alles auf`s gleiche hinaus: dieses Buch ist eines der schönsten Leseerlebnisse meines ganzen Lebens und wenn der Buchhändler mir nicht bald den zweiten Teil zusendet, dann drehe ich durch (ich lese seitdem immer wieder die letzten drei Kapitel des ersten Bandes). Aber gut, hier erst einmal mögliche Gründe für das Faszinierende an diesem ersten Band: Figuren Werden so lebhaft im Kopf verankert, dass man wirklich denkt, sie zu kennen. Wenn das Buch zur Seite gelegt ist, denkt man nächtelang über die sehr exakt und liebevoll gezeichneten Figuren nach. Die Protagonistin übertrifft natürlich alles: eine 11-jährige tapfere Heldin;-) Plot Spannenderes hat man selten gelesen! Ständige Verwendung von "Suspense"-Momenten, die auch erwachsene Leser echt mitreissen. Es gibt Stellen in diesem Buch, die eine Anspannung aufbauen, die man nichts anderes als erstaunlich nennen kann. Hinzu kommt, dass der Verlauf der Geschichte so gut miteinander verzahnt ist, dass man aus dem Staunen nicht mehr herauskommt. Hier hat sich Pullman wirklich einen Plan zurechtgelegt, und der Faden wird nie verloren, keine Figur, die nebenbei vorkommt, wird einfach nebenbei abgehandelt, alle erhalten ihre Wichtigkeit. Sprache Die Sprache ist wirklich sehr ausgefeilt, grade für ein Kinderbuch. Ich kenne das Buch nicht in der deutschen Übertragung, kann nur hoffen, dass sie dem Original gerecht wird. Sehr viele und sehr mitreissende Dialoge, die äußerst faszinierend sind! Inhalt Klar, man muss sich etwas Magisches und Kindliches bewahrt haben, um "The Golden Compass" mitreissend zu finden. Die kleine Lyra lebt in Oxford und turnt nachts auf den Dächern herum, bis ihr Onkel kommt und von seltsamen Vorkommnissen im hohen Norden berichtet. Lyras Abenteuer beginnt hier, denn sie wird sich zu dieser Reise aufmachen. Und sie wird die wundersamsten, schönsten, skurrilsten Menschen (und andere Wesen) treffen, die diesen Weg unterstützend begleiten - oder sich diesem versuchen in den Weg zu stellen. Dies nur der äußere Mantel der Handlung. Man findet hier eine Geschichte über Liebe, Freundschaft, Verrat, Sünde, Philosophie, das große Abenteuer, die Universität, das Verhältnis Mann-Frau... Fazit Eines der großartigsten Leseerlebnisse meines ganzen Lebens. Hier werden verschiedene Genres und die Adressaten Erwachsene/Kinder spielend in einen Topf geworfen! Ich war selten verzauberter, mitgerissener, beteiligter an einer Handlung und den Figuren in einem Buch. *Es kommt schließlich* der letzte Teil von "Golden Compass", der eine Geschwindigkeit entwickelt, dass man denkt, man führe Achterbahn bergab. Es kommt die Stelle, die einem die Tränen in die Augen schießen lässt. Dieses Buch ist wunderschön, herzerwärmend, herzzerreissend. Ein Riesenglück, dass es nur der erste Teil einer Trilogie ist.

Libro profondo ma anche molto divertente adatto a ragazzi ma anche ( forse soprattutto) ad adulti. Tutta la trilogia va assolutamente letta.

Such a great story. And so well written. Couldn't put it down... I need to get the second volume now

Delightful fantasy, rich characters made this one a pleasure. Love the idea of daemons. Peter Pan comes to mind. Surprising but wonderful ending that makes me excited for the next book without the let down of a cliff hanger.

A while ago I saw the 2007 movie The Golden Compass, which didn’t impress me much at the time, although apparently it follows the book reasonably closely. Recently I started watching the BBC/HBO TV series His Dark Materials. Again, I wasn’t satisfied and stopped half way through season one. I realised the only thing to do was to read the original book, something I had put off because I don’t read much fantasy. Storywise, I found the book far superior to the TV miniseries. In the TV show, for all the excellent production values, the whole thing was bogged down with excessive character arcs, subplots, and one of the characters taking a trip to (our) Earth, thus trivialising the whole multiverse/Dust worldbuilding premise. The book’s different. Pullman is a masterful storyteller and worldbuilder, and as such doesn't complicate the narrative. Apart from one or two lapses and pov shifts, the story remains tightly focused and fast paced, with a real sense of immersion in Lyra’s world. I’m especially impressed by the incorporation of metaphysical and theological questions in a way that doesn’t slow down the story or make the book heavier to read. If anything, it only makes the story more interesting. While the protagonist is a 12-year old girl and the style of writing is very clear and simple (apart from neologisms added for sense of steampunk ambience), the concepts are more subtle than would be usual for YA. Also, in YA the reader is usually the same age as the protagonist. This is why Harry Potter and Hunger Games succeeded but the intellectually far superior Dark Materials didn’t. I would read Pullman’s Dark Materials as Tolkien style myth-making (albeit in a vaguely steampunk rather than a medieval parallel world) despite the great differences in style, character, and underlying philosophy. My only three real criticisms are (warning: minor spoilers) o Pullman really ladles on the Mary Sue / Chosen One - ism, which gives Lyra an element of ridiculousness, as with all Mary Sue / Chosen One / Ancient Prophecy type stories. In the TV series (I can’t remember the movie, it's been so long since I watched it), Lyra is much more all rounded, nuanced, and human. o Mrs Coulter is likewise too powerful as the supervillian, with way too much plot armour. o Most of the final chapter felt much too rushed, glib, and much more importantly didn’t fit with the leadup of the characters (I can’t say more without major spoilers). It didn’t even feel like Philip Pullman had written it, it was so jarring in relation to the chapters that had gone before. For all these (and various other much more minor) shortcomings, I found this an excellent story, and will at some point certainly read the other two books in the series.