His Dark Materials 3-Book Mass Market Paperback Boxed Set: The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass

The Lexile level is over 1000, so I’ve been having my struggling reader read it aloud to me. I’ve read the series before, but reading with her gives the entire book new wonder. Pullman has really painted this entire world for us.

I love these!! Well written story line and very engaging characters.

This trilogy is brilliant. The story is entertaining, very easy to read and follow, and pulls you in. I compare this trilogy to the Harry Potter series in that the characters are wonderfully developed, the story is magical, and very well written and developed. Not only can children enjoy this, but adults can as well.

Being a fan of the novels, I decided to research more information on Philip Pullman's trilogy. Little did I know that the books were adapted into two three hour plays and that the script, written and adapted beautifully by Nicholas Wright, was available to buy. So when I ordered my copy of the plays, I didn't know what to expect. But after about two hours of reading, I found the plays to be just as exciting as the novel. Of course not everything can be put into a play and though some characters were missing, I simply loved it. If you're a fan of the novels or you happen to love drama, I suggest you buy this book. Lyra and Will's adventures are marvelously captured in this book and hopefully one day I'll see the plays when a production comes around.

The finest piece of work I've read in 40 years. I, at first, had no idea what the author was talking about. Then the lightbulb turned on. It totally captivated me and had me in its thrall. I cannot compare it to Tolkein or LeGuin as it came from a totally unique perspective. Comparisons fail as to works of art. We only add our own perspectives and prejudices. As said in interviews with the author, this is a story of children moving from innocence to experience.

My three girls and I all love to read, I mean LOVE it! We also like to discuss books we read together. As such, it is always a joy to come across a book or series that engages all of us and ends with long conversations we all learn from. While I do not feel these books are age appropriate for my 8 year old, even with an advanced reading level, it IS for my 13 and 17 year olds. After The Golden Compass, they both fought over who would get to read The Subtle Knife first. Based on some of the reviews here, much of this series seems to personally offend anyone that is christian. It seems like anything that is threatening to their beliefs is deemed dangerous and negative. However, I think it is a good thing to have your beliefs challenged; it makes you use your mind, question things, and creates thought! I would much rather have my girls read something they didn't agree with and found distasteful than have their right to read what they want denied. I am greatful for the freedom they experience in our country and the opportunities they are afforded because of it--opportunities to read something like these books that will make them use their minds, for example! It comes down to this: If you are someone who likes to read, likes to be entertained, likes to use your imagination, and likes to think for yourself rather than allowing someone else to think for you, you will find value in this series!

There are enough (I dare say much more than enough) reviews out there that pertain to the actual contents of the book, whether it be good or bad, so I shall not express how awesome I think the trilogy is. I, instead, want to comment on the various editions of the book/trilogy available out there. I personally bought the Dark Materials Omnibus, which is absolutely gorgeous, and has very sturdy binding. The cover has a nice texture to it, and is much lighter than one would expect for its size (it is quite large). However, I have seen other versions of the trilogy, and I found that the paperback versions, printed by Knopf, are also wonderful and pleasing to the eye, which are printed with heftier paper than the Omnibus. The "standard" versions (the ones that cost 7.50 or so) are also great, though not as pretty as the other ones; they are, however, lightweight and tightly bound (I got those for my brother, who enjoyed the series). However, if you are in search of a copy to give as a gift, then I suggest the Omnibus or paperback versions, simply because of its aesthetic value.

Philip Pullman's dark fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, ostensibly written for children, is actually literature of a much higher order. The title of the trilogy comes from a particularly powerful passage of Milton's Paradise Lost, the great religious epic poem whose central story is the thematic basis for this trilogy. Another important influence on these three novels is the Christian Parsifal or Sir Percival story, which dates back to the early middle-ages as part of both the King Arthur and the Holy Grail cycle of tales. From its very first page, Pullman's crisp, evocative writing creates a world not quite like ours but just similar enough to be uncomfortable and strangely familiar. As readers of the trilogy know, most of the events in these books do not occur on our world or even in our universe. Of course, because this is post Tolkien fantasy, Mr. Pullman has absorbed all of the usual fantasy tropes and has no desire to repeat them. So what he writes is new, deeper, with fully rounded characters that come alive on the page. His courageous young heroine, Lyra Belacqua with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side, is one of the great creations in "children's literature". Lyra and Pan make an especially entertaining, often very amusing, pair. Her fearsome Uncle, Lord Asriel, is one of those rich, ambiguous creations that keep you guessing as to their motives, reminiscent of Professor Snape in J. K. Rowling's Potter novels. Pullman's writing is lean and well crafted and exciting to read. Once started, it is very difficult to set aside. This three volume boxed set contains the books in hardcover with their original dustcovers. Their artwork is lovely. It also contains a map: a necessity in today's complex world of fantasy. The first volume, The Golden Compass, has been filmed and was recently released on DVD. The two succeeding books, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, will presumably follow thereafter. This set makes a lovely gift for an older and mature reading child or an adult who still retains memories of childhood and all of its dark mysteries. Strongly recommended. Mike Birman