Customer Reviews
Overhyped fantasy 
2008-09-29
I actually liked this better than "The Golden Compass". Pullman still continues to show creativity, even more in this one. Who doesn't like the idea of kids pulling themselves through different dimensions?
I also like the introduction of Will--it's good to see a champion from our own dimension.
Sadly, the characters are rather flat and stereotypical, and it seems to me that the only evidence for any of their personalities is what the author unsubtly writes in. I've never liked to be forced into liking a character, and we just aren't given much reason for care for these rather one-dimensional characters.
Still, it's the absolute creativity and thought that makes these books work.
Boring. 2008-09-28
I wonder if Pullman actually knew what he was getting into when he started this fantasy trilogy. This book goes absolutely nowhere, and it was difficult to finish. I couldn't care less for any of the characters, and I really hope they don't make a movie out of it.
Great writing -- Great reading 
2008-09-15
I decided to listen to this trilogy because of all the controversy. I really enjoyed listening to them. The writing is really good and the full cast dramatization really brings the story to life. Lyra is a wonderful Heroine and her companion Will is a perfect partner. As they travel through parallel worlds, they meet many interesting characters. The book incorporates fantasy and science fiction and the story is a really great read for both Young Adult and Adult alike.
good book 
2008-08-24
this is a wonderfully read edition of the book. a full cast makes the story come to life. in between there are terrible musical interludes, though.
It's like a ride in a supercharged V8 2008-08-24
This book is one of the best middle books of any trilogy ever written. Northern Lights develops the characters, introduces the reader to the world(s) of this series and then just when the story gains significant momentum, the first part meets its end. The second book is like a ride in a roller coaster and it is action packed from the word go.
1- Characters: Pullman introduces new characters with the blink of an eye and his skill is such that it takes the reader just moments to "imagine" and accept the new characters.
2- The many worlds: The concept might sound cliché but the prospect of many different and accessible worlds has been executed and explained in a wonderfully enticing way. Full marks!
3- The plot: You will forget about the pop corn you were eating a minute ago or your ear that you were just about to scratch. This book is nothing but solid, quality momentum from the very start.
With little explanation, Pullman pulls you into every scene, every new world and every character. This is one of the writer's best attributes as he does not spend page after page describing people or places. And yet the impact is not lost on the reader.
huge fan of this series 2008-08-22
Read by the author and a full cast
8 hours 55 minutes, 8 cassettes
The universe has broken wide, and Lyra's friend lies dead. Desperate for answers and set on revenge, Lyra bursts into a new world in pursuit of his killer. Instead, she finds Will, just twelve years old and already a murderer himself. He's on a quest as fierce as Lyra's, and together they strike out into this sunlit otherworld.
On this journey marked by danger, Will and Lyra forge ahead. But with every step and each new horror, they move closer to the greatest threat of all—and the shattering truth of their own destiny.
In this stunning sequel to
The Golden Compas, Philip Pullman continues
His Dark Materials trilogy and confirms it as an undoubted and enduring classic.
AWARDS AND HONORS
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Blue Ribbon Book
Book Links Best Book of the Year
Parents' Choice Gold Book Award
American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"
Good, not outstanding (and the usual comparisons...) 
2008-08-09
Having read at this point the first two volumes, why this trilogy is seen as provocative I can certainly see. Books for children where evil comes from God and the Church are certainly not the most common ones out there. This, however, neither disturbs me (I am not religious) nor particularly excites my brain. Religious fundamentalism is just one kind of fundamentalism. Nazism, Fascism, Communism, even our "beloved" capitalism have produced countless horrors.
I can see a bit less how this trilogy can be compared to JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to the Harry Potter series. But after all, the numbers will loudly say that whatever Pullman's admirers think, LOTR and Harry Potter are in a category apart. The former is much much better written and more mature, the latter less ambitious but certainly and immensely more entertaining. Pullman is a good but not outstanding story-teller. Most things happen too quickly, and I found many characters to be so undeveloped that I really did not care about what happened to them. Perhaps what I find most missing in these books is the author's sympathy for his characters.
Overall, I am happy I read the first two books, and I will most likely read the third, but I also think I will forget this trilogy relatively quickly afterwards, and I don't think I will reach for these books again in the foreseeable future.
excellent 2008-08-05
I greatly enjoyed this book. The plot is exciting and engaging, the characters interesting and fun to get to know, and it is very well written. I also enjoyed the performance by Pullman and the cast. That made it a great listening experience.
Of Angels and Demons, and Witches, and Spirits, and Dimensions 2008-08-01
Maui H.S. The Philip Pullman Dark Materials Trilogy is equal and perhaps greater than the Harry Potter experience.
Once I read the Golden Compass I truly wanted to read the trilogy. I was not disappointed. Lyra meeting Will and the adventures they have together seemed confusing and not making much sense. This is like the Harry Potter books. Sometimes it seemed like just a good story, like the Harry Potter books.
The difference between the authors I believe is that Philip Pullman is better skilled in the art of the fantasy story than J.K. Rowling. This is not taking away from Rowling, it is complimenting Philip Pullman. His action and adventure are never ending throughout the Subtle Knife. The best thing about Pullman is you can't guess what is going to happen. You do not know. Where heroes live on forever and happy endings abound is not the story style of Pullman. Your heroes may soon be killed. The bad guys may triumph. But then the story twists and you simply are not certain just who is the hero and who is the villain.
I love the connections of dimensions and worlds. I love the blending of religion and science rivalries as well as the similarities. The difference of people of the worlds in the different worlds is similar and different. The complication of the previous sentence indicates the complications of the plot. Yes, it is that good!
I am so involved in this trilogy that when I ended the second book, I was proud of myself. I had the third book ready to go. I couldn't wait another day or week to start on the third book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass.
GREAT BOOK 2008-07-30
This is a great book. I love listening to these books as they are read by Philip Pullman, and others.
