The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) Summary and Reviews

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1)
by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Philip Pullman
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1997-03-30
ISBN: 0345413350
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Del Rey

Book Reviews of The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1)

Book Review: "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven..."
Summary: 5 Stars

This is, ostensibly, a book for older children. In reality the themes are adult as is some of the content and yet the principal actor in the narrative is a child, Lyra, raised wild in Jordan College, Oxford. The world of the book is like ours in many ways, yet different. There are scholars and there is a universal and oppressive Church with Cardinals and instantly recognisable paraphernalia. Yet instead of science as we know it there is "experimental theology" of which Lord Asriel, introduced as Lyra's uncle, is a supreme exponent.

Lyra's world is turned upside down as children begin to disappear, rumoured to have been taken by a sinister group known as the Gobblers. What happens when Lyra determines to find the children is exciting and shocking and makes absolutely compulsive reading. The strangeness of the creatures she encounters and the mystery of "Dust" dominates the text. And the ending is deeply moving as well as leaving the reader hanging by a thread, thirsty for the next instalment.

This book will appeal to all adults who enjoy rich prose infused by a knowledge of theology and physics. If you've not done so already, read this book now. You will not be disappointed.

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