Buying Options

Kindle Price:	$8.99
Sold by:	Random House LLC Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

Deliver to your Kindle Library

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1) by [Philip Pullman]

Follow the Author

Philip Pullman

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Philip Pullman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

5,342 ratings

Book 1 of 3: His Dark Materials

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$8.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$17.29

$12.40

$1.58

Paperback

"Please retry"

$8.50

$4.51

$1.35

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$8.99

$4.90

$0.55

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$21.81

$17.81

$1.58

HIS DARK MATERIALS IS NOW AN HBO ORIGINAL SERIES STARRING DAFNE KEEN, RUTH WILSON, JAMES McAVOY, AND LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA!

The modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” and Newsweek hailed as a “Top 100 Book of All Time.” Philip Pullman takes readers to a world where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach.

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal—including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.

But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other...

A masterwork of storytelling and suspense, Philip Pullman's award-winning The Golden Compass is the first in the His Dark Materials series, which continues with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

A #1 New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction
Published in 40 Countries

"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past twenty years." —The Washington Post

"Very grand indeed." —The New York Times

"Pullman is quite possibly a genius." —Newsweek

Don't miss Philip Pullman's epic new trilogy set in the world of His Dark Materials!
** THE BOOK OF DUST **
La Belle Sauvage
The Secret Commonwealth

Reading age

10 years and up
Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Grade level

5 - 12
Lexile measure

930L
Publisher

Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date

November 13, 2001
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
ISBN-13

978-0375823459
See all details

All 3 for you in this series See full series

See included books

Total Price: $24.97

Philip Pullman
4,137
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.99
Philip Pullman
4,700
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.99
Philip Pullman
14,358
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $19.99
Philip Pullman
512
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.99
Philip Pullman
8,855
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $8.99
Neal Stephenson
7,746
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $5.99

Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

“That’s the duty of the old,” said the Librarian, “to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old.”
Highlighted by 4,156 Kindle readers
Many good liars have no imagination at all; it’s that which gives their lies such wide-eyed conviction.
Highlighted by 1,527 Kindle readers
As people became adult, their dæmons lost the power to change and assumed one shape, keeping it permanently.
Highlighted by 1,145 Kindle readers

From the Publisher

his dark materials book 1 fantasy his dark materials


	His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)	His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife (Book 2)	His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Book 3)	The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Volume 1)	The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth (Volume 2)
Enter the world of His Dark Materials	The modern fantasy classic soon to be an HBO original series – HIS DARK MATERIALS!	The second book in the HIS DARK MATERIALS series – soon to be an HBO original series!	The third book in the HIS DARK MATERIALS series – soon to be an HBO original series!	Set in the same world as HIS DARK MATERIALS - meet Lyra before the events of The Golden Compass!	Set in the same world as HIS DARK MATERIALS - discover what happened to Lyra after The Amber Spyglass!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures."--(starred review), Publishers Weekly

From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Philip Pullman is the Whitbread Award-winning author of the bestselling His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass, and Lyra's Oxford. His books for young readers also include The Scarecrow and His Servant, I Was a Rat!, Count Karlstein, and Spring-Heeled Jack. In 2005, Pullman won the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in honor of the body of his work. To learn more about his books, please visit www.hisdarkmaterials.com. The author lives in Oxford, England. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

In a landmark epic of fantasy and storytelling, Philip Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea, or Redwall. Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing?victims of so-called "Gobblers"?and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

One

THE DECANTER OF TOKAY

Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen. The three great tables that ran the length of the hall were laid already, the silver and the glass catching what little light there was, and the long benches were pulled out ready for the guests. Portraits of former Masters hung high up in the gloom along the walls. Lyra reached the dais and looked back at the open kitchen door, and, seeing no one, stepped up beside the high table. The places here were laid with gold, not silver, and the fourteen seats were not oak benches but mahogany chairs with velvet cushions.

Lyra stopped beside the Master's chair and flicked the biggest glass gently with a fingernail. The sound rang clearly through the hall.

"You're not taking this seriously," whispered her daemon. "Behave yourself."

Her daemon's name was Pantalaimon, and he was currently in the form of a moth, a dark brown one so as not to show up in the darkness of the hall.

"They're making too much noise to hear from the kitchen," Lyra whispered back. "And the Steward doesn't come in till the first bell. Stop fussing."

But she put her palm over the ringing crystal anyway, and Pantalaimon fluttered ahead and through the slightly open door of the Retiring Room at the other end of the dais. After a moment he appeared again.

"There's no one there," he whispered. "But we must be quick."

Crouching behind the high table, Lyra darted along and through the door into the Retiring Room, where she stood up and looked around. The only light in here came from the fireplace, where a bright blaze of logs settled slightly as she looked, sending a fountain of sparks up into the chimney. She had lived most of her life in the College, but had never seen the Retiring Room before: only Scholars and their guests were allowed in here, and never females. Even the maid-servants didn't clean in here. That was the Butler's job alone.

Pantalaimon settled on her shoulder.

"Happy now? Can we go?" he whispered.

"Don't be silly! I want to look around!"

It was a large room, with an oval table of polished rosewood on which stood various decanters and glasses, and a silver smoking stand with a rack of pipes. On a sideboard nearby there was a little chafing dish and a basket of poppy heads.

"They do themselves well, don't they, Pan?" she said under her breath.

She sat in one of the green leather armchairs. It was so deep she found herself nearly lying down, but she sat up again and tucked her legs under her to look at the portraits on the walls. More old Scholars, probably; robed, bearded, and gloomy, they stared out of their frames in solemn disapproval.

"What d'you think they talk about?" Lyra said, or began to say, because before she'd finished the question she heard voices outside the door.

"Behind the chair—quick!" whispered Pantalaimon, and in a flash Lyra was out of the armchair and crouching behind it. It wasn't the best one for hiding behind: she'd chosen one in the very center of the room, and unless she kept very quiet...

The door opened, and the light changed in the room; one of the incomers was carrying a lamp, which he put down on the sideboard. Lyra could see his legs, in their dark green trousers and shiny black shoes. It was a servant.

Then a deep voice said, "Has Lord Asriel arrived yet?"

It was the Master. As Lyra held her breath, she saw the servant's daemon (a dog, like all servants' daemons) trot in and sit quietly at his feet, and then the Master's feet became visible too, in the shabby black shoes he always wore.

"No, Master," said the Butler. "No word from the aerodock, either."

"I expect he'll be hungry when he arrives. Show him straight into Hall, will you?"

"Very good, Master."

"And you've decanted some of the special Tokay for him?"

"Yes, Master. The 1898, as you ordered. His Lordship is very partial to that, I remember."

"Good. Now leave me, please."

"Do you need the lamp, Master?"

"Yes, leave that too. Look in during dinner to trim it, will you?"

The Butler bowed slightly and turned to leave, his daemon trotting obediently after him. From her not-much-of-a-hiding place Lyra watched as the Master went to a large oak wardrobe in the corner of the room, took his gown from a hanger, and pulled it laboriously on. The Master had been a powerful man, but he was well over seventy now, and his movements were stiff and slow. The Master's daemon had the form of a raven, and as soon as his robe was on, she jumped down from the wardrobe and settled in her accustomed place on his right shoulder.

Lyra could feel Pantalaimon bristling with anxiety, though he made no sound. For herself, she was pleasantly excited. The visitor mentioned by the Master, Lord Asriel, was her uncle, a man whom she admired and feared greatly. He was said to be involved in high politics, in secret exploration, in distant warfare, and she never knew when he was going to appear. He was fierce: if he caught her in here she'd be severely punished, but she could put up with that.

What she saw next, however, changed things completely.

The Master took from his pocket a folded paper and laid it on the table beside the wine. He took the stopper out of the mouth of a decanter containing a rich golden wine, unfolded the paper, and poured a thin stream of white powder into the decanter before crumpling the paper and throwing it into the fire. Then he took a pencil from his pocket, stirred the wine until the powder had dissolved, and replaced the stopper. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

In a landmark epic of fantasy and storytelling, Philip Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea, or Redwall. Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, "nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing--victims of so-called "Gobblers"--and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Amazon.com Review

Some books improve with age--the age of the reader, that is. Such is certainly the case with Philip Pullman's heroic, at times heart-wrenching novel, The Golden Compass, a story ostensibly for children but one perhaps even better appreciated by adults. The protagonist of this complex fantasy is young Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Oxford University. But it quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our own--nor is her world. For one thing, people there each have a personal dæmon, the manifestation of their soul in animal form. For another, hers is a universe in which science, theology, and magic are closely allied: As for what experimental theology was, Lyra had no more idea than the urchins. She had formed the notion that it was concerned with magic, with the movements of the stars and planets, with tiny particles of matter, but that was guesswork, really. Probably the stars had dæmons just as humans did, and experimental theology involved talking to them. Not that Lyra spends much time worrying about it; what she likes best is "clambering over the College roofs with Roger the kitchen boy who was her particular friend, to spit plum stones on the heads of passing Scholars or to hoot like owls outside a window where a tutorial was going on, or racing through the narrow streets, or stealing apples from the market, or waging war." But Lyra's carefree existence changes forever when she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, first prevent an assassination attempt against her uncle, the powerful Lord Asriel, and then overhear a secret discussion about a mysterious entity known as Dust. Soon she and Pan are swept up in a dangerous game involving disappearing children, a beautiful woman with a golden monkey dæmon, a trip to the far north, and a set of allies ranging from "gyptians" to witches to an armor-clad polar bear.

In The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman has written a masterpiece that transcends genre. It is a children's book that will appeal to adults, a fantasy novel that will charm even the most hardened realist. Best of all, the author doesn't speak down to his audience, nor does he pull his punches; there is genuine terror in this book, and heartbreak, betrayal, and loss. There is also love, loyalty, and an abiding morality that infuses the story but never overwhelms it. This is one of those rare novels that one wishes would never end. Fortunately, its sequel, The Subtle Knife, will help put off that inevitability for a while longer. --Alix Wilber

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“Extraordinary storytelling at its very best.” —The Detroit Free Press

“Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling.” —The Washington Post

"Very grand indeed." —The New York Times

"Powerful […] a fantasy adventure that sparkles with childlike wonder." —The Boston Sunday Globe

"Marvelous […] the writing is elegant and challenging." —The New Yorker

"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past twenty years […] If [The Subtle Knife] is as good as The Golden Compass, we'll be two thirds of the way to the completion of a modern fantasy classic."
—The Washington Post Book World

“Pullman is quite possibly a genius…using the lineaments of fantasy to tell the truth about the universal experience of growing up.” —Newsweek

"Masterful storytelling […] with a cast of instantly beguiling characters." —The Dallas Morning News

“The most magnificent fantasy series since Lord of the Rings.” —The Oregonian

“Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the twentieth century. An astounding achievement.” —The Cincinnati Enquirer

"Once in a lifetime a children's author emerges who is so extraordinary that the imagination of generations is altered. Lewis Carroll, E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien were all of this cast. So, too, is Philip Pullman, whose Dark Materials trilogy will be devoured by anyone between eight and eighty. The most ambitious work since The Lord of the Rings, it is as intellectually thrilling as it is magnificently written." — New Statesman

"Thrillingly paced and exotic […] breathtaking." — Columbus Dispatch

“[…] a rare few have minds capacious enough to engage in vast cosmos-making, imagining realms and inventing universes. I am thinking of Dante and Milton and Blake. We may now add Philip Pullman.”
—Parents Choice (online)

"The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy/adventure stories that I have read in years. This is a book no one should miss." —Terry Brooks, author of The Sword of Shannara

"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“This first fantastic installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy propels readers along with horror and high adventure, a shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe.” – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"This first fantastic installment propels readers along with horror and high adventure […] A shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“The characters of Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coutler, and Iorek Byrnison and the cold and beautiful Northern setting are captivating; the constantly twisting plot and escalating suspense are riveting; and Lyra and Pantalaimon are among the gutsiest and wiliest of adventurers. Touching, exciting, and mysterious by turns, this is a splendid work.” —The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

“Glorious. And what an ending — simply operatic.” —School Library Journal, Top 100 Children’s Novels (#28)

"This is a captivating fantasy, filled with excitement, suspense, and unusual characters." —School Library Journal

"A totally involving, intricately plotted fantasy that will leave readers clamoring for the sequels."
—Booklist, Starred review

“Glorious. . . . The Golden Compass is one of those lyrical suspensions like Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the Rings that crosses all age lines and intertwines mythologies and legends with seamless beauty.” —BookPage --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Book Description

The first book in the world-renowned His Dark Materials trilogy, which was made into the major movie The Golden Compass. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Publisher

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
I love this book, so when we decided to give out copies at a convention this summer, I was thrilled! We must have given away a hundred copies of The Golden Compass throughout that weekend and one person even came back the next day to let me know how engrossing the book was--he had read it overnight!

--Anh Hoang, Marketing Assistant

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From AudioFile

Phillip Pullman spins a magical tale which will draw in older listeners as well as teens. Natasha Richardson's light, ethereal voice wraps us into the magic like the "daemons," or spirits, that accompany each character. She almost whispers some of the text as young Lyra whispers to her daemon in a setting that is now and other-worldly at the same time. Richardson describes characters and events with a softness that heightens the fantasy while not neglecting the action of the pursuit of evil in the form of kipnappers and unbeatable polar bear warriors. The text is so image-laden with wondrous descriptions, Richardson needs to add little to this compelling storytelling. R.F.W. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-12. In the first of a planned trilogy, Pullman has created a wholly developed universe, which is, as he states, much like our own but different in many ways--a world in which humans are paired with animal "daemons" that seem like alter egos, only with personalities of their own. The story begins at Jordan College in Oxford, where young Lyra Belacqua and her daemon, Pantalaimon, are being reared and educated by the Scholars. Although a lackluster student, Lyra possesses an inordinate curiosity and sense of adventure, which lead her into forbidden territory on the night her uncle, Lord Asriel, visits. He's there to solicit funds for a return journey to the distant arctic wastes, where he has observed and photographed strange goings-on, including a mysterious phenomenon called Dust that streams from the sky and a dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora, or Northern Lights, that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. After he leaves, Lyra finds herself placed in the charge of the mysterious Mrs. Coulter and in possession of a rare compasslike device that can answer questions if she learns how to read it. Already shocked by the disappearance of her best friend, Lyra discovers Mrs. Coulter's connection with the dreaded children-stealing Gobblers and runs away, joining a group of gyptians bound for the North to rescue missing children. Lyra has also learned that her uncle is being held prisoner in the North, guarded by formidable armored bears. Filled with fast-paced action, the plot involves a secret scientific facility, where children are being severed from their daemons; warring factions; witch clans; an outcast armored bear, who bonds with Lyra; and more. It becomes evident that the future of the world and its inhabitants is in the hands of the ever-more-resilient and dedicated Lyra. A totally involving, intricately plotted fantasy that will leave readers clamoring for the sequels. Sally Estes --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Publishers Weekly

If Pullman's imagination dazzled in the Victorian thrillers that culminated with The Tin Princess, in this first volume of a fantasy trilogy it is nothing short of breathtaking. Here Earth is one of only five planets in the solar system, every human has a daemon (the soul embodied as an animal familiar) and, in a time similar to our late 19th century, Oxford scholars and agents of the supreme Calvinist Church are in a race to unleash the power that will enable them to cross the bridge to a parallel universe. The story line has all the hallmarks of a myth: brought up ignorant of her true identity, 11-year-old Lyra goes on a quest from East Anglia to the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate Roger and her imprisoned uncle, Lord Asriel. Deceptions and treacheries threaten at every turn, and she is not yet certain how to read the mysterious truth-telling instrument that is her only guide. After escaping from the charming and sinister Mrs. Coulter, she joins a group of "gyptians" in search of their children, who, like Roger, have been spirited away by Mrs. Coulter's henchmen, the Gobblers. Along the way Lyra is guided by friendly witches and attacked by malevolent ones, aided by an armored polar bear and a Texan balloonist, and nearly made a victim of the Gobblers' cruel experiments. As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures. 100,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?A novel set in London and in the Arctic regions of a world that is somewhat like our own. Lyra, apparently an orphan, lives among the scholars at Jordan College, Oxford. She becomes aware of a nefarious plot to steal children and transport them to the far north. As Lyra is drawn deeper and deeper into this mystery, she finds that the children are being made to suffer terribly. What she does not?and must not?know is that she is the keystone in an ancient prophecy. Her destiny is to save her world and to move on into a parallel universe. She dives headlong into harrowing adventures, totally unaware of her importance. She also discovers the identity of her parents, who are major players in the unfolding drama. In Lyra's world, every human has a daemon, an animal that is sort of an extension of one's soul. This fact is central to the story as the church, the academic world, and the government seek to understand the significance of the phenomenon. Also important, but never fully explained, is a substance called Dust. This is a captivating fantasy, filled with excitement, suspense, and unusual characters. The armored bears are wonderful and more interesting than most of the humans. There is some fine descriptive writing, filled with the kind of details that encourage suspension of disbelief. The story line moves along at a rapid clip, but flags when it delves into philosophical matters. The ending is less than satisfying, but serves as a lead-in to part two of the series. Fantasy lovers will be clamoring for the next installment.?Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FC1ICM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (November 13, 2001)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 13, 2001
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 44727 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 368 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #18,903 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4 in Children's Survival Story eBooks
- #13 in Children's Classic Literature
- #50 in Teen & Young Adult Classic Literature

Customer Reviews:
5,342 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Philip Pullman

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed writers working today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass), which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. He has also won many distinguished prizes, including the Carnegie Medal for The Golden Compass (and the reader-voted "Carnegie of Carnegies" for the best children's book of the past seventy years); the Whitbread (now Costa) Award for The Amber Spyglass; a Booker Prize long-list nomination (The Amber Spyglass); Parents' Choice Gold Awards (The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass); and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, in honor of his body of work. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

It has recently been announced that The Book of Dust, the much anticipated new book from Mr. Pullman, also set in the world of His Dark Materials, will be published as a major work in three parts, with the first part to arrive in October 2017.

Philip Pullman is the author of many other much-lauded novels. Other volumes related to His Dark Materials: Lyra’s Oxford, Once Upon a Time in the North, and The Collectors. For younger readers: I Was a Rat!; Count Karlstein; Two Crafty Criminals; Spring-Heeled Jack, and The Scarecrow and His Servant. For older readers: the Sally Lockhart quartet: The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess; The White Mercedes; and The Broken Bridge.

Philip Pullman lives in Oxford, England. To learn more, please visit philip-pullman.com and hisdarkmaterials.com. Or follow him on Twitter at @PhilipPullman.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

5,342 global ratings

5 star		71%
4 star		19%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

John Hendrich

fun fantasy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

It took me a second to get locked in, but then I was hooked. My only issue was naming the bears so closely together, I kept getting very confused by there first names being so close. But I liked the book and look forward to checking out the series now

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

Terrific performance— really fun read. I recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy. (8 more words here, alright okay okay). Enjoy!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

Super
I liked the alternate dimensions

The characteristics of the characters were awesome

I recommend this for any body in need of a good book

Helpful

Family of Five

notes for parents raising kids in a religious tradition

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book and this series is exceptional in so many ways. I give it five stars, and my 9-year-old son is reading the series as I re-read it with him.

Here are three things I love about this book:

1- The main character is a strong girl (Lyra) with incredible willpower as well as a pre-ordained important role to play in the world. She is funny, scrappy, and a very likable and relatable main character. The fate of the world is literally in her hands, but she doesn't realize that.

2- The world building here is so creative and so different from other fantasy novels. After reading a lot of fantasy novels with my son, at some point I get bored of the traditional storyline of wizard fights some sort of evil and prevails. In this world, every person is born joined to a Daemon, which is an animal who talks and basically always stays within ten feet of the person. They are bonded forever, and part of being a whole human is being bonded from birth to death with this talking animal. There's also a huge theme here about physics, which they call "Dark Matter" or "Dust" - that creates mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the book. There are also such creative creatures, including armored polar bears who talk and are mercenaries for hire. There are witches, who live for thousands of years and exist within clans. And the Daemons are fascinating. They can change shape at will into any animal basically until their human hits puberty, at which point they pick one animal shape to maintain for the rest of their lives.

3- The settings are interesting, and also related to parts of the earth. For instance, the story starts in Oxford in England where Lyra grows up as a part of a college. She is a little girl among scholars, who mainly runs around and does what she wants throughout the town. She's proud of her mastery of the spaces around her, and becomes the center of most groups of kids, who follow her - from her best friend who is the son of a kitchen worker at the college to her friends the Gyptians who live on boats. Then the story moves to the Arctic, where there are detailed descriptions of auroras and vivid explanations of the cold. My son got more interested in the Arctic here, and found himself exploring the science in the science fiction. That's an exciting advantage of a book like this!

Notes for parents raising kids in a religious tradition:

The church is evil in this book and in this series. And the church uses names and terms like many real religious traditions- clergy, magisterium, priests, etc. The church is funding an evil plot to try to harness energy by physically harming children in the Arctic. Phillip Pullman is unapologetic about the church being evil in this series, and even extrapolates later in the second book to make statements about churches always being on the wrong side of things.

The book is just so, so good, so I didn't want that to be a reason not to share it with my son who loves fantasy and science fiction. But I did want to read it with him and talk about it throughout the book. We talked about how worlds are different from each other in fantasy and real life. We've also spent time talking about how church is an institution, and institutions make mistakes and have done things that are wrong or even evil- and how to square that with being confirmed in a church literally this year.

If you are a parent of a child being raised in a religious tradition, I strongly recommend reading this series together with your child.

332 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ryan Sean O'Reilly

A tale told by a crackling, comforting fire while the bitter northern winds gust dangerously against the window panes outside.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book starts a bit slowly at first, but then kicks up into high-adventure and keeps this pace to the end. Pullman’s writing is very good and he manages to capture a perfect voice for the main character of Lyra as she negotiates this strange world populated by anthropomorphic soul-animals, witches, ghasts, and armored bears.

In reading this book, I felt reminiscent of the that sweet, nostalgic tone achieved by C.S. Lewis in “The Narnia Chronicles.” Perhaps this is simply due to the omniscient point of view in which the narrators guide one along in these comparable fantasy works. There is something comforting when you feel as if a story is being told you by a dear old friend while at the same time you’re being truly immersed in the narrative. That is a subtle art in which the author must carefully balance the use of the narrative voice so as not to feel intrusive or too expositional. I think there is something in the human psyche that responds to this mode of storytelling that harkens back to our ancient oral traditions.

The work is not particularly a “Christian” one, even though I am mentioning The Narnia Chronicles which are more overtly Christian in their telling. Pullman does draw on the dogma, practices, history and teachings of the Christian Religion to create his fantasy world and also to better illustrate what is happening and drive the plot along. However, unlike The Narnia Chronicles, the institutional nature of religion plays a much bigger and more nefarious role in The Golden Compass. That being said, this particular tale is not overly caught up with this theme. During some portions the religious aspect is missing altogether—though I admit that it does make up an important part of the book. So in essence, I am saying that however critical this book might be toward the institutional aspect of religion—it is not solely concerned with that point.

The world created by Pullman feels rather unique, even though it is a secondary world not unlike our own (in many ways). He devises a magical system utilizing a special dust-like substance; and souls that live outside the body in animal forms called daemons. This feels very authentic and manages to be quite delightful. Probably the strongest and most developed part of the book is the relationship Lyra has with her own daemon.

Other elements of the story come flying in as Lyra (the protagonist), takes up her quest to deliver a magical item to a far off and dangerous land. She meets interesting, fun and compelling characters all along the way. My only gripe is that at times, these non-player-character-types seem to drop on and off screen as needed. So too, does the adventure seem to proceed along one step at a time. The feel of this story is that as the protagonist progresses, the author foreshadows the next event, a challenge is overcome and the protagonist advances to the next level. A bit mechanical—not exactly contrived, but somewhat stilted. The writing is really great and the plot has a lot of fun and interesting elements that leave you anxious to see things through. There is just something a bit….in the background…missing... Perhaps it was the dropping away of secondary characters without a lot of follow through on their individual subplots? But, maybe that would have just slowed things down? I’m not sure.

All in all, I have no real problems with this book. It’s very well written, a great read and I’d definitely recommend it and am curious to read more. Mainly though, the author has a great voice for his story telling and that is what really pulls you in.

Podcast: If you enjoy my review (or this topic) this book and the movie based on it were further discussed/debated in a lively discussion on my podcast: "No Deodorant In Outer Space". The podcast is available on iTunes, Tune-In Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, YouTube or our website.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Brooke Fieldhouse

A great read, but its literature for mature adults

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

Fierce and almost feral LYRA BELACQUA is a ten-year-old orphan being raised within the confines of Jordan college OXFORD under the eyes of the Master, and LORD ASRIEL – who is supposedly Lyra’s uncle. Philip Pullman’s trilogy HIS DARK MATERIALS – the first book NORTHERN LIGHTS begins in Oxford England. Lyra doesn’t like confines and as she roams around the sacred rooms of academia and often tears across its roofs with her best mate ROGER the kitchen boy, the reader can see that it’s an Oxford and an England which is recognisable, but has some strange differences. Boys and girls drink and eat chocolatl – yes, with an ‘l’, the non-English pronunciation, they have ‘night-ghasts’ instead of nightmares. There are lights called anbaric lamps, naptha lamps, and if you listen carefully to the night sky you can hear the chug of zeppelin engines. There are the ‘landlopers’ of the Oxford colleges but on the other side of the social coin are the canal basin and ‘claybeds’ inhabited by the boat folk, the ‘gyptians’ and Lyra spends her time in both of these camps. But the strangest thing is that the people we meet are not alone in this world, they each have their own personal daemon, always an animal and with the ability to change form, Lyra’s is called PANTALAIMON. Daemons are like the soul of their human, each can’t live without the other, they are inextricable, and this it soon appears to the reader is the main dramatic question of the novel, someone is trying to separate humans from their demons. Children disappear – sometimes landloper children, at other times it’s gyptians. Rumours abound, but it would appear that an organization called THE OBLATION BOARD, hinted at having connections with the MAGISTERIUM - the supreme world Church at Geneva - are hiring ruffians called the GOBBLERS to kidnap children, and cart them off to a place called Bolvanger near the arctic circle where experiments are taking place. When her pal Roger goes missing Lyra swears to make it her mission to find out more, rescue him and all the other children. But before the adventure really gets going there’s a couple of other things you need to know. One is that – and you’ve probably guessed already – Lyra isn’t an orphan, and by the time this fact is revealed the reader has already met both of her parents, two truly sinister characters who are to play a pivotal role. Secondly, Lyra was actually reared by the gyptians – hence her off beat diction of things like “he’s a-coming/ or going,” or “you e’nt what you says you was,” giving the impression of someone trying to imitate a character somewhere between a pirate and Just William, half toff half oik.
But this novel is a far cry from Treasure Island or William in Trouble. Its age rating guide is ’12 or older.’ I would suggest a lot older! Oh, it’s CS Lewis all right in much of its style and thinking, but it’s not Narnia, it’s more like Lewis’s Space trilogy, a book which many readers mistook for young person’s literary fare. The concept of The Church being responsible for an attempt to cut the souls out of children is elegantly incendiary enough, but Bolvanger has all the descriptive power and anodyne deception of a – modelled for film propaganda - Nazi concentration camp but in reality, inhabited by an experiment-happy Dr Joseph Mengele. Yes, it’s a great read, but it’s literature for mature adults.
One more thing, I enjoyed the earlier scenes; the setting up of the contrasting social structures of Oxford, the concept of Lyra’s quest, the dialogue between Lyra and Iofur Raknison – king of the armoured bears – one of the funniest and wittiest pieces of dialogue I’ve read. But when it came to witches flying on broomsticks – oh, don’t get me wrong I like paintings of ‘floating witches’ but on small canvases painted by Francesco Goya – exploding zeppelin’s and more, I realized that I was seeing it all in terms of computer-generated images. And that could well be one of the big questions of post-post-modern literature. Is it so necessary to write so filmically? Do we have to let CGIs colour our pictorial thinking? Are our pens driving the CGIs or are they driving us? Ursula le Guin (for most of her life) and CS Lewis didn’t need to ask that question because CGIs hadn’t been invented. And that is the main reason I will not be progressing to book 2 of His Dark Materials. Having had a taste of Pullman – heavily flavoured with CGI 'flashbacks' I may well instead revisit CS Lewis’s Space trilogy Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, books which I read in the 1990s when I was in my forties. It could be that I find the answer to my questions there.

5 people found this helpful

Alex James

I was super impressed by the magical feeling of turning of every page

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

First impressions

I couldn’t remember the Golden Compass film well, but I did suspect I’d start with the impression I’d be reading a book only for children. I was wrong on this, finding Northern Lights to be intellectually satisfying for adults, with some of the most beautiful in depth descriptions I’ve ever read (see below). I did eventually get the impression I was reading a story authored by a teacher. There are scientific elements, inventions reminiscent of the steampunk genre, and religious influences in the form of institutions and verse. There were strong themes of the promise of mental discovery and the threatening yoke of conformity. Where beliefs are a good thing, it’s in the presence of magical fantasy and wonder.

Premise of the story

Lyra is a child living in the prestigious Jordan College, though many of her habits are less than prestigious. She’s adventurous, and naughty, with a keen sense of curiosity that can get her into trouble. When all the children are going missing, the Gobblers are blamed and Lyra is determined to go north. In fact, whatever the reason, Lyra seems determined to go north.

Criticism

Some of the passages of Lyra interacting with the bears were the most fascinating and engaging in the story. I did wonder how she was able to trick some of them as easily as she did when they were known for not being tricked. Did I miss something?

Beautiful descriptions

‘Looking up at the stone pinnacles of the chapel, the pearl-green cupola of the Sheldon Building, the white painted Lantern of the Library.’

‘Men and women are moved by tides much fiercer than you can imagine, and they sweep us all into the current.’

‘The bleakest barest most inhospitable godforsaken dead-end of nowhere.’

‘Then, with a roar and a blur of snow both bears moved at the same moment. Like two great masses of rock balanced on adjoining peaks and shaken loose by an earthquake, that bound down the mountainsides gathering speed, leaping over crevasses and knocking trees into splinters, until they crash into each other so hard that both are smashed to powder and flying chips of stone: that was how the two bears came together.’

Concluding comments

It’s as wonderful as Harry Potter and as bewitching as Terry Pratchett, covering misfortune, tragedy, outrage, and heroism. I’d certainly feel enriched continuing with the series.

I was super impressed by the magical feeling of turning of every page, and my estimation of Philip Pullman’s writing is high. I’m confident his other books are also stellar reads!

9 people found this helpful

John Bland

Neither believable or credible

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

You are required to suspend belief in almost any novel that you read and enjoy the journey. Every book has it's plot flaws which you set aside and you believe in it and immerse yourself in that world. Even Pride and Prejudice has an unrealistic plot and some characters behaving in unrealistic ways. But you read it because you enjoy the plot and because your belief is not stretched too far. In addition the best books also operate a deeper level raising some more fundamental questions.

This book is readable -- the plot is relatively pacey and, at some level I was interested to see how it turned out so I can see why others find it a good read, but for me it was completely unbelievable, and it only operated on a superficial level raising no deeper questions at all.

The author creates a semi imaginary world which just didn't hang together to me. I'll not spoil the plot by giving many further details but I suspect Mr Pullman is not a scientist so that when he uses scientific concepts such as the Aurora, or Dust it simply doesn't work. Then he mixes this pseudo-science up with pseudo religion and pseudo mythology and seem to have come up with a simple tale of a young child out to save the universe (so the same as Star Wars then!?)

One example to illustrate the lack of credibility -- Lyra and the gyptians (a few hundred people in total I believe) decide to travel to the North in a (large) boat which they charter to cross the German Ocean. They are able to do this despite the close attention of the people who are trying to catch them -- people who are super-clever, who know that the gyptians have Lyra, who know exactly where they gyptians are (in the fens) and who know exactly where they are headed. And to cap it all the gyptians are apparently uneducated canal-boat people...

My 19 year old daughter has read it an thoroughly enjoyed it so I checked the ending of the trilogy with her and was able to confirm that it wasn't going to get any better so I gave up about 200 pages in.

My daughter said Harry Potter was much better.

I myself have really enjoyed the following Imaginary/Sci Fi works which I would recommend ahead of this one: -
Foundation Trilogy by Asimov
Fahrenheit 451 by Badbury
Dune by Herbert
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Dick
Lord of the Rings by Tolkein

6 people found this helpful

Alana_thebooknerd

I don't know why I hadn't read this sooner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

Being so late to this book means I have heard A LOT about this novel from other readers I know, one of my bff’s was quite forceful that this should be my next read when I was pondering over my tbr. So here we are book lovers!

What did I like:

It has been a looooong time since I’ve read a book where the MC is so young, so I did find Lyra quite testing and petulant at times. I had to remind myself that I’m used to young adult or adult adult MC’s so I simply can’t hold her to the same expectation. That being said, the representation of Lyra as a character is wonderful and after a number of “she’s only a child” internal prompts & deep breaths through the first quarter to half of the book I did start to bond with the tenacious little girl and root for her. By the end of the book it was quite refreshing having the innocence of a little girl as the MC with her single minded driven attitude.

I really enjoyed the Gyptian community in this book and it was during these chapters I felt there was genuine relationship building, especially between Lyra and some of the Gyptian’s themselves. At the beginning of the book Lyra seems very disassociated with the adults in her environment with little to no true relationships with any of them but whilst she is with the Gyptian’s she builds some solid bonds with the likes of Ma Costa, John Faa and Farder Coram. I felt this was also a sound representation of community, with camaraderie, warmth and spirit.

I am an animal lover, so of course I have a soft spot for Iorek Byrnison.

The plot itself is genuinely well written and a treat to the imagination. From reading, it became quite clear why readers from so many age ranges loves this book, there is something for everyone. From all the books I’ve read so far this year this one has the most beautifully described detail that you could close your eyes and experience it in your inner eye. The level of world building and description that has gone into this book is what I think makes this novel so engaging to all ages, I’ve found with more “adult-y” books you can sometimes miss out on that detail which for me is where the magic happens. I want to immerse myself in the story.

Every part of the story flows beautifully into the next, everything had purpose. No dull, dragged out sections. I found everything progressed at a really good rate with a decent amount of action/drama. Every character we meet is diverse in characteristics and adds a little something to the story. The end definitely leads on to the next book, if I was old enough to have read this in 1995, I’d have been gutted to have to wait the 2 years before the next book comes out.

Philip Pullman is such a highly acclaimed writer, there isn’t much I can add that hasn’t already been said. His way of writing is quite unique and not a style I’ve seen replicated or similar anywhere else yet. The second and third book are patiently waiting in my wishlist to be purchased, next to Ruby in the Smoke (I borrowed it from the Library when I first read it) which I’d love to reread.

What I wasn’t so keen on:

This was an enjoyable read for me, so there wasn’t anything I really disliked. As I mentioned I had to remind myself child MC’s don’t behave like older MC’s. With my challenge for 2020 to read a more diverse range of books I will hopefully come to meet many different MC’s and not trip up on something so basic as this again.

Iorek and Lyra had a tight relationship from when they met, like there’s a connection. It was obvious what Lyra’s thoughts and feelings were towards Iorek but I’d have loved to find out his feelings towards her. Were his actions inspired by duty or genuine affection?

I’d have liked a bit more explanation in the last sections of the book as to what’s going on and why, but with end of the book the way it was maybe I’ll find out in the second book.

2 people found this helpful

Hannah Carrier

The perfect book for a magical realist fan

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

The Golden Compass is the first book of the dust series by Philip Pullman. It is incredibly well-written and a real treat for the imagination. The book is really descriptive and has the perfect balance between what’s real and what’s magic. I love magical realism and there are plenty of fairytale elements in The Golden Compass. Lyra, a boisterous little girl growing up in Oxford college with very few female role models (hence being easily enchanted by Mrs Coulter) is whisked away on a journey she does not realise is incredibly dangerous for her. It’s a mystery, it’s fast-paced and packed with well-developed characters that you fall in love with. I’d recommend this to absolutely anybody and I might read the rest of the series too!

Buying Options

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the Author

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1) Kindle Edition

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

From the Inside Flap

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

Amazon.com Review

Review

Book Description

From the Publisher

From AudioFile

From Booklist

From Publishers Weekly

From School Library Journal

Product details

Videos

About the author

Philip Pullman

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries