His Dark Materials Boxed Set: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass

Its OK

Its OK

Pretty Good

The 1st in the box set was very good! The 2nd & 3rd were okay, but not as interesting & took me longer to finish. It was a pretty good story though.

The Certain Aspects in His Dark Materials

OK, I know many people who believe that in this book they kill God, but I am glad to say, no they don't. I think the Catholic church just got way to over excited about these books because someone said, The kill God. Well, that person has a big mouth and is a rumor mongre. They don't kill God. And I am going to say this now. To fully understand the books, read Milton's Paradise Lost. It explains everything about His Dark Materials, mainly because it is His Dark Materials.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LOVED this series!

I can't speak more highly of a fiction series of this kind. I was completely enthralled with the characters and storyline, not to mention Pullman's wonderful messages of looking outside the box and being who you are. I wish that so many religious groups would get off their high horse and read this series before making judgments on something they know nothing about!

probably the best fantasy

I would have to say that this is my favorite fantasy. Not only does it have deep reflections on religion, souls, spirits, and sin, but it also has all the best parts of fantasy books, love, death, mystery, and illusions. I cried so many times in these books, it was great!

Another series for the ages!

I read these books after the controversy surrounding the first movie hit the mainstream. As a Christian, Pullman forces you to look deep into your beliefs and search for answers that only you can find. I loved the books although the ending was almost anti-climatic.

lyra stole my heart

I recommend all three of the books from Phillip Pualmans HDM trilogy. They were all out standing and a great read all the way through to the very ending. Great story for kids and a deep thinking story for the more intelligible.

Recommended For All!

This trilogy is great. Some catholic schools have taken them off shelves because they kill God in the last book. Which is true, they do. But this is a fantacy series. Think about it, can anyone really cut through different worlds with a knife that is subtle? No. It is just a fantacy thriller that will keep you reading 'till the end. When I first read the The Golden Compass, I went to Barnes and Noble to get the second and third. And less than a week later I brought them back because of the things I heard they do in the third book. I went and saw the movie, and I was dying to find out what was going happen next. I know right from wrong. So I read it and it was great. And when you start reading it, you'll realize it's fantacy fiction. I give it five stars!

Right up there w/ Tolkien and Lewis

This book was supposedly written for young adults. However, I'm 26 and I absolutely fell in love with the characters and the story in these books. The characters are well developed and the plot is complex. The books touch on subjects that are extremely important in society at all ages and encourage readers to think, or rethink, about personal and social issues in our own lives. I've been a life long 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Chronicles of Narnia' fan, 'His Dark Materials' has easily found itself on my personal library's top shelf with these other fantastic classics.

faith, hope, and love!

If you allow others to dictate what NOT to read, then you are surely missing out. As soon as this book became controversial in the U.S. (a few weeks back when the upcoming movie was announced), e-mails were sent out to avoid these books and this movie at all costs. This was just enough for my teenage son, my friends, and I to rush out and buy the books. The joke is on the close-minded who chooses not to read the trilogy (the books are about opening your mind and thinking for yourself!). As soon as I started reading, I knew I was onto something wonderful. By the time I finished, I felt as though I had participated on Lyra's journey from start to finish. I laughed, cried, worried and cheered my way through. And, my personal opinion is that the real message was all about 'FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE.' Sound familiar? I am a Christian, and I was not offended in the very least. This is a work of fiction. The worlds are not our own. And, even if they were . . .the church has been known to do some pretty awful stuff. There are many many hypocrites in the world who call themselves Christians but act in not so Christian-like ways. All in all, I think Pullman's messages of love and kindness shine through. The bravery needed to make the RIGHT choices in life is unbelievable, and Pullman gives us example after example of courageous characters who make the RIGHT decisions and sacrifices for the good of mankind (witchkind, and animalkind). I loved these books, and I highly recommend them to teens and adults. I watched a woman on the news complain that she did not want her six year old reading these books. Well, of course not! But, a fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen year old would love these. I can't wait to see the movie. And, I just bought Lyra's Oxford, so I'm off to stick my nose in another one of Pullman's books. Oh, and one more thing . . . read the articles from which Mr. Pullman is quoted. So much, like the quotes, taken from his book, are taken out of context! Open your minds, read the books, and get ready for the journey of a lifetime!

Outstanding stories!

These stories are extremely well written. The worlds Pullman creates are beautiful and his people are vibrant, complex and 'real'. You love these people, or hate them, or fear them... but you aren't indifferent to any of them. That's the mark of great writing. As far as the controversy goes... I recommend that everyone make up their own mind based on their own experience, not based on someone else's dictates.

Not worth all the hype

I'm afraid these books just did not live up to the hype for me. I mean, Pullman's characters feel as if they've been cut from a piece of cardboard and are dangled from strings like puppets. They never once felt real. While much of his concept was interesting, he never took it to the level it could have been. Daemons and Dust was all well and good, but he seemed to abandon its true potential in his haste to do some mud-slinging at the church. I once read a interview where Pullman called 'The Chronicals of Narnia' propaganda for the church, yet the only Christian resemblance is buried in symbolism. Yet he turns around and creates one that could be called propaganda against the church, which is a direct attack against it. Talk about being quite hypocritical. All in all, Pullman had a good start, but he didn't follow through. I'm afraid I don't see how this could be compaired to the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Both of those have depth, symbolism, and are grounded in mythology. 'Norse for LotR, Greek/Roman for Harry Potter.' It saddens me that truly great novels keep getting passed up for the newest 'flavor of the month'. Hopefully next time a novel becomes extremly popular it will be deserving of the fame.

FAVORITE SERIES!!!

Im a huge reader. I bought all three of these books in like 5th grade and tried reading them but i didnt understand the first chapter. (i secretly just got them because they were thick and had animals on the front cover) but i waited a year and one day i just dove into them. i have never been able to forget this series when ever someone asks what to recommend and was soooo upset when i lost the 2nd one. i love Lyra and Pan. I think it would be so cool to have an animal represent half of yourself. Anyways, loved the trilogy but im not really interested in any of his other books. Your missing something if you dont read these. My words dont serve it justice.

Awestruck, Amazing, ect...

I read this series 2 years ago. Since then I read many many books, but this series is my all time FAVORITE!!! I read all three in two weeks because i couldnt put them down. If you are looking for books with adventure, excitment, love, and supense then the His Dark Materials set is for you! Read it you will NOT be dissapointed!

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.