His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (2003, Paperback)

Great literature. If you like Tolkein, you will enjoy the His Dark Materials Trilogy. Very engaging, and can be enjoyed by many ages from teens to adults. There are some controversial religious thoughts in the book if you are a very conservative Christian and do not want to expose young impressionable minds.

I've never read a book better than this!!
It's not only a children's book beacause there are themes that can be interesting also for adults!
You simply can't stop to read this trilogy!
there are 3 books
the first take place in a different world where the churc has the power!it's something like the new inquisition.it makes you think!
the second take place in a world where only innocent people can survive
the tird is the really best!!
it takes place in a lot of different world..and it talk about the dead,the religiion..and other important themes..but in a funny way..ypu can't be bored reading it 'cause the story is excellent.

I hated the first book, hence I only got to about page 40. Can't speak for the last two. I found the first book completely non-engaging. I found myself not giving a rats hoot about any of the characters. I found myself not caring if I ever read any further. Maybe I just didn't "get it", but I found the strange juxtaposition of a fantasy world with the real world as we know it very disjointed. The blending in of the "Church", the "made up" places with bits of places that really exist, the made up groups of peoples that sort of corresponded with the real world were to me, just silly, not to mention confusing and annoying. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to take place in the past, present or future. Was it Earth, another planet, another dimension? Who knows and who cares? Certainly not I! I couldn't tell if there were bad guys, good guys, and what the bleep were these "daemons" that everyone had? And as for the plot...what plot? I couldn't dig one out of this pile with a backhoe. To compare to other authors, I have found both Tolkien and Rowling books completely engrossing from the first printed word. I understood completely who the characters were, I loved them, both the good ones and the evil ones. I couldn't wait to read the next page and the next. These Pullman books are just...I don't know...STUPID! BUT...go ahead and read them for yourself. It seems I may be the ONLY one in the UNIVERSE that HATED at least the first one enough to NEVER read any of the others. Comments, anyone?

Thought provoking series. Questions religious beliefs & organized church doctrine. To what lengths will religious zealots go to promote & protect their views. All couched in a sci-fi/ fantasy quest. Good characterization with enough action to keep you turning pages.

i dislike the fact that i never got my books and its been a month and the seller will not respond to my emails very disappointed

Great series for kids who love to read.....like my niece. i bought these for her and had the seller send them to another state with a small happy birthday message for my 14 yr. old niece. she loved them.

thanks.

This trilogy tells, hands down, the BEST story that I have ever heard in my life. Pullman writes excellently and allows the reader to feel every spark of emotion that his characters experiences as if it were their own. There are those who fear that the book is full of anti-christian messages or propaganda, but that is not the case at all. It's a story, and it should be treated as such.

Dark Materials is a must read! Extremely well written. The first book "The Golden Compass" is better than the movie with important character development left out of the movie. The story gets better with each book!

I purchased this series for my teenage son. After watching the movie The Golden Compass, we both thought it would be fun to read all the books and then watch the other movies when they come out. He enjoys fantasy books and I find in this day and age, its tough to get teens to read books. If they enjoy a certain genere, encourage it! This is a superb collection, perfect size to carry anywhere and easy reading for almost every age.

awsome seller got them wicked fast and in perfect shape the price was great
and i think that anyone who buys from them will not be dissapointed with there
purchases.

I like the fact in came with all 3 books and in a box set...just trying to find the time to seat and read and enjoy the books...the books sound interesting and I can't wait to start reading them

I love to books and I love to read but I did not buy this set of books for myself. My son was wanting them to read and I love it when he likes to read, I believe children should do more reading. I also thought if anybody had a set it would be on E-bay. I got the set cheaper then if I had gone and tried to find them at the bookstore. My son is very satisfied with the books, they are in excellent condition. We couldn't be happier with our choice.
Thank you very much,Kevin Palmer

The story line is currently very hot. Hard to find the 3 books. The story line is very good and the story flows. A++++

this was purchsed as a gift for our son's 10th bday He saw the golden compass movie and decided he wanted to read the books tht it was based on. The set came packaged very well and he said the books are significantly better than the movie.

This series is a very excellent read into a world of Good Verses Evil. This it a great three part series. The Golden Compass is one small part. The books give you a great insite to the world created by Philip Pullman.

This trilogy is very much not only for children. In fact, a suitable age to comprehend all of the themes is probably around 14 or 15 for a mature young adult.
It is very difficult to delve deep into the plot or characters without giving much away, but it is a three part story that tells of a girl named Lyra, her daemon, Pantalaimon, and the fulfillment of her destiny.

If it were not for the Harry Potter explosion, many more people would know of this series. Of course, that would mean there would most likely be an even greater hoopla than we are currently experiencing over the films. While true that the story contains certain controversial elements, namely anti-religious sentiments, it is done tastefully. People that refuse to let their kids see the movies or read these wonderful books are exactly the zealots that the book warns about.

Regardless of the hot topic aspects, it simply comes down to the fact that the story is so rich, complex and well-developed that it transcends any sort of 3rd-party description. In all honesty, although the Harry Potter series exhibits greater "smoothness" in certain areas than His Dark Materials, the story is not even as closely layered in complexity. There is a difference between drawing out a story to fill seven books and telling a story that actually requires and deserves that type and length of treatment.

In summary, read these books. If anything, it should give you some things to think and talk about.