Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102591 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1024 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Northern Lights
Lyra's life is already sufficiently interesting for a novel before she eavesdrops on a presentation by her uncle Lord Asriel to his colleagues in the Jordan College faculty, Oxford. The college, famed for its leadership in experimental theology, is funding Lord Asriel's research into the heretical possibility of the existence of worlds unlike Lyra's own, where everyone is born with a familiar animal companion, magic of a kind works, the Tartars are threatening to overrun Muscovy, and the Pope is a puritanical Protestant. Set in an England familiar and strange, Philip Pullman's lively, taut story is a must-read and re-read for fantasy lovers of all ages. The world-building is outstanding, from the subtle hints of the 1898 Tokay to odd quirks of language to the panserbjorne, while determined, clever Lyra is strongly reminiscent of Joan Aiken's Dido Twite.

The Subtle Knife
At the end of The Northern Lights, Lyra Silvertongue watched in fear and fascination as her father, Lord Asriel, created a bridge between worlds. Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, are now lost in an alternate universe where they meet Will Parry, a fugitive from a third universe. Will has found a small window between Cittagazze (a place where children roam unchecked but invisible Specters suck the spirit out of adults) and his Oxford, which, with its Burger Kings and cars, is frighteningly different from the Oxford Lyra knows. Will's father, an explorer, disappeared years ago, but recently some odd characters have started asking questions about him, and now, having accidentally killed one of them, Will is wanted by the police. Armed with The Subtle Knife, a tool that cuts any material (including that which separates universes) and Lyra's alethiometer, the children set out to find John Parry, with adults of various stripes in desperate pursuit. Lyra's finest qualities--her courage and quick mind--are stretched to the limit as she has to lie, cheat and steal to keep herself and Will out of danger. However, she must also learn when to tell the truth and when to trust, for though she does not yet know it, she has a huge part to play in the upcoming battle between Good and Evil.

The Amber Spyglass
Philip Pullman began the spellbinding His Dark Materials sequence with The Northern Lights, which dazzled everyone who read it, children and adults alike. Remarkably, he kept up the quality in The Subtle Knife, the second title in the trilogy. Here he brings the series to an extraordinary conclusion. Will and Lyra, the two children at the heart of the books, have become separated amid great dangers. Can they find each other, and their friends? Then complete their mysterious quest before it is too late? The great rebellion against the dark powers that hold Lyra's world in thrall (and many others) is nearing its climax. She and Will have crucial parts to play, but they don't know what it is that they must do, and terrible powers are hunting them down.

The pace of the book is compelling, the writing powerful. Pullman's plotting is intricate and cunning, surprising the reader again and again. In this volume the cosmic dimensions of the story become more prominent, as a great conflict across many universes comes to a head. The author's beliefs also come more into the open. Perhaps what is most striking of all, however, is the depth of the characterisation. Lord Asriel, Mrs Coulter, Iorek Byrnison the king of the armoured bears, a host of minor characters, most of all Will and Lyra themselves: the book is a library of beautifully drawn, remarkably convincing characters walking in worlds of marvels. Philip Pullman's writing commands immense respect; more than that, it is raising the profile of the best children's books among adults, as demanding critics of all ages fall in love with this remarkable trilogy. --David Pickering

Synopsis
A luxury edition of all three books in the His Dark Materials trilogy in one volume. Contains 'Northern Lights', 'The Subtle Knife' and 'The Amber Spyglass'.

Customer Reviews

damn brilliant!
If you read books, even only a few, there will always be that one story that you remember. This story is one of them. It will stay with you for life. You will read it to your children and your children's children. You see, His Dark Materials is that rare book that just leaves you completely staggered.

Northern Lights does take some getting into, and won't be for everyone. I would agree with some that it starts quite slowly, and is somewhat confusing, but after the first, maybe, 4 chapters its opens up and sucks you in. By the end of the book you'll want to start the second one within 5 minutes.

The Subtle Knife introduces Will, who happens to be one of my favourite characters in any book. Its a much faster book than Northern Lights. The imagination and originality here is awesome. The detail amazing, but there is never a sense in this, or any of the other books, of there being to much information.

The Amber Spyglass is by far the best book of the three, im not going to write much about it except to say that it is just brilliant, in every way. It will blow you away.

Together these three books make one of the best stories i have ever read, and i have read alot. In my opinion, Lord of the Rings is the only thing i have read that is better. People seem to compare this to Harry Potter. I see no comparison whatsoever, this is better than Potter. If you don't read this, you are missing a treat.

In the best traditions of adult/child fantasy
A modern tale with overtones of Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. So what marks this tale out as different? The others use folklore or Christian tales as a basis (and there's nothing wrong with either) but Pullman uses both of those and modern particle science, specifically dark matter without turning these stories into a technical expose. On the contrary, these stories (I'm including the Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass) are pure fiction, driven by characters as real as you'd meet. It's a little prosaic at times but the inclusion of accurate modern science and 19th century styled Oxford create a sublime vision. Well worth the read.

Unputdownable adventure
Northern Lights is endlessly inventive from the interesting parallel fictional Oxford at the beginning to the Parallel World revealed at the end of the book. The idea of every person being attached to a 'daemon' is truly inspired and creates much of the charm and ingenuity that makes His Dark Materials so well-loved. Overall, a children's adventure story with grown-up overriding themes concerning the questioning of authority - a marvellous read from start to finish.