His Dark Materials Trilogy: "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", "The Amber Spyglass": Amazon.co.uk: Philip Pullman: 9780439981828: Books

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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'.

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9 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bewitching and heart breaking, 27 Sep 2003

By

Spuzie (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: His Dark Materials Trilogy: "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", "The Amber Spyglass" (Paperback)

These books were recommended to me and, with some trepidation, I started on "Northern Lights". Within a week, I had purchased the remaining two stories with huge anticpation. I was not dissapointed.

Philip Pullman has created a series of worlds which are rooted in reality, but contains many fantasical elements which the reader must grasp as everyday fact. For example, in the first world we are introduced to, every human being is born with a daemon, an animal or insect which acts as an outer part of their personalities. These creatures live with their human until their death, where apon both beings lives end simultaneously. It is also widely believed that other worlds do exist and many scientists strive to find a way to move between these worlds freely.

It is from this first world where the heroine of the story emerges. This heroine, Lyra, is a brilliant creation. She is neither sickly sweet and innocent, nor is she completely repulsive. She is a realistically laid out character with faults, weaknesses and passions like everyone else. Her adventures are both thrilling and horrific as she and her daemon strive to rescue her friend Roger from kidnappers, who have taken him to a mysterious place in the far north for a sinister purpose. The final chapter of book one is very much left open but thankfully there is no three year wait to endure in this case!

The following two books introduce new characters, as Lyra is joined on her ever expanding quest by Will, a boy who wanders out of his own world by mistake. Their crossed paths lead them into other worlds, where they eventually learn the terrifying task that fate has set out for them. A task which will test their strength more than they could ever have imagined.

Pullmans trilogy is a wonderful read. His worlds where witches fly through the skies, giant talking bears rule the icy north and ghostly terrors stalk through worlds destroying life, never seem over done.

These books have been described as science fiction, but they are so much more then that single denomination. The characters and friendships are involving and richly drawn out, giving plenty of opportunity for many tear-shedding moments. It is a pleasure to see Lyra and Will grow from children to teenagers as their travels together progress. You genuinely miss them when the book reaches its beautiful, heartbreaking end.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best books ever!, 9 Oct 2004

By

"spangly_girl" - See all my reviews

This review is from: His Dark Materials Trilogy: "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", "The Amber Spyglass" (Paperback)

I first read the trilogy when I was about 13 but I still love all three books now I'm 18 and have them with me a uni. I have never read such a wonderfully imaginative and beautiful set of books. Great for when you're worried about something and need to escape. It is hard to pick the best out of the three as the quality is so consistant. I probably enjoyed 'The Amber Spyglass' the most, purely because I was so enchanted by the utopian world that the mulefa lived in. The idea of being able to converse with your soul in the form of a daemon is also surely captivating to anyone with an imagination. Claims that the books are childish, over-rated, use limited vocabulary etc are false. Yes they don't have you reaching for the dictionary but they are meant to be accessable for children, and surely a book doesn't have to be hard to understand in order to be good. A book should be about enjoyment, not sitting there being smug that you understand it when other people might not. I saw the trilogy as dealing with some relatively complex themes, but in a way that the vast majority could appreciate. Everybody should read these books before they die, they are all modern classics and in my humble opinion knock 'Lord of the Rings' into a cocked hat! 10 stars and takes the top spot of my favourite book chart.

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh good god the greatest book ever, 21 Mar 2004

By

D. Bell "beer eater" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: His Dark Materials Trilogy: "Northern Lights", "The Subtle Knife", "The Amber Spyglass" (Paperback)

(yes i'm drunk)
but it is the greatest trilogy ever made - no forget Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings (which is a VERY VERY close second) but HDM is the best. Witches, fighting bears, bizarre names, gypsies, daemons, deaths, harpies, gallevespians - what more could a book ask for? It deals in real life issues - not least religion (no i'm not a perfect christian!) but now i know i WANT to be cremated just purely because of this book - "took a step forward, turned back to look at lyra and laughed in suprise as he found himself turning into the night" - crying by this point on the train home and i'm blinking 22 years old!

Enough blethering, buy this book and make EVERYONE you know read it - accept both good and bad reviews but make sure they read it... looking forward to the film but hope its 3 films a la LOTR

enjoy it - the book of the century

dougie bell (scotland)

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Absoulutly wonderful
This trilogy is one of the best more intellectual than Harry Potter but still with the magical wonders. Read more

Published on 15 May 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars sadly over-rated
I read this because I'd heard the rave reviews and because it came third in the BBC's Big Read. And I was disappointed with it. Read more