- Find all the latest books, toys, games and DVDs from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in our Harry Potter store.
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Northern Lights: WITH Subtle Knife AND Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
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.
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
Product Description
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'.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I don't have Pullman's way with words, so I can't express how good this trilogy is. I can't describe how intricately it's plotted, how widely it's imagined or how deeply it's felt. I can't conjure the dazzling array of characters that Pullman has created - all of them complex, all of them with their flaws and their contradictions - nor can I convey how intelligent this story is, or how truthful, how moving.
But it is all these things and more.
If you want to read something that will change the way you look at the world, that will move you to laughter and to tears, and that will keep you awake long into the night shaking with wonder and with fear, then read this book.
But it is all these things and more.
If you want to read something that will change the way you look at the world, that will move you to laughter and to tears, and that will keep you awake long into the night shaking with wonder and with fear, then read this book.
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I saw these books appearing in shops as they came out but it wasn't until i went to university and a friend lent them to me that i read them. I'm sorry i waited, i could have re-read them several times by now! I got into the story almost immediately, finding that the way Philip Pullman writes just makes you feel like you are in the world he has created. I found the story gripping and complex, at the end of each book I couldnt wait for the next one and was glad that they had all been written by the time I discovered them. The books are multi-faceted, there's a lot to get your head around but it's definitely worth it. I particularly enjoyed the exploration, not usually found in 'children's' books, of the connection between body and soul. I want my own daemon! The story is very sad in places and there are some surprising plot twists but it all adds to a fantastic and (unexpectedly) realistic trilogy which I will definitely be reading again, as soon as I've finished all the other Philip Pullman books I can lay my hands on. I wouldn't class these books as children's books just because the main characters are children, they appeal to all ages because of how well written they are and the subjects they discuss are not the normal reading material of children. However, if I'd have discovered these when I was twelve I would have enjoyed them almost as much as I did when I was 18. These are definitely for older readers, from about 12 but anyone who enjoys a good story with real issues about life and who we are will not regret reading this.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I never even knew of philip pullman until i saw the northern lights glint in my eye. I have never looked back. I read all three amazing books in succession and colud not bare to put the book down. This is no childrens book but a sophisticated book which unravels its meaning as you step through its pages. one to buy and read over and over again.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent 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. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2007 by M. Kent
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? Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2007 by M. D. Alcock
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. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2007 by Hawkeye
Horrible books
I'm amazed by the success of these books. The story is a deeply unpleasant, humourless, sadistic tale of terror and I would not recommend them to children of any age.
Published on 27 Jun 2007 by Pastyfarian
Excellent volume, especially for those who do not yet possess any...
It was just a guess when I ordered this book from Amazon, but a lucky guess it was. It's a fine volume made of good quality paper and it contains all three stories of the trilogy. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2007 by Anna
Compelling start, but dies a bit towards the end
First up, this particular edition, although it's a lovely hardback compendium, is NOT one for reading in bed - it's pretty big and heavy - you have been warned! Read more
Published on 8 May 2007 by S. Gilmore
The kind of books that you simply must read if you are a science...
Phillip Pullman's "Dark Materials" triology are the kind of books that you simply must read if you are a science fiction fan, or if you just like well-written books... Read more
Published on 30 April 2007 by M. B. Alcat
Not As Good As People Would Have You Believe
This trilogy is certainly worth reading. The Northen Lights can, essentially, be read as a single entity, and is really quite irrelevant to the succeeding books, which leads one to... Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2006 by Mr. D. J. Read
If you like hugely fantastical reads then you'll love it
The beginning of book one really threw me. "Lyra and her daemon walking around Oxford ...." Huh, what!? Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2006 by AM
These are the Greatest books i HAVE EVER READ!
I won't go into to detail about the plot lines or the story, but quite simply, thes are the greatest set of books i have ever read. Read more
Published on 20 July 2006 by Heath K. Groves
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
