His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1) - Hardcover

Pullman, Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679879242 ISBN 13: 9780679879244

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1996

Synopsis

"Superb...Wonder-filled."
-- "The Washington Post Book World"
It was no ordinary life for a young girl: living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College and tearing unsupervised through Oxford's motley streets on mad quests for adventure. But Lyra's greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she heard hushed talk of an extraordinary particle. Microscopic in size, the magical dust--found only in the vast Arctic expanse of the North--was rumored to possess profound properties that could unite whole universes. But there were those who feared the particle and would stop at nothing to destroy it.
Catapulted into the heart of a terrible struggle, Lyra was forced to seek aid from witches, gypsies, and formidable armored bears. And as she journeyed into unbelievable danger, she had not the faintest clue that she alone was destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle . . .
"Very grand indeed...Scene after scene of power and beauty."
-- "The New York Times"
"A rousing, page-turning adventure that promises to please fantasy readers of all ages."
-- "Library Journal" (starred review)
"Powerful...sparkles with childlike wonder."
-- "The Boston Sunday Globe"

About this title

Review:

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.

Review:

"Extraordinary storytelling at its very best." --The Detroit Free Press

"Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling." --The Washington Post

"Very grand indeed." --The New York Times

"Powerful [...] a fantasy adventure that sparkles with childlike wonder." --The Boston Sunday Globe

"Marvelous [...] the writing is elegant and challenging." --The New Yorker

"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past twenty years [...] If [The Subtle Knife] is as good as The Golden Compass, we'll be two thirds of the way to the completion of a modern fantasy classic."
--The Washington Post Book World

"Pullman is quite possibly a genius...using the lineaments of fantasy to tell the truth about the universal experience of growing up." --Newsweek

"Masterful storytelling [...] with a cast of instantly beguiling characters." --The Dallas Morning News

"The most magnificent fantasy series since Lord of the Rings." --The Oregonian

"Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the twentieth century. An astounding achievement." --The Cincinnati Enquirer

"Once in a lifetime a children's author emerges who is so extraordinary that the imagination of generations is altered. Lewis Carroll, E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien were all of this cast. So, too, is Philip Pullman, whose Dark Materials trilogy will be devoured by anyone between eight and eighty. The most ambitious work since The Lord of the Rings, it is as intellectually thrilling as it is magnificently written." -- New Statesman

"Thrillingly paced and exotic [...] breathtaking." -- Columbus Dispatch

"[...] a rare few have minds capacious enough to engage in vast cosmos-making, imagining realms and inventing universes. I am thinking of Dante and Milton and Blake. We may now add Philip Pullman."
--Parents Choice (online)

"The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy/adventure stories that I have read in years. This is a book no one should miss." --Terry Brooks, author of The Sword of Shannara

"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"This first fantastic installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy propels readers along with horror and high adventure, a shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe." - Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"This first fantastic installment propels readers along with horror and high adventure [...] A shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"The characters of Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coutler, and Iorek Byrnison and the cold and beautiful Northern setting are captivating; the constantly twisting plot and escalating suspense are riveting; and Lyra and Pantalaimon are among the gutsiest and wiliest of adventurers. Touching, exciting, and mysterious by turns, this is a splendid work." --The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

"Glorious. And what an ending -- simply operatic." --School Library Journal, Top 100 Children's Novels (#28)

"This is a captivating fantasy, filled with excitement, suspense, and unusual characters." --School Library Journal

"A totally involving, intricately plotted fantasy that will leave readers clamoring for the sequels."
--Booklist, Starred review

"Glorious. . . . The Golden Compass is one of those lyrical suspensions like Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the Rings that crosses all age lines and intertwines mythologies and legends with seamless beauty." --BookPage

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0679879242
• ISBN 13: 9780679879244
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416