at first it may seem a children series but it present something far more deeper.
for example the war between human and angel in the name of the god when he was nowhere to be seen, exactly like our own world we talk about what is bad and what is good and relate it to god while i believe the god doesn't even bother with us,mankind .
it is an easy read series with so many thing to offer to its readers.

I have read this series about i think 6 years ago maybe, could be 5. I remember being totally drawn into this wondrous and strange world. I had a hard time getting my head wrapped around the concept of daemons. But halfway through i wish i had one myself. It all felt really creative and sometimes even fairytale like. It is a fun and easy read and leaves a strong impression, mind it is a childrens book though, for the people who did not get that..

"I've read all the comments and what seems to baffle me is most of the ones that didn't like this book continued to read all three."

Yeah why not? Every series has it's strong books and its weaker books. The first was creative and the second went down hill, hoping that the author will redeem himself in the third and final installment is not something that should baffle you.

The first one was definitely creative, the second went downhill and I am having to force myself to get through the third. So far The Amber Spyglass is utter crap, a complete train wreck, an unmitigated disaster, an insult to intelligence, do I need to describe it further? I'm only about halfway through maybe it will get better....

I loved the first one it was such a good read, found the second one much harder to get through, loved the third i actually finished reading it earlier today and found myself really emotionally attached to the characters, except i found mary mallone's character rather pointless.

I thought the first two books were very good and was looking forward to the third, but when it came out I gave up reading it pretty quickly -- the first two seemed effortless but the third seemed to take itself too seriously.

My favorite books of all time. I've read all the comments and what seems to baffle me is most of the ones that didn't like this book continued to read all three. It is my strong belief they were just unsatified with the endings because they're not happy endings. This book will provoke such strong emotions in a person and it's not a smiley whoo everything is great now sort of book. I loved Harry Potter ( besides the 7th book) and at the end of each book my heart was at ease because it was a happy ending. These books though truely touched me like no other yet. I still am so emotionally connected to these books. I've tried to reread them but I don't think I can ever read these books again because they're just that heartbreaking.

When I began reading book 1 i had high expectations becuase of what I've heard however the minimum that could be said is that it's a major let down. It has three key problems:
1- The plot is just...wel crap! I feel as if I'm being taken down a path where the author just puts up some signs up for you to read rather than giving you a deep pleasurable experience.
2-Fantasy is a place where the unbelievable can occur e.g. magic, legends etc... However there are some nonsensical parts to Pullman's book like angels with automatic machine guns!
3-It feels like pullman wrote this book to be an ant-narnia novel rather than a novel that grips the reader. He basically had an idea and wrapped it round with words.

I read the 1st then part of the second and couldn't keep on reading.

I am quite delighted to see that this ineffable trilogy has been placed onto this list. Pullman's creation has remained my most-loved series of novels to date and I completed them three years ago! I thought that the good books ended when I finished the Harry Potter series, but this one opened my eyes. Yes, the novels emanate anti-God ideals, but is still unquestionably one of the greatest tales of courage and determination, written with otherworldly-perfection and never-to-be-seen un-put-a-down-ability!

These books are astounding. As a writer and an avid reader, I have gone through vast numbers of YA fantasy. This series, along with the Bartimaeus Trilogy, is probably my favorite of all time. The characters are well drawn, the plot complex and original, and the themes stunning in their philosophical scope and insight. Children will enjoy the story. Adults will enjoy not only the story but the meaning behind it, as well as the thought-provoking angle it provides in terms of how we view mankind.

Having read these books when I was 18 years old, perhaps I can relate to them more than older people can but I can honestly say, no book has affected me more in my life than The Amber Spyglass, and that is not in a bad way.

The ending as heartbreaking as it was, was a stark reflection of moments in my life at the time and thus I could never ever read this series again.

I would rate ASOIAF, the Malazan Empire series, LOTR, Harry Potter all better than these books but they never affected me in the way that His Dark Materials did. I suppose its a credit to Pullman that he can make me feel like that.

All in all it was engrossing with a great storyline, great characters and hidden meanings for adults to decipher. Also a deep resounding innocence that in my case anyway, sought the inner child in me. A book mainly about children but not wholly a children's book.

I read this series when I was very young and agian several years later, and it has remained my favorite series. When I was 12 years old, Lyra was so relatable that I could easily imagine myself in her world. After reading it agian, I not only enjoyed the complex plot and colorful characters, but also the meaning behind everything. Everytime I read these books, I am blown away. Comparing these books to Harry Potter isn't really fair, though. Harry Potter is in an untouchable category by itself. So, besides Harry Potter, His Dark Materials is the best series in my opinion.

This is one of the best fantasy book series I have ever read. Its completely different to anything you are likely to read. I can imagine it appealing to both young people and older ones. I do not agree that the 3rd book is weak. I may have been expecting a different ending but the book was not a disappointment. I think Pullman is one of the best writers around and these books are brilliant.

I first read this when I was a teenager and loved it. The theme was great, but the fact is I felt a real attachment to it; having grown up near Oxford. I loved the fact that it opened up so many possibilities to alternative reallities etc This is a book that I really suggest people to read if they have walked around the streets of Oxford, know about the different historical and current cultures and backgrounds as much of what he suggests or refers to in the book really comes to life if you know the places. I think that Pullman fell into a slight trap where he knew the place and history so well that he didn't paint the picture so that he could include all. The characters and different backgrounds merged reallity with fantasy and as a child it was a fantastic world to escape to.
As an adult having read it again, there were still aspects that I loved (especially the merging of religion and politics), and now living in Australia, it gave me a feeling of nastalgia but I do understand and agree with many of the points previous people have mentioned but lets just say as a child I was far more forgiving about how well it was written and far more interested in the ideas and themes; that what Pullman left out I just filled in. I would definately say that it was a book written for children and the one thing that he has never denied or try to obscure, there are far too many books that the children are far more mature then they should be, the character is a 12 year old girl and acts like one.

I felt absolutely no empathy with the characters, who lack depth or are downright anthipatic.
The story is meant to be intelligent, but sorry it's not. It's a senseless jumble with a very weak plot with no sense of unity.
And lastly, i's rather badly written.
I felt I really wasted my time reading the whole three volumes.
If you want to buy your kids fantasy books, go with Harry Potter. It is not over-ambitious, but it's superbly written and entertaining, or better still, the Neverending Story, a masterpiece.

I bought it because of all the comments about what a great series this is...and as it turns out, it was, to be polite: over-rated. Neither teen nor adult, it is to say the least, pretentious. Rowling, he is not and Abercrombie, less said the better; that this is supposed to be a 'age bender' where kiddy books can be read by adults speaks volume of its lack of focus. I never forgive myself for buying the whole series instead of purchasing the first as a trial. It is so bad that I wouldn't even hand it over to my nephews and nieces. I give it 1 star out of 10.

There are a lot of people who like this novel, and I'm not one of them. Without even talking about the plot, and it's authors motives for publishing it, this book is really just about a pre-teen girl who is getting her first taste of life. Yeah that's vague. When it gets right down to it she lives in a glorious, dangerous, exciting world, but the author doesn't show you that because his main character is too busy being concerned with being a 12 year old to really take notice of the fantastic things happening around her. In other words I couldn't relate and thought it was boring.

"Anti-Narnia" is right! While the writing left something to be desired (see ginsnet and Evelyn), the concept is amazing. And I wouldn't be too quick to skip the Amber Spyglass. For me, it pulled it all together and made it a most satisfying read. Still mulling it after months.... Very thought-provoking.

I'm in total agreement with ginsnet. The first book pretty much knocked my socks off, to put it lightly. I consumed it in a day, but it was another month before I knew Pullman had already written a second one. The Subtle Knife was amazing too, but it ended with such a huge cliffhanger that I was dying to read Amber Spyglass.

Please don't make that mistake. First of all, it took be almost two weeks to get through it, being twice as long as the second and containing about five times as many random plotlines. It follows characters most readers have no wish to learn more about, and basically abandons Lyra and Will for most of the book. And I won't spoil anything, but the end left a LOT to be desired.

No offense to anyone who liked Amber Spyglass. Just my two cents.

The first book pulled me in so quickly that I went out and bought the other 2 of the trilogy before I was halfway done reading it. The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife where very enjoyable reads with very interesting concepts and well written. With that said, I should have never read the 3rd. It is beyond disapointing - its actually borderline upsetting. It seemed hastily written with the most ridiculous attempts to tie things together (actually, some of the most compelling concepts were just outright dismissed). My suggestiion is to read the first two books then pretend that the author was in a terribly tragic accident and the trilogy was never finished. Your own immagination will do a better job at giving this series closure!