Brandon J. (bran-flakes14) reviewed His Dark Materials Omnibus (His Dark Materials, Bks 1-3) on + 72 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
Recently blasted as explicitly anti-Christian in nature, Philip Pullman's fantastically-realized trilogy, "His Dark Materials", has several important things to say on the nature of humanity. Yes, the book presents religion in a negative light, but as a Christian myself, I find many of Mr. Pullman's ideas about how dangerous theocracy and dogmatism can be to be absolutely true. This work, a collection of all three of the books in the series, is magnificently written, and the worlds in which the author takes the reader are amazing and truly original from any other "fantasy" worlds of other books. I would highly recommend these books to all open-minded individuals, including those who are deeply religious. You might not agree with everything presented in the work (I don't, either!), but remember...it's FICTION. Plus, it's always good to hear out a viewpoint different from your own. It's what helps you grow! Happy reading!
Katherine R. (magnoliafly) reviewed His Dark Materials Omnibus (His Dark Materials, Bks 1-3) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Wonderful series, highly imaginative and well developed characters. I'm an adult and I enjoyed reading this. I would also love reading this to children if I had any. I like this more than the Harry Potter series actually.
Helpful Score: 3
Excellent book took me a bit to get into each of the books once i got into it i did not want to put it down.
Jamie M. (nehalemn) reviewed His Dark Materials Omnibus (His Dark Materials, Bks 1-3) on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The Golden Compass gets five stars for an original setting, vibrant and interesting characters, and definitely a unique problem to solve. It was an engaging quick read and I fell for Lyra and the idea of souls/daemons immediately.
Then I hit a brick wall called The Subtle Knife. Without anything to ease you into it Lyra leaves the world you know all together. It could not have been more harsh and for every chapter I forced myself to read I stopped and read an entirely different novel before again forcing myself to come back.
Every paragraph was a chore, because there were so many plot holes you didn't feel like moving forward.... I bitterly missed Lyra's world.
By the time I got to the Amber Spyglass I was surprisingly engaged with Will and Lyra and trying to figure out Asriel and Marissa's lies and truths, but the 3rd book is more of the same pattern though we start to see progress in plot. When I reached the end it might have been at least a relief, however after the children give up so much of themselves they are unmercifully punished for their good deeds in a series of broken ideas.
It was cruel and left me feeling punished as well.
Then I hit a brick wall called The Subtle Knife. Without anything to ease you into it Lyra leaves the world you know all together. It could not have been more harsh and for every chapter I forced myself to read I stopped and read an entirely different novel before again forcing myself to come back.
Every paragraph was a chore, because there were so many plot holes you didn't feel like moving forward.... I bitterly missed Lyra's world.
By the time I got to the Amber Spyglass I was surprisingly engaged with Will and Lyra and trying to figure out Asriel and Marissa's lies and truths, but the 3rd book is more of the same pattern though we start to see progress in plot. When I reached the end it might have been at least a relief, however after the children give up so much of themselves they are unmercifully punished for their good deeds in a series of broken ideas.
It was cruel and left me feeling punished as well.
Karen B. (fyrefairy) reviewed His Dark Materials Omnibus (His Dark Materials, Bks 1-3) on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This trilogy is well written, and I was riveted, but as a Christian parent of young children I had some concerns. I'm a fairly liberal intellectual, and I was surprised to find about halfway through the second book to find that the object of the books seemed to be an attack on organized religion and on deity. As fantasy fiction, it's fantastic, and it's wonderful to see such strong female characters and such focus on interpersonal relationships. If you're a Christian parent, I'd read through myself before deciding whether to share it with your kids, and I'd be sure to have frequent conversations about the content while they're reading. For adults, more mature children, and non-Christians, you're in for a real treat. It's not often kids' lit is this rich and frank.
