Nov 14

Nov 14 His Dark Materials Trilogy

Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Knopf for Young Readers
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title.

TL;DR Review

His Dark Materials is such a fun, imaginative story that still feels super modern and relevant, even with (because of?) its timeless message and classic feel. I can’t believe I had never read it!

For you if: You like fantasy novels that are perfect for literally all ages.

Full Review

“In fact, these possibility collapses happen at the level of elementary particles, but they happen in just the same way: one moment several things are possible, the next moment only one thing happens, and the rest don't exist. Except that other worlds have sprung into being, on which they did happen.”

I honestly can’t believe I waited until I was a whole adult to read His Dark Materials. It’s one of those series I’ve always meant to read but just never got around to — until now, when a friend convinced me (and just in time to wait anxiously for the last season of the HBO adaptation!).

These books — The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass — are really such a delight. They feel classic and timeless and yet also super relevant and modern; they could have been written this year and not in the mid-90s. They’re fun and whimsical (note character names that roll of the tongue with joy, like Serafina Pekkala and Iorek Byrnison), but also have a wide scope and great depth. I think they’re technically middle grade, but you could have convinced me they were written for any age range; their subject matter ranges from magic to original sin to elementary particles. All while feeling like a grand storybook adventure.

I will say that the third book sprawled a lot more than the first two, which could be a good or less-good thing depending on your worldbuilding preferences. Personally, I liked how imaginative it was and loved the book. But if you prefer tighter worlds, just know that going in.

The last thing I’ll say is if you have the chance to listen to the audiobooks, do it! They’re produced with a full cast, but not the way you usually hear it with a different narrator per chapter. Instead, each character’s narrator reads that character’s dialogue in scene, almost like you’re listening to a play. It feels classic and really brings everything to life. I loved them.