His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)

There is some genius here. Pullman creates worlds effortlessly. The first is by far the best, as Pullman doesn't yet get around to sermonizing, which begins midway through the second book and fills the third. I won't get into Pullman's philosophy of religion and humanism, but suffice it to say that the series devolves somewhat from gripping adventure to a string of soapbox speeches about self-actualization and the throwing off of the Christian faith (specifically, and not religion in general) which tries to blind you to the beauty of life.

If the atrocities attributed to the church throughout the years are an accurate reflection of what Christianity is at its core, Pullman makes a great point. However, as a follower of Jesus, it was difficult to stay in the story as Pullman frequently betrayed his own misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christ-follower.

Be that as it may, there are some great fantasy-literature moments throughout the series, with the "final" battle in Spyglass being so well-written as to make the entire series worth reading.

Oh, blah blah blah, anti-Christian blah! Read it at face value; enjoy the artwork of a flawlessly woven story. The miracle of Lyra's distinctly unlikable heroine, alone, should be enough to sustain most. The riddle of Dust and God and thought itself will carry you to the end. Anti-Christian or not, it is a fantastic series that cannot be quit.

Philip Pullman's trilogy starts off very well with the Golden Compass. The storyline is engaging and extremely creative. However, I found that the series deteriorated as it neared the end. The second two books are not as well-presented as the first. Additionally, the prose becomes tiresome with the author inserting heavy-handed editorials about religion, Christianity, and the church into the story without regard for the story's continuity. Furthermore, the climax of the series in the third book was disappointing and a bit convoluted. I would also add that there were a few passages which were pretty descriptive of gore which is no problem for me personally, but might not be suitable for younger audiences. This being said, I do not want to disregard the engaging and engrossing nature of the storyline. Overall, I would recommend the books to lovers of imaginative fiction, with the caveat to be aware that the series is better at the outset, and to watch out for the little sermons on evolution and the falsehood of Christian religion.

This trilogy is amazing. Well worthwhile return to "young adult" literature after a long hiatus. Amazing twists in plot and really compelling storyline. My God (pun), why stop with anti-Christian? What about every other liberal standpoint under the sun. If you love pets and want your kids to grow up as openminded as you are, then this trilogy is a great legacy for your progeny.

I really liked this trilogy. I had to read the first one for my English Comp class in college and loved it, so I continued the series. Made me want to live in the dimension where I had a daemon with me. Such a creative and imaginitive series!

I read this after reading the Harry Potter series when I was in the need for a fantasy fix. I was actually surprised by how absolutely wonderful these books are. In my opinion, they are much better than the HP series. Why? They are more original, smart, and thought provoking. While the character development by Pullman is not as thorough as Rowling's, the characters are more interesting and believable. I consider this trilogy to be a life changing read. It really is unfortunate that the religious aspects of these books will prevent them from ever really gaining the worldwide attention and acclaim they deserve. However, after reading what Pullman has to say about those in charge of our universe's religions, it is not surprising.

I recommend these books with all of my heart, body, and soul

Philip Pullman clearly has a wonderful gift for storytelling and narration. He has created a detailed and stunning world full of believable characters with an engaging plot.

However, Pullman has definitely earned the title "The Anti-Lewis". His books are as anti-Christian as C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" were pro-Christian - even more so. Lewis only hinted at his worldview in relatively subtle ways while Pullman continuously preaches his anti-Christian screed.

With this difference in mind, it is interesting to compare the two author's worldviews and how similar Pullman's afterlife is to C.S. Lewis's depiction of Hell and Heaven in "The Great Divorce." Maybe it is true that great minds think alike...

For an adult, with a well formed faith, these books are harmless and a fun read (once one gets past Pullman's preaching). For children however, the glorification of lying and the universally negative depiction of the Church is not acceptable. I would never recommend these books for children.

However, I must admit that I, myself, greatly enjoyed them.

Excellent book, and after Harry Potter made me realize that if I want a good children's story, I will just wait until Christians denounce something and then read it, because it must be really really good if they hate it.

The first book in the trilogy was a great adventure, and Pullman did a great job of world and character creation.

The last two books in the series were very disappointing. He set up several elaborate plots and subplots, and introduced several complex character relationships. But after hundreds of pages, he failed to adequately resolve his multiple issues through action and was forced to rely on adult characters making intolerable, preachy speeches to Will and Lyra at the end of the book.

As a side note, I find it a bit pretentious when authors find it necessary to include quotes from classic literature at the beginning of their books. Pullman found it necessary to include a quote at the beginning of almost every chapter--the height of pretension!!

This series left me very unsatisfied.

The concept is interesting, but for a book about the ability of man to exalt themselves over a controlling spirit, it sure did seem ironic that his characters were plot devices that he poorly developed so he could accomplish his end.