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The Golden Compass  By  cover art

The Golden Compass

By: Philip Pullman
Narrated by: Philip Pullman, Joanna Wyatt, Rupert Degas, Alison Dowling, Douglas Blackwell, Jill Shilling, Stephen Thorne, Sean Barrett, Garrick Hagon, John O'Connor, Susan Sheridan, Full Cast
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Publisher's summary

His Dark Materials is now an HBO original series starring Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James Mcavoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda!

Featuring an exclusive bonus interview between the author, Philip Pullman, and His Dark Materials star Ruth Wilson.

The modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” and Newsweek hailed as a “Top 100 Book of All Time”.

Philip Pullman takes listeners to a world where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach.

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal - including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.

But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other....

A masterwork of storytelling and suspense, Philip Pullman's award-winning The Golden Compass is the first in the His Dark Materials series, which continues with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

A number one New York Times best seller

Winner of the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction

Published in 40 countries

"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past 20 years." (The Washington Post)

"Very grand indeed." (The New York Times)

"Pullman is quite possibly a genius." (Newsweek)

Don't miss Philip Pullman's epic new trilogy set in the world of His Dark Materials, the Book of Dust:

  • La Belle Sauvage
  • The Secret Commonwealth
Listen to the rest of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series.
©1995 Philip Pullman (P)1999 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Superb.... Wonder-filled." (Washington Post Book World)

"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)

Featured Article: The top 100 fantasy listens of all time


When compiling our list of the best fantasy listening out there, we immediately came up against the age-old question: Is this fantasy or science fiction? The distinction is not as clear as you may think. Dragons, elves, and wizards are definitely fantasy, but what about wizards that also fly space ships? (Looking at you, Star Wars.) For the sake of fantasy purity, the top 100 fantasy listens include the best audio works in all manner of fantasy subgenres.

What listeners say about The Golden Compass

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Give Me A Break...

While the work is well written and well read it is explicitly a polemic/diatribe against Christianity and is full of inconsistencies and utterly lacks integrity. (Yes, I am writing about ?His Dark Materials?) Pullman sums up his view of Christianity in saying that there have been two pursuits from the beginning of time. Those who pursue ?wisdom? [i.e. his views] and those that pursue ?stupidity? [i.e. Christianity.] His definition of ?wisdom? appears to be some type of radical freedom where God must be ?killed? in such a pursuit.

He appears to draw from a number of 18th/19th century philosophers and social theorists to support his twisted view of Christianity and his utopian view. But considering that Existentialist teachings provided Cambodia with approx. 1.7 million dead, Nietzsche provided Germany with Hitler, Communism is credited with approx. 160 million dead and Darwin would make us animals. It is interesting Pullman appeals to such as these as the only means to accomplish his ideal, especially since none of these views have any binding rationale for moral behavior, quite the opposite actually. In contrast, Christianity demands that Love, in word and deed, be the defining characteristic of those who claim that title.

While people are, obviously, free to disagree with the tenets of Christianity and yes, there are those who claim the name but live in opposition to the teachings of Christ, one should always present an honest view of what/who one opposes. Pullman?s categorical claim that the Church/Christians are ?Stupid? [his word] and that It/They are the only obstacle to a wise, kind, compassionate and happy world should disturb any thinking individual.

In summary, if you want a well-written and well-read tale and do not care about the claims/implications of the author then this book may be for you. If you care about what the author is really saying then I would look elsewhere.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

More for adults than kids...

While I don't think this is a book for children, I do think this book is amazing - the narriator is very good as well. I loved these books when I read them - and I loved them just as much while listening. You won't be disappointed.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Great cure for insomnia!

I kept wanting to like this book! It was recommended to me by a dear friend, and I do normally like his recommendations. I read it twice, just to be sure I wasn't missing something subtle... I wasn't. This book is horrible. The main character Lyra a 10-year old little girl, can be likened to the Shirley Temple of my generation! Ughhh.. If you liked the Blue Bird - you might like this book, I dunno, I didn't like either. The book was slow, very slow, the characters were unlikable, and ridiculous. The hushed tones of the discussion of "Dust" and the fact that this book has the Catholic Church in an rage, is totally confusing to me. Oh well.. Be warned, this book will most certainly put you to sleep...

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Parents Beware


While this series is well-written and engaging, as a parent and educator I wish to caution parents and teachers alike that Pullman's expressed aim in writing this series is "to undermine the basis of Christian belief." This is not clearly realized until the second or third book when the reader is already engaged in the story line. It is not merely an anti-Christian book, it is an anti-GOD book and buyers should be aware of this. I read the series and enjoyed it immensely, but when I understood the basis of the story, I felt like I had been manipulated by this author and the publishers' agenda. To have this available to kids in some school districts could cause trouble from parents. As a teacher, I would definitely get parents' informed consent before allowing students to read this in class.

Philip Pullman quote: "We're used to the kingdom of heaven; but you can tell from the general thrust of the book that I'm of the devil's party, like Milton...The king is dead. That's to say I believe that the king is dead. I'm an atheist." <http://observer.guardian.co.uk>

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Nice story if you like anti-Christian works

The author seems to be someone who doesn't like organized religion and doesn't believe in God. The whole series appears to be a nice tail that subtley tries to convince the reader that all organized religion stifles thought and creativity and that it is the true evil. It seems to be mostly set against the Catholic church (though it never says that directly). The author seems to have taken his dislike for a church and turned it into a dislike for God and all Christianity.

The series subtley preaches so heavily against the belief in God that it was hard to enjoy for someone that believes unwaveringly in God and his son Jesus Christ. Religions aren't perfect, but God is and religions can help us to come unto him and become better people.

I guess my real disapointment is that I was ready for another good fantasy adventure story and instead I got a faithless author preaching his viewpoint through a fantasy adventure story. Nothing new and exciting, just the same old anti-God, anti-religion, anti-Christ stuff that you can hear from any athiest group. It is like going to a movie to have a good time and finding out the movie is really just a politically twisted documentary.

I listened to all three books hoping that the story line would somehow turn around and the truth would be discovered by the characters, but they remained in darkness throughout.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic Book

Although this book is billed as being written for young adults, it should have great appeal for adults too. Pullman creates a rich tapestry of characters and setting, liberally sprinkled with meta-physics.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Series. But for children??!

All books in this series are just wonderful. The story is creative and new, the characters are complex and fascinating, and it is full of shifts and turns that keep you wondering what the author is getting at. I want to listen to the series several times to try and unfold the layers. But, other than the main characters being children, I have a hard time seeing these as children's books. Evan for a middle-aged woman who has spent considerable time mulling over religion, spirituality, and the true nature of man, the themes in the series can be unsettling and disturbing. I imagine for younger or less "mature" readers, this could be just plain confusing and distressing. If your kids are deep thinkers, and you intend to discuss the book with them, it could open the way for some very engaging exploration and discussion. But if your kids are younger, don't be fooled by the cute little "demons" and bears, this book could be very frightening, and could raise questions about God, parents, society, and life they simply may not have the life experience to sort through without help. But if you are over 21, you might as well download all three books now, and wait until you have some serious down time before you start, because these books will suck you in.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent, but not for everyone

Okay, let's get this out of the way. The complaints that hard-core Christians have about this book? Well, unlike the Harry Potter books, I can sort of see their point here. I may not quite agree with them, but I can respect their opinions. (The Harry Potter haters just need to get freaking lives.)

Tha being said, I think this is a wonderful fantasy novel both for adults, and kids from about ten or eleven up. I think any younger, and the kids will miss too much (particularly in later books).

If you dislike criticism of organized religion, do not read this book. And you probably shouldn't let your kid read it, which is your right, as long as you don't try to stop MY kids from reading it.

I know they've made a movie out of this-- I saw the first commercial WHILE I was downloading the book-- but I really don't see how they'll pull it off.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

NOT for Christian Children

Although this is an exciting adventure novel with great characters, it will leave your family wanting to read the rest of the series. The second book reveals the author's hatred of Christianity a bit. The third book shows clearly the author's intent in writing these books. Christian parents, beware of starting this series.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable

If you like Harry Potter you will enjoy this story of a little girl
and her journey in a world like ours, but a little different. It's
not magical like Harry but the supernatural is there, and so
is the suspense and adventure. Great characters that you
learn to love and hate. So much better than the movie.
Read the book!

I've already order the rest of the series and am busy reading
them all!

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15 people found this helpful