PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed writers working today.
He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy, which has been
named one of the top 100 books of all time by Newsweek and one of
the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. Pullman was
knighted for his services to literature in the 2019 New Year
Honours.
The Book of Dust, Pullman’s eagerly anticipated return to the world
of His Dark Materials, will also be a book in three parts. It began
with La Belle Sauvage and continues with The Secret
Commonwealth.
Philip Pullman is the author of many other beloved novels. For
younger readers: I Was a Rat!, Count Karlstein, Two Crafty
Criminals!, Spring-Heeled Jack, and The Scarecrow and His Servant.
For older readers: the Sally Lockhart quartet (The Ruby in the
Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin
Princess), The White Mercedes, and The Broken Bridge. He has
written a magnificent collection, Fairy Tales from the Brothers
Grimm, and his essays and lectures on writing and storytelling have
been gathered in a volume called Dæmon Voices: On Stories and
Storytelling.
Philip Pullman lives in Oxford, England.
“Extraordinary storytelling at its very best.” —The Detroit Free
Press
“Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling.” —The Washington Post
"Very grand indeed." —The New York Times
"Powerful […] a fantasy adventure that sparkles with childlike
wonder." —The Boston Sunday Globe
"Marvelous […] the writing is elegant and
challenging." —The New Yorker
"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past twenty years
[…] If [The Subtle Knife] is as good as The Golden Compass,
we'll be two thirds of the way to the completion of a modern
fantasy classic."
—The Washington Post Book World
“Pullman is quite possibly a genius…using the lineaments of fantasy
to tell the truth about the universal experience of growing
up.” —Newsweek
"Masterful storytelling […] with a cast of instantly
beguiling characters." —The Dallas Morning News
“The most magnificent fantasy series since Lord of the
Rings.” —The Oregonian
“Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the
twentieth century. An astounding achievement.” —The
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Once in a lifetime a children's author emerges who is so
extraordinary that the imagination of generations is altered. Lewis
Carroll, E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien were all of this cast.
So, too, is Philip Pullman, whose Dark Materials trilogy will be
devoured by anyone between eight and eighty. The most ambitious
work since The Lord of the Rings, it is as intellectually thrilling
as it is magnificently written." — New Statesman
"Thrillingly paced and exotic […]
breathtaking." — Columbus Dispatch
“[…] a rare few have minds capacious enough to engage in vast
cosmos-making, imagining realms and inventing universes. I am
thinking of Dante and Milton and Blake. We may now add Philip
Pullman.”
—Parents Choice (online)
"The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy/adventure stories
that I have read in years. This is a book no one should miss."
—Terry Brooks, author of The Sword of Shannara
"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable
characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling
pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable
tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all
ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's
adventures."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“This first fantastic installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy
propels readers along with horror and high adventure, a shattering
tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe.” –
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"This first fantastic installment propels readers along with horror
and high adventure […] A shattering tale that begins with a promise
and delivers an entire universe." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“The characters of Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coutler, and Iorek Byrnison
and the cold and beautiful Northern setting are captivating; the
constantly twisting plot and escalating suspense are riveting; and
Lyra and Pantalaimon are among the gutsiest and wiliest of
adventurers. Touching, exciting, and mysterious by turns, this is a
splendid work.” —The Horn Book Magazine, Starred
“Glorious. And what an ending — simply operatic.” —School Library
Journal, Top 100 Children’s Novels (#28)
"This is a captivating fantasy, filled with excitement, suspense,
and unusual characters." —School Library Journal
"A totally involving, intricately plotted fantasy that will leave
readers clamoring for the sequels."
—Booklist, Starred review
“Glorious. . . . The Golden Compass is one of those lyrical
suspensions like Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the Rings that
crosses all age lines and intertwines mythologies and legends with
seamless beauty.” —BookPage
If Pullman's imagination dazzled in the Victorian thrillers that culminated with The Tin Princess, in this first volume of a fantasy trilogy it is nothing short of breathtaking. Here Earth is one of only five planets in the solar system, every human has a daemon (the soul embodied as an animal familiar) and, in a time similar to our late 19th century, Oxford scholars and agents of the supreme Calvinist Church are in a race to unleash the power that will enable them to cross the bridge to a parallel universe. The story line has all the hallmarks of a myth: brought up ignorant of her true identity, 11-year-old Lyra goes on a quest from East Anglia to the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate Roger and her imprisoned uncle, Lord Asriel. Deceptions and treacheries threaten at every turn, and she is not yet certain how to read the mysterious truth-telling instrument that is her only guide. After escaping from the charming and sinister Mrs. Coulter, she joins a group of "gyptians" in search of their children, who, like Roger, have been spirited away by Mrs. Coulter's henchmen, the Gobblers. Along the way Lyra is guided by friendly witches and attacked by malevolent ones, aided by an armored polar bear and a Texan balloonist, and nearly made a victim of the Gobblers' cruel experiments. As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures. 100,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)
"Extraordinary storytelling at its very best." -The Detroit Free
Press
"Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling." -The Washington
Post
"Very grand indeed." -The New York Times
"Powerful [...] a fantasy adventure that sparkles with childlike
wonder." -The Boston Sunday Globe
"Marvelous [...] the writing is elegant and challenging." -The
New Yorker
"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past twenty years
[...] If [The Subtle Knife] is as good as The Golden
Compass, we'll be two thirds of the way to the completion of a
modern fantasy classic."
-The Washington Post Book World
"Pullman is quite possibly a genius...using the lineaments of
fantasy to tell the truth about the universal experience of growing
up." -Newsweek
"Masterful storytelling [...] with a cast of instantly beguiling
characters." -The Dallas Morning News
"The most magnificent fantasy series since Lord of the Rings."
-The Oregonian
"Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the
twentieth century. An astounding achievement." -The Cincinnati
Enquirer
"Once in a lifetime a children's author emerges who is so
extraordinary that the imagination of generations is altered. Lewis
Carroll, E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien were all of this cast.
So, too, is Philip Pullman, whose Dark Materials trilogy will be
devoured by anyone between eight and eighty. The most ambitious
work since The Lord of the Rings, it is as intellectually thrilling
as it is magnificently written." - New Statesman
"Thrillingly paced and exotic [...] breathtaking." - Columbus
Dispatch
"[...] a rare few have minds capacious enough to engage in vast
cosmos-making, imagining realms and inventing universes. I am
thinking of Dante and Milton and Blake. We may now add Philip
Pullman."
-Parents Choice (online)
"The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy/adventure
stories that I have read in years. This is a book no one should
miss." -Terry Brooks, author of The Sword of Shannara
"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable
characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling
pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This
glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the
next installment of Lyra's adventures."
-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"This first fantastic installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy
propels readers along with horror and high adventure, a shattering
tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe."
- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"This first fantastic installment propels readers along with horror
and high adventure [...] A shattering tale that begins with a
promise and delivers an entire universe." -Kirkus Reviews,
Starred
"The characters of Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coutler, and Iorek Byrnison
and the cold and beautiful Northern setting are captivating; the
constantly twisting plot and escalating suspense are riveting; and
Lyra and Pantalaimon are among the gutsiest and wiliest of
adventurers. Touching, exciting, and mysterious by turns, this is a
splendid work." -The Horn Book Magazine, Starred
"Glorious. And what an ending - simply operatic." -School
Library Journal, Top 100 Children's Novels (#28)
"This is a captivating fantasy, filled with excitement, suspense,
and unusual characters." -School Library Journal
"A totally involving, intricately plotted fantasy that will leave
readers clamoring for the sequels."
-Booklist, Starred review
"Glorious. . . . The Golden Compass is one of those lyrical
suspensions like Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the
Rings that crosses all age lines and intertwines mythologies
and legends with seamless beauty." -BookPage
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