Phillip Pullman Series

I have had these books in our library for quite some time and no one has ever checked them out. I thought that if read them and they were not too bad, I could encourage some of the students to read these. I am hooked. I can not wait to get to the last book. I am now on the second book The Subtle Knife. This is a type of book that you have to let yourself go. If you liked the Harry Potter books, you will love these. I bet these are made into movies eventually.

Reviewer:

Sarah Hunter "Ecclectic Taste" (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

I loved, loved, LOVED these books. WOW! I had no idea they existed until I saw a list of the favorite books of the British - and this was in the top 3. Certainly, the British can't be wrong - they produced J.K. Rowling! I am a diehard fan of the Harry Potter series, and after reading other reviews mentioning their "similarities" I decided to purchase this set. While I agree that this series is fantasy, as is the Harry Potter series, the similarities are overstated. These are different writers with different strengths. Philip Pullman is adept at creating mood, of sucking the reader in, of involving the reader in the story, of creating a real, palpable world of ghasts, daemons, alternate worlds, and so on. I was totally riveted. I recommend this series to anyone who can engage in the imaginary, who can totally let go of their current reality. You will certainly not be disappointed.

*NOTE* - These books are listed as appropriate for children or young adults, but they are dark and scary and, in some instances, gory. They are darker and scarier than the Harry Potter series. BEWARE!

Also, give the books a chance. When I started the first book, I didn't like it until I was in about 60 pages - I had a hard time figuring out what was real and what was a product of Philip Pullman's imagination, which was frustrating. Let go of your sense of reality, go with the flow, give the first book a bit of time to capture you and you'll not be sorry!!!