When I bought these books at the bookstore I bought the entire trilogy because I knew they would be that good, and I was right! Book three has everything you could ask for as a fantasy reader-a war upon which the outcome will determine the fate of the world and the key to winning it might just depend upon two children! Great!

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Unlike other reviewers I found this entire series to be a fun, entertaining fantasy.

I know there are those who are practically screaming about atheism and 'killing god' and what have you, but I found it to be more of an intriguing take on religion and the effect that they have on society/cultures.

My children read this series (twin boys, 12 and daughter, 9) with me and we were all holding are breath at many parts, rooting for the characters and feeling sad/teary (of course the twins didn't get teary :P) at different parts, so I would say the author did an excellent job of pulling us into the story and none of my children (nor myself) felt that it had any bearing on our relationship with God as it was 'just a story and pretend' (those are the words of my children; paraphrased from the three of them)

I would recommend this book (and series) to anyone (old or young) who is looking for an exciting, fantastical romp. It does have underlying messages about society and politics (I found it more about the politics of religion over anything else.)

Enjoy
--Aileene

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Overall, I'm ambivalent about Philip Pullman's books. I read them on the recommendation of a couple of friends who absolutely loved them. They're well written and I did fall in love with the characters (even the bad ones), but I found the books tedious.

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I really enjoyed this series. It took me a week to read all 3 books, and then I was sad it was over.

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A must read for those who read the first 2 books in the series "the Golden Compass" and "The Subtle Knife"

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Oh, the ending was so sad!! Really, I loved the story and I am glad that I finally learned what Pan ended up as - which was the whole reason I began reading this series! I was surprised by how much death it involved - and the fact that there wasn't really a happily ever after, but only a sort of a hint at it... If there is a companion novel written, I imagine I would read it.

As for the religion issue, I must admit, it did get preachy in its own way in this book... which did detract from the story overall, I felt. Pullman's philosophy became redundant and I can see why this viewpoint alienated and offended more religious people. Still, it was an exciting book to read. All in all, I think Pullman's books aren't really for young children, but they are certainly entertaining for teens and even older.

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I love fantasy, and I liked this series (His Dark Materials) better than the Harry Potter series. I'm no kid - I'm almost 60!

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I think this was the best one in the whole trilogy!

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I thought this was a fantastic book. I must admit that I was just a tad disappointed by the ending. But, it's because I am spoiled by the "happily ever after" in romance novels. The book is still spectacular. Once I finished reading this series, I kept wondering why there were so many articles in the news about how the book was "anti-Christian." I'm an atheist, and I actually thought this third installment implied that, while the Church was corrupt, there was still "something greater" out there. I actually found the book more pro-God than not. It was just anti-false god. I suppose it's a matter of interpretation, though. Either way, this book did not disappoint. I only wish the story could continue.

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