• The Golden Compass
• The Subtle Knife
• The Amber Spyglass

His Dark Materials is a trilogy that follows the epic journey of two children, Lyra and Will. It’s a quest to save the world. Actually, it’s a quest to save all the worlds that apparently exist one on top of the other. Will lives in a world just like ours. Lyra lives in a world almost like ours, with the biggest difference being that each person in Lyra’s world has a daemon; an animal that is as much a part of them as an arm or a leg. Pantalaimon is Lyra’s daemon, and he’s as much a part of the adventure as the kids themselves.

Evil is out to unmake creation. Using a knife that can cut through worlds, Lyra and Will must solve the mystery of what are causing children to be separated from their daemons and worlds to fall into chaos. The unique twist in these books is that our heroes have just as much potential to unmake creation as the villains. Pullman takes the story of Adam and Eve and loosely weaves it into his plot. As adventures ensure, Lyra and Will become closer; they start to like each other, but they both belong in different worlds and have to resist the temptation to stay together.

There is never a moment’s rest for these children throughout the trilogy. They travel to different worlds; encounter witches, angels, unique animals that live in the woods and use wooden wheels to move around. They even go to the underworld where Lyra tragically has to separate from Pantalaimon, a horrifically painful experience.

Multiple villains and multiple obstacles keep these books moving along at a quick pace and keep the reader guessing about what’s going to happen next. The changes in scenery, provided by moving the children through different worlds, keep the reader from wanting to put the book down.

The children are not totally alone throughout their epic journey. They find help from Mary Malone, a professor who lives in the world that is like ours; Iorek Byrnison, the bear-king; Serafina Pekkala, a witch queen and others. Each character introduced by Pullman is unique. Most of them would never come together if the destructive path of evil wasn’t affecting everyone.

A fast-paced plot and engaging tone make these books a thrilling read for anyone, child or adult. The fantastical elements and unique characters make the books surprisingly entertaining. There is just as much magic in these books as you’d find in Harry Potter, but without the spell casting and the wands. So much happens throughout these three books that it’s impossible to walk you through the entire plot. Every little detail matters in these books, Pullman hasn’t wasted a word. It’s probably why they’re each such an exciting read. That, and I really don’t want to give anything away.

His Dark Materials is truly a trilogy adults can enjoy. Pullman may have written them originally with a younger audience in mind, but they’re intelligent enough for anyone to appreciate. If you like fantasy books and especially if you’re a fan of Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia, these books are a must read. I highly recommend buying all three books at once because once you’ve finished the first book; you’re not going to want to wait to start the next.