His Dark Materials
by Philip Pullman · first published 2000
52% recommend37% neutral12% critical
Why HN recommends it
Young-adult fantasy trilogy with a standout young heroine, Lyra, and big ideas about religion that pushed some readers toward Milton and philosophy. Suits kids from about 9 up, and adults too.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Philip Pullman's classic trilogy is now available as a stunning, large-format, bind-up edition. Since the first volume was published in 1955, and has now been filmed as "The Golden Compass", the trilogy has been acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, and has won the UK's top awards for children's literature. Today, the fabulous story of Lyra and her daemon is read and loved by adults and children alike. The extraordinary story moves between parallel universes. Beginning in Oxford, it takes Lyra and her animal-daemon Pantalaimon on a dangerous rescue mission to the ice kingdoms of the far north, wh
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The essentials, looking at my non-CS shelves: * "Alice in Wonderland", Carroll * "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid", Hofstadter * Either "His Dark Materials", Pullman; or "Illuminatus!", Shea and Wilson * "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", Adams (all of its sequels are also good) * "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and "Lila", Pirsig * Either…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗…Magicians is a lovely book; I actually interviewed Grossman when the first one came out, in 2010: https://jakeseliger.com/2010/10/14/an-interview-with-lev-gro.... If you like it, try Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy too. Leviathan Wakes disappoints: its plot and political economy are interesting but on a sentence-by-sentence level one wishes for more. If you haven't read it yet try Peter Watts, Blindsight.
on “YC’s Summer Reading” ↗…(http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/the-indian-clerk). * Joel Spolsky's The Best Software Writing isn't fiction but is worth reading. * I'll reiterate Tom Wolf's The Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full. * Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is nominally aimed at adolescents, but people of any age can enjoy it. * Michael Tolkin's The Player is partially about the business of film, as is its sequel, The Return of the Player. If you're…
on “Ask HN: Recommend any good business/hacker fiction?” ↗…I'm not in the target age range obviously, but my favourite is Cuckoo Song. Her earlier books are definitely for a younger audience. All Hardinge's books have young female protags. Philip Pullman's, His Dark Materials trilogy [1]. The protag, Lyra, is one of the most interesting young female protags in literature. (This is one of those trilogies that you can reread at different stages of your life and get new things…
on “The unnecessary demise of Barnes and Noble” ↗Mattimeo, the third of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Charming, funny and surprisingly action-packed. Currently reading Northern Lights, the first of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. My first time reading it, great so far.
on “Ask HN: Read any good books lately?” ↗…Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. I feel like Foundation and even Dune are just not fit for being adapted. Foundation is so easy to read that people should really just read it. It's such a shame that His Dark Materials failed as that would make an excellent adaptation and the source material is far superior to Harry Potter.
on “When “Foundation” Gets the Blockbuster Treatment, Asimov’s Vision Gets Lost” ↗If you're feeling really introspective, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and Demian by Hermann Hesse.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗…interactivity. The story is dynamic and something to be explored, rather than experienced. A better comparison may be to a written work like Lyra's Oxford, a companion to Phillip Pullman's excellent His Dark Materials trilogy that serves to show glimpses of what the protagonist's alternate England looks like, letting the reader explore a truly foreign land. How much more, though, can you explore the post-apocalyptic…
on “Video Games Can Never Be Art” ↗…others). But if you get a chance, read Lev Grossman's The Magicians: http://jseliger.com/2009/08/28/the-magicians-lev-grossman . Although it's more straight-up fantasy than urban fantasy, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is also excellent.
on “Getting a Divorce from a VC” ↗Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a solid choice. It gets dark, but so does Harry Potter, so fair game. I would say late grade school for the first book, adolescent for books 2 and 3. Tamora Pierce has written a number of kid appropriate…
on “Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard Actor, Dies Aged 69” ↗I think the "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman had the greatest impact on me as a youngster. That series opened my mind to some really interesting ideas, and lead on to reading Milton, then taking up a general interest in…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗His Dark Materials series by Pullman 100 Years of Solitude by Marquez The Culture series by Banks
on “Ask HN: Which books would you recommend to me that had a big impact on you” ↗…romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas) 30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style) 31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.) 32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me) 33. Less (Exceptionally well-written) 34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗I recently got a kindle and am looking to download some sci - fi books. Here are some that have been recommended to me: - Snow Crash - Enders Game - His Dark Materials - Dune in Conquest - Born - Hyperion - Daemon - Tactics of Mistake - The Realty Disfunction - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep What are your favorites? Any tips on where to start?
on “Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?” ↗…recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2. Here are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also. - The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass. - The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station) - Surface Detail, the new novel by…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?” ↗