Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

PullmanLyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-wild and carefree among the scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. Her destiny will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight.  And the extraordinary journey that awaits her will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own world…

 

Blurb from cover of 2015 edition published by Scholastic UK

 

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16 thoughts on “Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

  1. At first I thought this book wasn’t very exciting when Lyra was growing up in Jordan College but it started to become the opposite when she was allowed to go to the Arctic to investigate dust. It has a slightly scary feel to it but I would give it 4 out of 5.
    Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

  2. The Northern Lights is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a mix of fantasy and real world which I loved. It’s about Lyra and her Daemon Pantalaimons adventure across Scandinavia to uncover the truth about the evil Gobblers. Little does she know what lies ahead…
    I would recommend this book to anybody who loves fantasy, despite it being quite a complicated read.

  3. Josh says :

    I really enjoyed this book I thought it was really gripping. at the start it was a bit slow to start off with but it got better as you read on! My favourite character was Lyra she is a brave girl who is kind to others !

  4. I loved this book from start to end, apart from the fact that the beginning was very slow. I had already started this book before when i was 10 but gave up on about page 25! Pullman sets his stories and characters so well, but so complex as well, like people which is what i like about his writing.

  5. I thought this was a great book, but the start was quite slow. I like Lee and his airship, and the witches. I think the similarities with the real world are powerful, as are the differences. I think the plot is engaging, and never confusing.I think the horrifying bits are a bit too ignored,and the characters take less notice than they really would’ve done. Don’t get me wrong, it is still one of the best books I’ve ever read. The language used in there flows so smoothly.

  6. ilia

    this book is, just to put it straight, is fantastic. A very indulging book which is perfect for kids and grown ups, with one of the best plotted books I’ve ever read, and trust me I’ve read quite a few of some classical greats. nevertheless I could say that it could get into the main event quicker where a girl called Lyra has her best friend kidnapped by ‘ child eaters’ and they cut the children’s daemon from them and all this fuss over… Dust? read on or just simply start reading this great novel by Phillip Pullman, and if you were as intrigued as me, well then there is only one thing to do, read his next novel of the series, the subtle knife.
    but of course Lyra’s dad just HAS to be captured by these armoured bears which are practically invincible and kept in a fortress with thousands of them…. ok I better stop spoiling it for you!
    but honestly its a great read and if you go on a long car journey and forget your phone, or you are just simply bored, whip out your book-or nae nae out your book- and start reading!!

  7. Tom says:
    Northern Lights stared slow, but was really good after a while. I read it once and then again, and then over and over. An amazing book, 5 out of 5 for me.

  8. The one problem with this book is that it is not gripping. The characters and setting are good, but it doesn’t feel like a well known novel. I gave up on page fifty because it was so boring. I wish that it was made more interesting.

  9. I recommend this book to people interested in physics; especially the quantum theory. This book really hooks all readers minds and has an amazing ending. Hamish (Y6)

  10. Jamison says:

    Northern lights was a really enjoyable book even though it was really slow at the beginning because of all the tiny details that were crammed in. But it soon picks up speed and you are cruising along with the book which has many twists and turns which change the story from what you think will happen to what the story is.
    I really like Iorek Byrnison because he makes the story completely different story.

  11. This is a brilliant book. I have read this book and automatically it ran up on to my best books of the decade. This book is perfect for all age.

  12. this book was about a girl called Lyra who goes on a long journey with her daemon Pantilimon. To save some captured children. I loved this action packed book and I was thrilling, beginning to end.

  13. I thoroughly enjoyed Northern Lights because it was full of adventure. Lyra, a young girl who leaves home is trying to escape from the gobblers who catch children. Her adventure takes her all the way to Svalbard. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 because after a bit of a slow start it got better and better. I would recommend this book to patient readers that enjoy adventure, fiction and action. Even though I read this book two years ago it created an impression on me and I still remember what happens in it now.

  14. This book is about a girl called Lyra who goes on an adventure away from her home in Jordan College to try and find and escape the Gobblers. The Gobblers have been taking away the children around London and when Lyra’s friend Roger, the kitchen boy, goes missing and Lyra is offered to be an assistant for the beautiful faced Mrs Coulter, she instantly gets a craving for answers to her questions and to find her friend. Set in another world where your daemon is always by your side.

    My favourite character in the book was Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear as he seems so great and powerful as well as caring. He is also in my favourite part of the book where himself and Iofur fight as the description and the use of language is so gripping; I had to beg my dad to let me finish! I would definitely recommend this to someone else (I have already recommended it to my dad!). All the way through I wanted to continue reading and the only bad bit was when my eyelids became so heavy I HAD to stop! I found the complex language very interesting and learnt many new words such as sardonic (which means mocking or grimly) and innocuous (which means not harmful or offensive). I love the world that they live in and would quite fancy a daemon of my own! The whole story is like the hobbit, another world in which everything has been thought of to the last detail.
    Overall I thought Northern Lights was one of the best books I’ve read and will read the rest of the series in the near future.

  15. I really liked this book and I would give it four and a half out of five. The beginning could have progressed a bit quicker however once this book got going, when Lyra reaches the Arctic, it began to get exciting. The characters were all brilliant but I particularly liked Lee Scoresby because of his relaxed personality and composure. I would recommend this book to readers who like action, fantasy, exploration and strange inventions.
    Well done to Philip Pullman.

  16. I thought the start was a bit slow but afterwards it got better and better until the end when it was amazing. I really liked Pantalaimon as he was funny and yet serious. Lyra is also a very likeable character even though she was tricked and betrayed a few times.
    What I like about this story is that it is full of trickery and adventure which I enjoy.
    I also think that it being set in a different world from us made it even better than it already was. Philip Pullman is an incredible writer and I can’t wait to read his next novel!

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