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The Golden Compass cover art

The Golden Compass

Written by: Philip Pullman
Narrated by: Philip Pullman, Joanna Wyatt, Rupert Degas, Alison Dowling, Douglas Blackwell, Jill Shilling, Stephen Thorne, Sean Barrett, Garrick Hagon, John O'Connor, Susan Sheridan, Full Cast
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Publisher's Summary

His Dark Materials is now an HBO original series starring Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James Mcavoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda!

Featuring an exclusive bonus interview between the author, Philip Pullman, and His Dark Materials star Ruth Wilson.

The modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” and Newsweek hailed as a “Top 100 Book of All Time”.

Philip Pullman takes listeners to a world where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach.

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal - including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.

But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other....

A masterwork of storytelling and suspense, Philip Pullman's award-winning The Golden Compass is the first in the His Dark Materials series, which continues with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

A number one New York Times best seller

Winner of the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction

Published in 40 countries

"Arguably the best juvenile fantasy novel of the past 20 years." (The Washington Post)

"Very grand indeed." (The New York Times)

"Pullman is quite possibly a genius." (Newsweek)

Don't miss Philip Pullman's epic new trilogy set in the world of His Dark Materials, the Book of Dust:

  • La Belle Sauvage
  • The Secret Commonwealth
©1995 Philip Pullman (P)1999 Random House, Inc.

What the critics say

"Superb.... Wonder-filled." (Washington Post Book World)

"Very grand indeed.... Scene after scene of power and beauty." (The New York Times)

"A rousing, page-turning adventure that promises to please fantasy readers of all ages." (Library Journal)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks for Kids

Whether you’re getting ready to embark on a cross-country road trip with the whole family or just want a new chapter book to enjoy at bedtime with Alexa, each superb story on this list is a great place to start. Each one is a tale of whimsy and adventure brought to life with the help of talented voice actors like Jim Dale, Kate Winslet, Neil Patrick Harris, and more. These imaginative listens—fan favourites, classics, and newcomers alike—are sure to be loved by young listeners. Here are the best audiobooks for kids.

What listeners say about The Golden Compass

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  • AC
  • 2023-01-31

Most enjoyable "read" of this book yet!

I've always loved this series and have read all three books many times, but listening to it as an audiobook was an entirely different experience - and SO enjoyable! I love that Pullman is the narrator, and the entire cast is spectacular! The voice performances are superb throughout the entire audiobook, and really bring something special to the story that you'd never get from just reading. I was completely immersed, even though I've read the book more times than I can count. This is by far my favourite fiction audiobook that I've listened to yet, and I definitely recommend it, to new readers of the His Dark Materials series and old alike!

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Excellent story Amazing Performance

There is only one complaint, I found it difficult when there was no pause at the end of a Chapter before saying Chapter __ (sorry Philip) the story and the performances were amazing, I cannot wait to listen to the next book.

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  • 2022-10-02

Awesome!

This was a fantastic narration, the best I’ve heard! Excellent cast! Looking forward to the next one.

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Incredible narration at the perfect pace.

Couldn't have enjoyed it more. Narration was perfect; story was riveting. So tempted to just buy the whole series.

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Incredible

This is my first time "reading" this book and it hooked me. The performances are very well done as well.

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Marvelous Story Telling

The story lends itself and the performers take full advantage of the drama and fast paced action. Better than reading or watching; this is for me the best presentation of a beloved story yet. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

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Volume discrepancy

The story and performance is excellent but audio mixing seemed a bit uneven. I have sensitive ears so whenever I had to turn up the volume a bit so the narration won’t be buried in commute noises, lyra’s voice would often be so sharp and loud that I had lasting physical discomfort.

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Slow to start, but suddenly non stop action!

Wasn't sure in the beginning, and it was quite confusing. But as more was revealed and the world became clearer, I realised this book will be a new favourite of mine. the twist on our world and beliefs is fantastically done.

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Phenomenal!

I wish I had read this fantastic series sooner. I regret to say that the movie, though not the worst adaptation out there, had put me off from reading this book for over a decade. But thank goodness I found it again!

I love it when they have a full cast reading of the audio book. They gave great emotional performances, and not once did I not know who was talking. Fantastic!

Thanks! #Audible1

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Lovable cast!

Excellent reading by the master of the material, the author himself. An outstanding cast that endears themselves to you with their performance of a classic fantasy tale unlike any other.

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