His Dark Materials (Audio Book) - Philip Pullman

His Dark Materials...made with dodgy materials! (Please note: this is a review of the BBC 4 radio play audio CD. Not the unabridged version read by Phillip Pullman.) I'm a massive, massive fan of Philip Pullman's trilogy 'His Dark Materials'. I've read them countless times and put them amongst my most favourites books of all time. Having listened to the audio CD of Harry Potter, and enjoyed it very much, I thought I would try the audio version of Pullman's books. I wanted to start off with the first book of the series 'Nothern Lights' (well it would be silly to start at the end??). Now, there ... more

HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman Dramatised by Lavinia Murray Note the word dramatised. This is NOT the BBC Cover to Cover version, read unabridged by Philip Pullman with a cast to speak the dialogue, but a heavily edited and dramatised version, which has been broadcast on BBC radio. I was originally going to save for the lengthy and expensive Cover to Cover version, but I really wanted something to listen to in the car on the way to work that wasn’t music, so I took a risk on this… it still wasn’t cheap, mind, at £30.00 for the CD version from Waterstones. What did I think? Well, it was ... more

I first read “His Dark Materials” about 4 years ago, and have read and re-read it so many times since. So, when my boyfriend bought me this audio set for my birthday with a big bottle of bubble bath, I was delighted (my friends think I’m insane and should be demanding jewelry!). ~A Brief Story Outline~ The story itself is both incredibly complex, and amazingly simple all at once. It is set in several different worlds, our own, and other similar ones. It will be impossible for me to do it justice without ruining it for you. The tale begins in our heroine, Lyra’s world… An Oxford like ours, but ... more

This series is the most captivating i have ever come across. It features many imaginative characters, plots and makes you think about those mysterious questions. Great for older audiences though small children may not understand some of it. It has been released in all possible forms, film, audio and the original books and this range allows anybody to experience the magic of philip pullmans imagination. His Dark Materials is truly a good listen though the first few chapters may be a boring. If this is your problem and keeps you from listening on, keep listening because the action starts later ... more

I found the first few chapters in book 1 very detailed and a bit slow. Other than that ,the books were excellent reading and the characters lovable, diverse, deep and interesting. The story line was gripping, taking the reader through the trials and tribulations of two teenagers thrown into a fantastical world full of dangers, love, joy fear and loss. I would reccomend this trilogy for adults and teens alike. These books are the sort that you can't put down and are quite happy to read again and again. The reader becomes engrossed in the characters and the trials they have to go through with ... more