His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1) Audiobook By Philip Pullman cover art

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “MARVELOUS.”—The New Yorker • An Entertainment Weekly All-Time Greatest Novel • A Newsweek Top 100 Book of All Time • Winner of the Carnegie Medal • The Inspiration for the HBO Original Series His Dark Materials

DON’T MISS THE EPIC FINALE TO LYRA’S STORY: THE ROSE FIELD, AVAILABLE NOW!

Discover the modern fantasy classic that kicked off the epic trilogies His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust—a world where humans have animal familiars and parallel universes are within reach.

“Pullman is quite possibly a genius.”—Newsweek

A war is brewing in Lyra’s world between those who would keep people in ignorance and those willing to fight for freedom. Lyra is thrust into the middle of the conflict when her uncle Asriel comes to Oxford, fomenting rebellion, and when her best friend, Roger, suddenly disappears.

Lyra learns that Roger was kidnapped by a shadowy organization that is rumored to experiment on children. To find him, she will travel to the cold, far North, where armored bears and witch clans rule—and where Asriel is attempting to build a bridge to a parallel world.

What Lyra doesn’t know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other—and that her actions will have consequences not just in her world, but in all the worlds beyond.

Look for the modern fantasy classics of HIS DARK MATERIALS:
The Golden Compass • The Subtle Knife • The Amber Spyglass

And Lyra’s adventures continue in THE BOOK OF DUST:
La Belle Sauvage • The Secret Commonwealth • The Rose Field

Accolades & Awards

Editors Select
Action & Adventure Editors Select Explore the World Geography & Cultures Fiction Fantasy Fantasy & Magic Parallel Universe Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature & Fiction Classics

Editorial Review

Revisiting a fantasy gateway
The His Dark Materials series occupies a special place in my fantasy origin story. It’s been years since I revisited the classic, but I’m now counting the days until I get to do so, starting with this new performance by Ruth Wilson, who so brilliantly embodies antagonist Ms. Coulter in the BBC adaptation. While the multicast performance will always have a place in my heart, I also believe there are countless ways to engage in your favourite fandoms, and I’m excited to hear what the acclaimed actress will do with the story. The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass will follow early next year –a perfect treat as we usher in the cold, dark magic of winter. — Sam D., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
Many thanks to the person who saw the wisdom of offering the option to listen to a solo reader of this wonderful book.

An excellent solo reader of an incredible book

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I never read these books as a child, but I loved the movie. Like all stories, the book is 1000x better. Reading this book healed a small part of my inner child, who was not allowed to read about fantasy or “witchcraft” and grew up encumbered by church beliefs.

Magical

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Anyone who blasts the book on a religious basis is either totally ignorant of history, or is unable to think for themselves. The book is intricate and many layered. You can skim the surface and come away with a satisfying adventure story or delve deeper and consider how we fit in life and what we owe to others. Lyra is an irascible child who is raising herself. Her parents are perfectly awful, having abrogated their responsibility for her welfare, only interested in how she can advance their own ambitions. The book is actually very sad.
Ms Wilson does an outstanding job in narrating the book. I loved the different voices she used.
Highly recommend.

Excellent

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Much prefer this to the multiple cast member recording, Ruth Wilson’s performance is wonderful without ever seeming effortful.

Beautifully told by a solo narrator

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I couldn’t hope for a better narrator than Ruth Wilson, she tells the story just beautifully. I don’t care for full-cast narration and was thrilled when Wilson recorded the trilogy, My only complaint is the music at the beginning of every single chapter. Why? It’s unnecessary, distracting and annoying in an otherwise perfect production.

Happy to have a single narrator audition.

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