Kate Malinowski

Pullman's a great writer, which made it possible to finish this rather dogmatic treatise on religion.

Extremely well-written and compelling fantasy novel. Lots of graphic violence for a children's book. I would recommend it to very proficient middle school readers, but not younger. You definitely need to know your European history to appreciate a lot of the references.

Now that I know how everything unfolds, I want to go back and reread all four books so I can appreciate the intricate way everything was set up.

The bridge between the first and third of the trilogy. Lots of exposition, not a lot of action. Not nearly as good as The Golden Compass, but still a good read. Even more violence than first book.

I'm sure that everyone reading this with an open mind could learn something that would improve their ability to communicate effectively with others. On the other hand, it does not appear that any of the sample dialogues or examples used throughout have been updated in the last 30 years despite a new 2015 edition. There are parts that are strikingly tone deaf and many seem completely made up.