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The His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)


Unabridged Audiobook

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Ratings
Book
276
Narrator
82
Release Date
September 23, 2003
Duration
10 hours 34 minutes
Summary
#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
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Reviews
Profile Avatar Julie V Jan 2018

Narration with different people is very good!

Profile Avatar Tanna G Apr 2018

I loved the book. The story was excellent. I loved Philip Pullman narrating. Some of the other actors/voices were a bit off-putting, but did not go so far to ruin the book for me. I still would recommend this audio book.

Profile Avatar Michelle M. Sep 2023

AMAZING!!!!

Profile Avatar Wgteeter Mar 2026

A wonderful classic that has been adapted many times but never as good as the book that started it all.

Profile Avatar Ryan L. Jan 2023

Good start to the trilogy

Profile Avatar May G. Oct 2022

Great book and the narration is the best I’ve heard so far. The actors add a lot to the experience. Philip Pullman is an excellent author reads very well.

Profile Avatar Josh R. Jul 2022

one of my favorite series

Profile Avatar Anonymous Nov 2021

I really enjoyed the book and narration.

Profile Avatar James D. Nov 2021

The sheer awesomeness of this book can be summed up with one word: panzerbeorn.

Profile Avatar Anonymous Jul 2021

Didn’t care for the book

Profile Avatar Anonymous Feb 2021

Narration was great! Captured the emotion of each moment exceptionally!

Profile Avatar Auni M. Oct 2020

Was listening to this during my cross country drive in my car. Yes, I don't have a high quality sound system in the car, but the difference is the base heavy voice of the narrator, and the lines read by the characters were a bit too far apart. The narrator's voice sounded low, especially with the highway noise, but the characters' sounded fine - if I increased the volume, the narrator sound good, but the characters were a bit too loud.

Profile Avatar Dorte Lassen Aug 2020

I enjoyed the story very much, and the narration was lively and catching. Each character has his own narrator/voice, that fits well to the personality. The story itself feels very much like a modern fairytale with witches, talking bears, and magic objects. I feel that magic was involved, but at the same time, I cannot really recall anybody really using magic in that sense. I had a smile on my face from start to end, and I cannot wait what the second book has to offer...

Profile Avatar Justin S. Jun 2020

Magnificent book, wonderful narration.

Profile Avatar Anders E. May 2020

Extraordinary, captivating story!

Profile Avatar Anonymous Apr 2020

The diverse narrators for different characters are a nice idea, they make the listening very lifelike, however if you cross-referencing with a printed copy, some of the "unimportant" text like ("Lyra said" ...) is left out, so don't get confused :)

Profile Avatar Mark H. Feb 2020

Outstanding narration and a story that sucks you in like only a few modern classics have in the last twenty years. Thoroughly recommend.

Profile Avatar Cron Dec 2019

I love this book, at the start of the beginning , it throws you in the midst of the action! I am now listening to the second book!

Profile Avatar Brian M. May 2019

Brilliant, and absolutely the best narration of any book I’ve heard

Profile Avatar Christine D. Oct 2018

Best audio book I have ever listened too. The full cast and narrator are compelling and urge you to continue on and on with the material. Amazing!

Profile Avatar Jessica E Aug 2017

Excellent story and a wonderful cast reading!! Truly a theatrical production!!

Profile Avatar Brad Austin Nov 2016

The whole series is incredible, really. The world is believable from the very start, and Lyra is such a well-developed character. Pullman narrating is a treat, and each voice actor does a great job.

Profile Avatar Sussan Carlson Oct 2016

I have read this series many years ago but listening to it brings the characters to life. It is such a wonderful story.

Profile Avatar William Santiago Aug 2014

Fantastic storytelling and great narration. I've been recommending audiobooks since listening to this one.

The His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)

The His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)

Author: Philip Pullman
Read by: Alison Dowling
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