This is the first in a trilogy in which a new universe has been created. A world where daemons swoop and scuttle along the streets of Oxford and London, where the mysterious Dust swirls invisibly through the air, and where one child knows secrets the adults would kill for.
A pretty good YA fantasy romp with a dose of atheistic agenda. Overall I really liked this book and Pullman's personal politics weren't so front and center that I couldn't enjoy the book. I love the setting and the protagonist, Lyra, is great. The inclusion of academicians and scientists is always nice and I love that it's a pseduo-stempunky yet magicky yet sciencey world. A nice self contained read but unfortunately I'm going to torture myself with the sequels. O, and gotta love those gyptians, panserbjorne, Texans, witches, and daemons. That pretty much sums the story up...
