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His Dark Materials, a series of three books by children's fantasy writer Philip Pullman, is not widely known, but has gained a cult following from among underground science fiction readers since the first book's publication in 1995. The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass have won several prizes but, for some reason, have never quite reached level of mainstream popularity that swept up books like J.K.

Rowling's Harry Potter. However, the His Dark Materials series is well loved by those exposed to Pullman's work.

The Golden Compass starts off in a world slightly different from ours. The main focus is on an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl named Lyra, who lives in Oxford, England. In Lyra's world, every human has a "daemon," or a sort of tangible manifestation of their soul in the shape of an animal. The reader follows Lyra on an incredible journey as she leaves Oxford to rescue her best friend Roger, abducted by child snatchers called "Gobblers." Accompanied only by her daemon Pantalaimon, she begins an expedition to the Arctic regions of the world. Among other things, Lyra falls into the company of gypsies, or "Gyptians," acquires the services of a mercenary armored bear, and fights a war on the side of an army of witches who never age. The books ending is startling and breathtaking.

The Subtle Knife masters the imagination just as well, if not better, than The Golden Compass, but instead starts off in our world. The subject this time is a boy named Will Parry. Will lives alone with and cares for his mother, who may or may not be slightly deranged. His father, as far as he knows, disappeared years ago on an expidition to Antarctica. Will decides that he cannot take care of his mother by himself, and, as strange men have been trying to break into their house, brings her to his old piano teachers house, where he leaves her until he can find his father. Will sets off on his own adventure, and stumbles into Lyra's. This book travels between worlds beautifully. Pullman smoothly weaves the stories without confusion or complication, while keeping the plot and detail rich and satisfying.

The Amber Spyglass is the incredible, mind-absorbing pinnacle of the series, none of which I will give away here. The existence of all tangent universes lies in the hands of Lyra and Will's collective destiny.

While the books are supposedly written for youth, they sometimes include very adult subject matter. Religion, sexuality, and basic morality are issues that Pullman has woven together successfully in this original and thought-bending series. His imagery and attention to detail are spectacular, and give the reader richness without clutter. All three of the books are guaranteed to be a delight.

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