The Golden Compass
Score Modern
What it's about
Lyra Belacqua, a wild, scheming girl raised among the scholars of an Oxford college in a world like ours but different, where every person has an animal companion called a daemon, sets off for the frozen North. She's searching for her friend Roger, stolen by the child-snatchers called the Gobblers, and for her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, who's trying to build a bridge to another world. Witch clans and armored bears await.
Why it's worth reading
It opens His Dark Materials, which was voted one of the nation's best-loved novels in the BBC's Big Read, and whose final book was longlisted for the Booker Prize. It's a thrilling adventure and a fierce argument about growing up and freedom.
You'll love it if you liked
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or A Wrinkle in Time
Good to know
It was published in Britain as Northern Lights. It's written for younger readers but read by all ages, and the trilogy grows darker and more ambitious.
Quick answers
Is The Golden Compass worth reading?
Yes. It opens His Dark Materials, which was voted one of the nation's best-loved novels in the BBC's Big Read, and whose final book was longlisted for the Booker Prize. It ranks #294 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 81.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Golden Compass about?
Lyra Belacqua, a wild, scheming girl raised among the scholars of an Oxford college in a world like ours but different, where every person has an animal companion called a daemon, sets off for the frozen North. She's searching for her friend Roger, stolen by the child-snatchers called the Gobblers, and for her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, who's trying to build a bridge to another world. Witch clans and armored bears await.
How long does it take to read The Golden Compass?
About 10 hours (399 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Golden Compass?
If you liked it, try The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling or A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
By the numbers
- Readers70 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics58 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller70 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Booker Prize longlist (2001, for The Amber Spyglass). On 2 canon lists, including Guardian 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (for The Amber Spyglass).
Where it ranks
- #12 of the 222 young adult books we rank
- #37 of the 461 fantasy books we rank
- #152 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #294 of the 2,819 books we rank
Shortlisted
- Booker Prize longlist (2001, for The Amber Spyglass)
On the lists
- Guardian 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (for The Amber Spyglass)
- BBC's The Big Read (for the His Dark Materials series)
Reads as
Epic
If you like this, read next
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Six of Crows
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Dog's Purpose
Throne of Glass
Sing, Unburied, Sing