His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman published as The Golden Compass , The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. It follows the coming-of-age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universes against a backdrop of epic events. The three novels have won various awards, most notably The Amber Spyglass, the 2002 Whitbread Book of the Year prize, while the trilogy as a whole took third place in the BBC's Big Read poll in 2003. The story involves fantasy elements such as witches and armoured polar bears, and alludes to a broad range of ideas from fields such as physics, philosophy, theology and spirituality. The trilogy functions in part as a retelling and inversion of John Milton's epic, Paradise Lost; with Pullman commending humanity for what Milton saw as its most tragic failing.The series has drawn criticism for its negative portrayal of Christianity and religion in general. Titles included in this Set are : The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass