Every time I read this series, I think I enjoy it more. I used to find parts of it a little uncomfortable, a little dull, and thought there wasn't as much humour to it as I normally like finding in my fiction. But on this, my fifth reading, this book feels comfortable, like an old friend. Also this time, I got to read along with a group of people online, one chapter a day, some of whom had never read it before and did not know what to expect. I think the daily discussion with the community greatly increased my appreciation of Pullman as a writer and a story teller, of the characters and the things they represent, and the importance of the themes dealt with in this series, which are so rarely handled in a YA format. Pullman weaves a rich tapestry of characters and the complex world they inhabit to create a gripping adventure tale that is at once familiar and so very, very new. A great series which encourages young people to be brave and self-reliant, and to think for themselves. What more could one ask for?