I would echo all the praise that others have lavished on these books - they're magical.But the person who says they are not an attack on religion is just plain wrong - Pullman has publicly said, on many occasions, that (and I paraphrase) he believes that religion is superstitious nonsense, and is very clear that the books are, indeed, partly intended to show just how ludicrous many religious beliefs are. These are complex allegories, and religion is right there in the middle of his allegorical gunsight.