Golden Compass

Much has been written about the movie that released based on the first book of the series (Golden Compass). With an all star cast and excellent special effects the movie did look like a hit but it failed miserably at the box office.
The series starts of in a parallel universe where humans have daemons as their animal companions somewhat analogous to the concept of souls. The first book is nicely paced and the story of a young girl trying to rescue her friend is quite engaging. However from the primarily adventurous journey in the first book the sequels turn increasingly towards theology and the second and third books feel tacked on to complete a trilogy and in the process encash upon the success of the first book.
The second book is based on a totally different alternate universe with only the protagonist Lyra being the common thread. The plot takes a turn for the worse and Lyra befriends a boy after they escape. The story then becomes about the Magisterium trying to prevent Lyra from committing the original sin.
Go figure! I've never seen such an abrupt plot twist (or rather U-turn) in any series. It totally threw me off, for a moment there I thought I'd started reading another series. Nevertheless I laboured on to finish the series somehow only to be assaulted by the hotchpotch climax at the end.
I would still recommend the first book to fans of alternate reality/ universe sub-genre but proceed at your own risk after that.