Rating: 
Summary: Eat this, Harry Potter
Review: The greatest fantasy series to come from the past twenty years isn't the bestselling Harry Potter series or the overblown Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time) books. It is His Dark Materials, perhaps the second most innovative fantasy trilogy I have ever read, next only to The Lord of the Rings. The characters are complex, dynamic, and well-developed. Mrs. Coulter, in particular, behaves in a manner that contrasts her actions in the other books. Side characters such as Dr. Mary Malone are developed, while the main characters - Lyra and Will - become even more endearing and well-written. The end, in particular, is superlative and sad. I had high expectations for the third book in the series of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, but Phillip Pullman has surpassed them all. Truly an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: It grips your imagination
Review: Phillip Pullman grips your imagination and your entire being throughout the entire book, never misses a beat, and never lets go... The characters seem more tangible and real then you have ever seen them before, so you laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry, and gasp in unison. Every plot, sub-plot, and every fundamental cliffhanger is resolved in an uncannily skilled way. But this trilogy is not just a story for children... in fact; it's much deeper then what lies in the surface. And even if you see just what's on the surface it's still a great ride, but then you begin to wonder, and that takes you deeper, and deeper until you have a secure understanding on what's really being said in these books. Impressive, awe-inspiring, wondrous, and at many times the most heart-wrenching book I've ever experienced, none of there words can fully characterize, specify, or describe The Amber Spyglass in its purest, and most moving form. If you love a fast paced story you should READ C.M. Whitlock's The Price of Immortality... It will keep you constantly guessing.
Rating:
Summary: more than a children's book
Review: This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. In some magical way, this is a book that, through the stories of several very original characters is able to address God, love, maturity, humanity's history and meaning, and countless other wonderful topics. This was more than just a novel to me; it has shaped my philosophy and way of looking at the world. Thos who say that this is a children's book a la "Harry Potter" are wrong. Maybe to the young readers, that's how it is, but I'm 14 and I was able to see that this is more than an easy, pleasurable fantasy like Harry Potter. This is a novel but also a manuscript of Pullman's philosophies and views. It is an extraordinary book that operates on a truly incredible, epic scale. From the first book, things just built up and built up, and here it all comes together in a brilliant, and very sad, climax. Read the series. You'll be enlightened.
Rating:
Summary: A work of beauty and power - the best book in the series
Review: This book is truly a wonder. All of its 517 pages will have you eager to see the next one, and the end will leave you aching for another book. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and three days after finishing it I am still in a sort of blissful peace, still savoring every emotion and every word conveyed so masterfully by Phillip Pullman. Beginning with Will's discovery about Lyra's disappearance by way of two angelic messengers from Lord Asriel's realm, he sets off determined to rescue her from her kidnapper. At the same time, the Church of Lyra's world is determined to kill her after discovering her true purpose. While this is going on, Lord Asriel seeks to protect his daughter and prepares to face the Authority. All this action is slowed down by Dr. Mary Malone's journey to the beautiful and peaceful world of the mulefa, and her remarkable and disturbing discoveries there. With each new page, old mysteries are resolved and new ones are raised. But Pullman manages to tie each string down to its final place by the end of the book, a progession so exciting, so tender, and so heart-wrenching it will leave you in tears and in awe. In all my 16 years I have never read a book equal to this in beauty, and I don't believe I shall ever encounter one that matches it. I highly reccommend this book to any person above the age of 12.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a classic. Excellent book and an excellent trilogy!
Review: This trilogy by Phillip Pullman will be a classic for both adults and children, a claim that is made all too often but is true in this case. If you are offput that this may be a children's book or is too much science fiction, don't be! Under the umbrella of an excellent novel with an intricate plot, well-developed and extremely complicated characters this trilogy deals with physics, organized religion, adventure, personal responsibility and more. His Dark Materials is a haunting and disturbing trio that stays with the reader well beyond the end of all three novels. Only read this after the other two: The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. People read books for different reasons: some like beautiful and lyrical writing, some well enjoy well developed plots, and some prefer novels more character driven. His Dark Materials will satisfy almost any reader. They are the most interesting books I have read in a long time. Pullman did an excellent job in terms of research and searching his imagination, a function not often used. READ THESE BOOKS!
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible ending, but a bit of a let-down
Review: The first book was fantastic and it slowed down a bit for the second book, though I still loved it. But the ending to this series was rather disappointing and lacked the imagination that the first two books had. This is the finish to the story of Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry as they fulfill their destiny that has been building up since the first book. All of the major questions and mysteries are answered in this book, but I still felt rather disappointed. What really brought this story to a screeching halt was the introduction of the mulefa. While what she learns about them are fascinating, it is hard to keep a book exciting while describing a slow-moving group of creatures. This book wasn't as fun as the other books, and was a lot darker. As cheerful and fun as the first two books were, this book has got Lyra and Will all grown up, all too soon. It seems like they've become responsible grown-ups too early and the exhilarating rush of the first two books are missing. This book does leave you hungry for just one more, especially since the ending does not come the way you wish it would. But if you have read and enjoyed the first two books, then you've got to pick up this book. It is still wonderful, especially compared to a lot of crap that is out there, but it just wasn't as good as the first two books.
Rating:
Summary: Online book report
Review: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman is another great book. It continues the story of Lyra and Will that is told in The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. At the end of the second book, The Subtle Knife, Will finally finds his father after a long search, only to see a witch kill him before will's very eyes. After the witch kills herself, two angels appear to tell Will that he must come with them to Lord Asriel, Lyra's father, who is leading the rebellion against The Authority. Will comes to get Lyra, and finds her gone. At the beginning of the book, we have no idea what is going to happen, but the ending surprises you. The beginning of The Amber Spyglass is set in the beautiful Himalaya valley with a small village near a cave where Mrs. Coulter, Lyra's mother, is hiding her. Pullman elaborates the setting very well. "In a valley shaded with rhododendrons, close to the snow line, where a stream milky with meltwater splashed and where doves and linnets flew among the immense pines, lay a cave, half-hidden by the crag above and the stiff heavy leaves that clustered below" (Pullman 1). It is one of those books that you don't want to stop reading. He [Pullman] has created many completely different worlds, and an interesting way to travel between them. Some parts are completely unbelievable. Pullman even creates non-humans that have understanding the way we do. " Atal said, Yes. All the mulefa have this. You have, too. That is why we knew you were like us and not like the grazers, who don't have it" (Pullman 222). When I first got this book, it was because of its two preqels. It must have been close to two years ago, when my mom was looking on amazon.com reviews for a good book for me. She told me about the good reviews for this book and the prequels, and ordered The Golden Compass for me. It sat on my bookshelf for a while, but when I was looking for a good read I decided to pick it up. I read the first chapter, and at first it seemed bland and uninteresting. I sat for a while and remembered that something similar happened when I first read another book. Near when the first Harry Potter book came out, my uncle bought me one for my birthday. This sat on the shelf a long time too, because after reading the first chapter, which took me forever, I decided that I never wanted to read it. When the fourth book came out, there was an article in Newsweek that had an excerpt from the first chapter of the fourth book, which my mom convinced me to read. After reading it, I wanted the book right away, so I ran upstairs to read the copy I had. Remembering this, I decided that I probably would like The Golden Compass once I read it, and that I didn't want to miss out on a good book like I had almost done before. I ended up loving it. It read unlike anything I had read before, rivaling some of my favorite authors. The ending was so pulling that I had to get the other two. The Amber Spyglass is an overly superb book. It has all the qualities of a good book, including good characters, a good plot, a good author, and a good setting. It makes for a good read, since it is over 500 pages long. The climax of the book was very surprising, but it has a great ending. I would highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Go Lyra, Go Will!!!!!
Review: I absolutly LOVED IT!!!!! This is THE best book of like, all time. read it, and you won't regret it. the charecters rock, (especially Will), the plot is SO cool, (especialy the part about the world of the dead), and over all this book rocks, so read it.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but not as good as I was led to believe
Review: after reading all three of the books in the series, I'm underwhelmed. the first two books are OK, but this final book was thin, not well put together, and unsatisfying. The characters in general are not well-formed but the two adults who drive the story -- the main character's parents -- were well-high incomprehensible to me. The seemed to be a spate of killing off characters that the author couldn't figure out what to do with. It just seemed a hash of clashing ingredients. I really got the sense there was more material than the author could use and he just ended up squeezing it in. I think fans of the Narnia books (I don't like them either) may find these to their taste.
Rating:
Summary: Sniffle, (Tear)
Review: I didn't write a review for the other two books because I read them a while ago and my memory is a bit fuzzy (I don't remember where the books seperate), but they would also get 5 stars. With that said, I loved this series, and this is my favorite of the books. Their is a lot of romance in this one, along with a VERY sad ending, but it is still so beautiful because they find security in something I won't say. I cried at the end. It was the first time I had ever cried during a book. I felt incomplete without one of the books by my side. It is a perfect ending to a perfect series.
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