Rating: 
Summary: A gem
Review: A few words to add to the chorus of praise for this wonderful book. I loved the Golden Compass but felt that the Subtle Knife dragged a bit. This third work brings them all together and is the best yet.I am at that point of grieving when you've finished a fine book. I truly hated to see it end. And I came to love almost every character within - Lyra/Pan, Iorek and Serrafina most of all - that I'm dismayed I won't have another word to read about them. The book is, as noted in other reviews, astonishingly anti-religious. All the folks worrying about Harry Potter should be paying more attention. But while it's a tirade against organized and dogmatic religion, the book is also very spiritual. The spirituality is much more Eastern in tone.
Rating: 
Summary: It was my favourite book until the end...
Review: I loved this book. From the very beginning I couldn't put it down, and I read the entire 518 pages in three days. The whole time I was reading it I was planning on writing a fabulous Amazon.com review praising every aspect of this book. I loved every single character and every single event and I kept thinking how I wished I was Lyra. My conversations were limited to "Lyra is so cool, isn't she?" and I spent every second of my free time reading it. Then there was the ending... I absolutely HATED the ending. I think it was the worst ending I could have come up with. Did Philip Pullman write this knowing that people like me who become obsessed with characters, would hate it? I cried for hours, and I couldn't think about anything else. For such a great book, it was a pretty lousy ending. I had to give this book at least three stars, because I loved it so much, and if it had a different ending I would have definitely given it five. I also hate the fact that this was the last book in this series that I loved so much. Now, if there was a sequel...
Rating:
Summary: Incredible...I'm speachless
Review: I was amazed at this final addition to the Dark Materials Trilogy; I found it simply impossible to put it down. Honestly. I stayed up untill 6:30 in the morning today reading this book. It is complex, with an intricatly woven plot, and the entire story is of a quality that I have never experienced before. The characters draw in the reader, and the plot is so imaginative that it is unlike anything ever before created. This book, as well as its predecessors, is full or adventure, excitment, danger, and creatures that capture the imagination and bear it up on silver wings. I know that doesn't tell you much about the actual book, but I can't bear to spoil it's amazingness for future readers. I will warn readers, though, the ending is incredibly sad; I was literally sobbing. This added to the story completely, though, and this is by far the best book I have, in my 16 years, ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Sincerely awful compared to first book
Review: Unfortunately, as in the way of many series of books, the first was transcendent, unique, and beautiful. The second explored the universe more, but lacked the true gorgeousness of the first. The third is just odd and dull with a lot of meaningless detail and inexplicably bad dialogue. If you liked the first - stop there. I wish I had.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant imagination
Review: His Dark Materials series is brilliant! i finished the first two books worried. Worried that the third book would end like they did. Because these books just stopped, without tying everything togeter like i wanted. but Amber Spyglass does a magnificent job of making sure every little curiousity that was introduced in hte first books is resolved. this book, like the others, keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way. Pullman introduces characters i could never have imagined. he pulls you into the heart of the story and then resolves all the problems that pop up. i would suggest this series to anyone who has the time to read them. Lyra's tale challenges the imagination and makes you think twice before dismissing the awesome power children have.
Rating:
Summary: Don't judge before you think...
Review: I've read other reviews on this book, some of which condemn and some of which praise it. I would have to fall in the praising category. This trilogy is not only excellently written, I believe that it is great for challenging your beliefs and theology. Some would say that this trilogy and namely this book are blasphemous and not suitable for anyone to read unless with extreme caution, are not capable of reading anything except books that agree with every aspect of their own beliefs. This book is a challenge to traditional beliefs of God, btu that does not mean it is bad. If you really read this book with an open mind, you see that the "facts" in this book are very off from those traditional views and if you are strong in your faith at all, then this book will do nothing to you faith and is perfectly suitable for anyone to read.
Rating:
Summary: A definite ending to a great trilogy
Review: This book has a wonderful, many-layered plot in which the reader gets drawn into the depths of the story. Pullman has a certain way of causing the most strict followers of the church to become wary. Not only does it keep the reader on their toes the entire length of the book but keeps them contemplating days after they read the heartbreaking conclusion. The complexity is beautiful and the way the author challenges the Authority with that quiet fire is amazing... this book must be read to be appriceated. Definetely for older and more mature children.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking and thought-provoking
Review: I had been waiting for The Amber Spyglass for what seems like forever, and though some events were predictable or clearly had to happen, some things took me totally by surprise. I'll try really hard not to give away any spoilers, but there are a few things I have to comment on. One thing is that while this book is full of page-turning action and interesting, sometimes subtle, charactarization, the most interesting thing about The Amber Spyglass is its theology. It may be somewhat shocking to you if you're used to a Judeo-Christian outlook of things, and you may consider it downright blasphemous, but the book supports its own ideas well, and it does make a lot of sense when you apply other beliefs, Gnostic for example. I do have a few arguments with Pullman's theological assumptions, but they're nessecary for the theme of the book. And even if you don't like to think deep thoughts about the nature of the universe (although in this book it really does help!) there is plenty of other interesting stuff, such as the additional worlds Pullman introduces, the interesting new characters, and the massive chain of events (although of course the Lyra and Will aren't neglected!), and the conclusion is stunning. I reccommend this book to anyone who likes to think out of the box, who likes stories of other worlds, and especially anyone who has come to care about Lyra and her daemon, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Ioren Byrnson, and the whole bunch (and if you havn't, it's an absolute nessecity you read the first two books, or you may not care much for this book, nevermind being totally left in the dark).
Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: This book is really 3.5 stars. Philip Pullman had a great story idea for his books, but I thought he made them much too religiously orianted. This book has well-devoloped charecters, a good plot, and many other good things. If you like sci-fi or fantasy, I would suggest that you buy this book. :-)
Rating:
Summary: excellent dark fantasy with an uplifting philosophy
Review: i've not read the previous two books, but i'm very impressed with how well this stands by itself. i've little patience with modern "fantasy" writings, but this book is so well paced, filled with flawed characters making difficult moral decisions (with often terrifying consequences), and so beautifully poetic that i tore through it in a day, but will be re-reading it to enjoy pullman's mastery. this is a wonderfully dark and complex work: death is messy and prolonged, sadness pervades the beauty, and his land of the dead passages may have made dante shudder. also he has the audacity to write a little over a page about the death of god, a pathetic, frail whisp in a crystal box. through all of it there's a warmth of familiarity. these worlds are not ours, but they feel... right. discordant battle scenes, pastoral beauty, even the sweetly ambigious scences between will and lyra all work because they feel real. pullman's integrity and respect for the emotional and intellectual depth of his readers is at the core of this ultimately life affirming work about responsibility to ourselves and those around us. my only complaint, a small one, is the tendancy to have characters explain things to each other. granted there were many threads needing to be tied up, but it was a little TOO neatly done, and possibly could have been done without all the exposition. but that's a minor personal complaint- i like loose ends.
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