Rating: Summary: IT ABSOLUTELY STUNK!!! Review: BR>This book is an abomanation to society!!! I have read mant of Pullman's books and enjoyed them , but this book is simply horendous!!! His Dark Materials parts 1 and 2 were far better and were less sacreligious. Yes I did say sacreligious. The whole point of the story is to kill God because the church is oppressive. For heavens sake!!! And some people make a scene about Harry Potter!!! At least he's not killing God!!! So if you want some advice from a good person listen to me and DON'T READ THIS BOOK!!!(Incase your wondering why I even gave this book one star, it is because you can't give it zero)
Rating: Summary: Intriguingly Beautiful yet hard. Review: The Amber Spyglass is one of the most intriguing books that I have ever read. It all started when my friend, who had just finished The Golden Compass, forced me to go to the library and get the Golden Compass. I read the Golden Compass and was delighted. I read the Subtle Knife and was delighted. And now I have finished this trilogy and I still feel delighted. I love the way the book was written but I only have one pet peeve. As soon as the book gets really exciting, another beloved character dies. It happens so often in this book, as soon as it's really exciting, yet another beloved character dies. It just takes a little away from the excitement and lovelyness of the story. I'm not Christian, but I know some Christians have a hard time with the Rebellion part of the book, but all you need to remember is that this is a book. There are so many subplots it's almost like reading several different books at once but all the plots come together in the end in a magical way. Mary and mulefa were my favorite to read about. This is definitely a great book, but not my favorite.
Rating: Summary: The Good and the Bad Review: First, I would like to say that I am thirteen years old, and have a pretty decent understanding of what's going on in the world. I have read all of His Dark Materials books, The Golden Compass, in my opinion, being the best. It was full of life and spark, introducing us to a world just enough like ours to engage us, but just different enough to keep us on our toes. It was well-written and quickly paced, and Pullman's ingenuity made reading it fun. The Subtle Knife was less enjoyable. The appearance of Will, a great character, and of Mary Malone kept me going, but the book seemed tired, and the Ci'Gazze (I still don't quite know how to pronouce that. Chih-GAH-tzay? Chi-GAH-zee? Chi-GAHZ?) world was dry and, in my humble opinion, uninteresting. The Amber Spyglass was worse. The worlds were frenetic, with odd quirks that are shadowy mockeries of the interesting qualities that made Lyra's world interesting in The Golden Compass, and each character, once so three-dimensional, becomes a paper doll, representing a characteristic: Will is bravery, Lyra is devotion, Mrs. Coulter (once so engaging as the perfect villain) becomes overemphasized maternal warmth, etc., etc. I didn't notice this the first time I read the book. I was too caught up with the "Let's kill God and the Church" theme to notice the aforementioned flaws. I don't think my religion is important for the sake of this review, so I'll simply say that I am a religious person. I'm sure that will keep some of you reading this next bit, even though you might take me to task for it, and I accept that. I think of this book as being awfully positive, in the "God" sense. What dies during the climactic (if slightly frantic) battle near the book's end is not "God the creator, God the teacher," but two other versions of that supreme being: God the deceiver (in the death of the decrepit Authority) and God the killer (in Metatron's fall into oblivion). These, one might note, are two hats that just about every form of organized religion (not just the Catholic Church) have placed on God, during the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, and the Holocaust. However, as the African King Ogunwe says to Mrs. Coulter, the Authority is just an angel, not a god, and that they don't know whether or not there was a creator. I like to think that there was. Also, Pullman's work sometimes becomes, for lack of a better word, prophetic, though I hesitate to say it that way. Talking with Father MacPhail, Ms. Coulter says that she would not surrender Lyra to the care of the priests because they are obsessed with "sexuality" and she can't imagine their "dirty fingernails" prying all over her daughter. This sounds just like the Catholic Church's scandal over abusive priests. I wonder what Mr. Pullman thinks about that. So, here is my recommendation to you: read the first two "His Dark Materials" books in the traditional way, on paper, and then get the audio version of The Amber Spyglass. You will not regret it. This is a great recording, with a great cast, and even Pullman sometimes lays the detailed exposition on a little thick, it is easy to get through when listening to the tapes, and, if nothing else, Pullman is an excellent storyteller, and his work, when spoken aloud, is magical. Finally, here is my last request, and this is of Amazon.com. Please do not group Mr. Pullman's books with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Not all books listed as "Young Adult/Teen" are equal, and as a marketing ploy your grouping doesn't work because the books cater to two utterly completely different audiences.
Rating: Summary: nicks review Review: Wonderful book quite sad but just as adventurous as the other two.think you should be prepared for exitment,good story,and...adventure.Note to have your anti deppresion pills at hand
Rating: Summary: Quite an end to a fabulous trilogy Review: In some ways I didn't like this as much as the first two books in the trilogy, but there were many surprises and it certainly held my interest. All three books were hard to put down. I highly recommend them.
Rating: Summary: Worth the wait Review: Avid readers have been waiting year after year for the third and final book in Philip Pullman's trilogy "His Dark Materials." It's finally out in bookstores - and it's no disappointment. Lyra Silvertounge and Will Parry, two young children whose remarkable adventures began in The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, meet again in The Amber Spyglass. Will carries the Subtle Knife, a mysterious object which can cut into different worlds, while Lyra possesses the Golden Compass, or alethiometer, which can tell the future, past, and present. With the help of the armored bear Iorek Byrnison, two tiny Gallevespian spies and many others, Lyra and Will venture into a world that no living people have been in before and come out alive - the world of the dead. Meanwhile, Dr. Mary Malone is building an Amber Spyglass in the land of mulefa, which allows her to see Dust, a substance that gives the world it's life. For some unexplained reason, Dust is draining from the world, and plants and trees are dying. And while all this is happening, assassins are hunting Mary and the children down. The Amber Spyglass is a book that many will find hard to put down. Philip Pullman takes the reader on a journey through the universe, introducing many strange and unusual characters: witches, mulefa, armored bears, tiny people, dæmons, and angels. Although these are characters that no human being would expect to see here on earth, Philip Pullman made them entirely believable. Even so, I thought The Amber Spyglass was a bit hard to "get into," or become interested in. However, around chapter four, I became addicted to this book. Overall, I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. For anyone who needs a good book, The Amber Spyglass is the one to get!
Rating: Summary: Good, but not quite satisfying... Review: Having just finished reading The Amber Spyglass, I can honestly say that I am not completely satisfied. This trilogy had so much potential after The Subtle Knife, but in The Amber Spyglass, everything that I thought was going to be explained wasn't explained. Thinking back, I can find no real connection between the first book and the third. In The Amber Spyglass, the theme is clearly anti-Christian, which is surprising and a little sad. I have never called myself a religious person, but to see such a beautiful book marred by such horrible claims saying that God was a tyrant, and organized religion is bad, and there is no real authority/creator holding everything together, disappointed me. I greatly disliked the depiction of God as a mumbling old angel. I also found it hard to pick out the protagonists and the antagonists in this book, since everyone seemed rather evil and selfish. Mrs. Coulter was an entirely unbelievable character, as was Lord Asriel. Their motives were unclear, and it was impossible to tell whether they were lying or not. And I was given no logical reason as to why I should hate the Authority or Metatron, so I couldn't quite call them the villains either. However, despite the many criticisms I have of The Amber Spyglass, I still gave it 5 stars. This is because it was a wonderfully written book, and I loved reading it just as I loved reading the first two. The story of Mary Malone and the mulefa was especially good, and the Land of the Dead was an interesting addition. The end of the book was sad (in fact I've never read a book that made me cry more), but hopeful. Despite my conflicting viewpoints, I would read this book again if the mood took me, and I would recommend it to those who have read the first two books and want to finish the trilogy. But don't look forward to any mind-blowing ending and surprising answers to all the questions, because you won't get them. Instead, you'll get a lovely story beautifully told, and a nice good cry at the end.
Rating: Summary: Wowy this is cool, Except the ending Review: This book is cool! The first thing that I liked was that there was multiple plots going and that it keeps switching between them. This aspect makes you want to keep on reading until the end. I also liked all the different creatures that are in the book. Some of these guys make you just say "Cool!" I also liked the battle at the end. The way it is written makes you feel like you are there. I hated the ending though. I thought that Phil should have finished the series with a nice ending that should be happy but noooooooooo! I can't give it away though...Amazon rules.
Rating: Summary: The Amber Spyglass Review: I thought that this book was amazing. There was 3 different plots going that made you whant to keep on reding untill the end. The book is a mix of modern worlds and magical ones. All the different creatures make it so you can't help saying "Cool!" It has a mix of suspence and a really cool battle at the end. I think this book is a must read! It is a bit leanthy though but still more of the good stuff!
Rating: Summary: Children, Dust, and Angels Review: The adventures started in The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife for Lyra and Will continue in The Amber Spyglass. Accompanied by two minor angels, Baruch and Balthamos, Will sets out to rescue Lyra from her captivity at the hands of an unknown kidnapper. It is on these two children, from two different but parallel universes, that the futures of all of the universes lie. Not everyone, however, believes that these children are there to save the universe. The Church believes Lyra will commit a sin that will destroy the universes forever, and they are out to find her before she can commit that sin. Ms. Coulter, Lyra's mother, seems torn between supporting the Church or helping her daughter. Lord Asriel, Lyra's father, has started gathering forces at his mountain fortress to resist the angel Metatron, Reagent of the Kingdom of Heaven, who is frustrated by his lack of physical substance and plans to take it out on the masses of physical beings in the Universes. Meanwhile, Dr. Mary Malone has made a horrible discovery in another parallel universe; the magical Dust that has been keeping conscious thought alive in the universes is disappearing at an alarming rate! The tension keeps building as more layers of complexity are revealed and the plots start becoming intertwined. It is a page-turner from start to finish. In this third and final book of the His Dark Materials series, Philip Pullman pulls a mind twister out of his creative bag. The entire series, but this book in particular, will really get your mind gears turning as you try to figure out what is going to happen next. Pullman is a master of foreshadowing with subtle clues. Pullman also makes the plot interesting by not giving away too much at once. By leaving out key information in conversations between the characters and ending conversations with statements such as, "And Will knew what he needed to do," Pullman entices the reader to keep reading to find out what happens next. This made the book extremely interesting to read and I would highly recommend it to those fantasy enthusiasts looking for another series to read. However, this is not a book I would recommend if you are just looking for something to read over the weekend, as this book is difficult to understand unless you have read the other two books in the series and have become familiar with the characters and concepts.
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