Rating: 
Summary: The weakest part of three
Review: Sometimes if you have to wait too long for a book expectations run too high and disappointment is close at hand. But sometimes the reason for having to wait too long can be found in the problems the author may have had with his story. I loved the first two books in the series, but I was not enchanted by the third. No doubt, this is still a good book and has memorable moments. But the magic somehow has gone, the plot seems awfully constructed and I had the impression that the author just could not handle all strands of this ambitious work with the same deftness as previously - and inadvertently resorted to "deus ex machina" solutions. The book usually starts to glow where Lyra and Will are involved, but Asriel's/Mrs. Coulter's battle against the Church and Metatron which takes up a lot of space was rather a cheap thrill.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and unfocused
Review: I loved "The Golden Compass." I was intrigued by "The Subtle Knife." And I tried to prepare myself to be a little disappointed by "The Amber Spyglass"-- trilogy conclusions are rarely as good as the first book. But I had hopes. The first two were so good....This was nowhere near as good. The various plot threads are all wrapped up, more or less. But the ending is forced. Other reviewers have pointed out the flat and inconsistent characterizations, the scattered plot, the valueless sub-threads (like Father Gomez). The useless spyglass. And even those who loved the book found the ending of the romance disappointing. Ultimately, the book fails to deliver on the themes that were begun in "The Golden Compass," including one of the most important. Am I simply not getting it? How was Lyra's position anything comparable to Eve's? She finds love (with almost no character build up), she gives it up for the sake of the world(s). As other readers have noted, she's arguably a Christ character. But not much like Eve. Unless you count the temptation to sex (in a world with giant apple trees that contain the essence of sentience), and frankly, I don't think that was especially plausable. Eve, according to Judeo-Christian theology, succumbs to temptation (for knowledge, not sex) and gets everyone kicked out of Eden. I suppose Lyra resists temptation (to continue a relationship) to help everyone build a new Eden. But it's a tenuous connection at best, because the "only one window, not two" argument is so weak and last-minute, and she and Will can only affect one world each at best, with no way to travel between them. (And if Pullman wanted to redefine Eve to mean something else, a lot more work was needed.) Aother of the great disappointments was the hesitant flirting with Wisdom. Evidently Pullman has come across feminist spirituality interpretations of gnostic gospels and eastern church references to a female Wisdom character (Sophia) who predates Yaweh (in some traditions). I kept waiting for him to develop this theme. Instead she (Xaphania, the only female angel) merely appears as a "Deus ex machina" and answers the kids' questions before sending them on home. I suppose Pullman realized he was getting too close to replacing a God with a Goddess, and backed down rather than give up his anti-theistic theme. I suppose that's forgivable, if all he wanted to do was write entertaining fiction. But if he wanted to actually make a point about theism, it's an act of cowardice. Unlike most other reviewers who panned this book, I don't mind the anti-organized-religion slant. As a Quaker, I'm not much on organized religion myself. I didn't think the book is as inherently anti-Christian as some of the reviewers seemed to think, either. To my mind, Lucretia Mott had it right when she encouraged us to "doubt more, in order that we might believe more." Looking at other possible theologies can help us get at the root of what we really believe. But I think Pullman ran out of steam --or maybe even courage-- before he finished developing his ideas. This book needed at least one more major rewrite before publishing, to shake out the loose pieces and add the richness to the characters and themes that was so evident in his earlier books. Maybe Pullman was just too tired to do the necessary work. Or maybe the publisher was impatient. Or maybe Pullman himself started to lose faith in his anti-theism, and didn't have the courage to write details that would force him to acknowledge his dependency on divine powers in the story (Xaphenia, the angels, and most of all, Dust). I gave it three stars, because it's worth reading, if you liked the first two, just to tie up the loose threads. But it's not on par with them.
Rating: 
Summary: The Amber Spyglass
Review: No matter what anyone says, this book is amazing! It's a great story with an impeccable plot, as well as enchanting characters. It's pretty much worth what you pay. However, from a religious point of view, this book might be very offending for you, especially if you can't distinguish fact from fiction. If you look deeper, this book doesn't necessarily express the author's opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Not what it's cracked up to be
Review: I first heard this book from a former teacher and I knew I had to get it. So I checked out of the library and it was good but it gets side tracked. It also descipes humans as stupid and the cause of mistakes and also they kill the Authority which is god. It also as I menchened it got side tracked with Mary Malone and the Mulefa. Now it did have it's moments like when the sword breaks and they have repair it. Also it was good when Will ans Mrs. Coulter fight for Lyra. It was contained until when the President of the Consitorial Court of the church kills himself to kill Lyra. All in all it was a fairly good book.
Rating: 
Summary: Can i pleeeeeaaaase put more than five stars!
Review: I loved this book! After waiting for almost a year for it to be published i was extatic when it was finally released. In the beginning we immediatly discover who abducted Lyra although we do not find out why untill later. The Amber Spyglass is filled with actual feeling and i found myself crying at the end of the story (no i am not going to say why). In the book after rescuing Lyra, she and Will venture to the land of the dead and that is a journey filled with action. after this the duo cut a window into the land where Dr. Mary Malone is doing research and discovering things she'd never dreamed possible. while there Lyra and Will go through emotional turmoil like never before finding and losing something more precious then either thought was possible...love. the book is perfect and deserves many more than five stars! <3
Rating:
Summary: Dont Be Afraid
Review: Dear Sheep of America, do not be afraid of the work of Philip Pullman. He has only come to share ideas of beauty, love and above all free thought. Yes folks, thats correct a little critical thinking has never done anyone harm. Oh, maybe those in power (i.e. religious institutions) are a bit worried about all this fuss. They will stomp around like tired children, urging you to sit down and be quiet. Encourage your children to read this with you. Develop healthy lines of communication with them. Above all we are not to be lead to pasture day after endless day. A series of books like this will wake you up for a fleeting moment. Try to stay up as long as possible.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: Alright, c'mon own up who cried at the end?!Well all I know is that I cried for about half an hour & I thought this book was the best book that has ever been written. When Lyra & Will left their deamons on the jetty as they went to the Land of the Dead I felt that I had left my deamon on the jetty & my heart had ripped in two. I love King I Iorek Byrnison and I can just imagine his deep powerfull voice & his massive body cvered in bright creamy/white fur & Serafina Pekkala's beautiful face.It was sssssssssooooo romantic when they fell in love but when they had to live in different worlds I burst into tears please say you did because I feel very foolish. E-mail me on your thoughts on this book,other Philip Pullman books and any other books you have read and liked and i'll give them a try.By the way have you read 'Witch Child' by Ceila Rees?
Rating:
Summary: Awe-inspiring
Review: There are two words that accurately describe this book. Awe-Inspiring. The whole book is a joyful rush of events that sweeps you up into a gigantic heaven-and-earth conflict yet inflicts incredible poignancy and tenderness. Not only does it surpass the previous two books, it adds new layers of complexity that will take a while to sort out. The book's plot is as complicated as the previous two books, yet at no time do we feel disconnected from the world(s) Pullman has created. Pullman's imagination has not yet run out of steam, and while we get new characters and an especially inventive new race (the mulefa), the best parts are the revelations about previous creation (Dust, daemons, etc.) Although the book is fast moving, occasionally it lets up and allows relaxation (the world of the mulefa; personally I loved this creation of his, a pre-technological world in decay). And in the background there is always the tension of Will and Lyra's ultimate fate: what will it be? There has been some religious criticism of the book. While its true that the book certainly doesn't give us a favorable view of the Church, and even of God, I personally feel Pullman reaffirms the existence of God and spirituality. the God depicted in the book is really a Satan; the true 'god' and the source of spirituality is Dust. And in the end we are revealed a beautiful, joyful, and spiritual world, where decay is being reversed, and spirit is once more standing tall. In the end, this book will definitely have some impact on you; hardly anyone can remain indifferent. I would urge any thinking person to buy this book (If you haven't read the previous two books, I suggest you read those first; it will ad to any understanding of this one). It is for anyone who wants to be awed.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Christianity
Review: The Amber Spyglass, at its heart, seems to say that Christianity is a powerful mistake. Throughout the book, the Church is portrayed as evil, and even 'God' himself is shown to be a deceiving character, not the creator. However, the books are not rationalistic and materialistic in their outlook; they create a whole different theology cobbled together out of human spritual traditions. In fact, the book can be shown to be unconsciously Christian, and a beautiful reaffirmation of the greatest Christian values which we sometimes tend to forget. In our haste to 'follow the Bible' we sometimes forget who Christ was- a saviour to set Mankind free. Although Pullman has stated that he wanted to revel in the physical world, and intended this book as an alternative to CS Lewis' Narnia, there is an unconscious Christian thread running through the book. First off, has anyone wondered why, with 'christianity', there is no Christ? And that God is so weak? In reality the God shown in the book is not God at all, but a sort of Satan figure, an antichrist. He calls himself God, but as the angels tell us, he is not the creator. In reality, who is the creator, we learn? It is Dust. And in fact, there is a strong case for showing that Dust is God in this book (although this may seem absurd, bear with me for a while. While we think of God as singular, we think of Dust as plural. Just think of Dust as the essence of God). In the book, Dust pervades the world, and is the source of the greatest joys. Out of it were all things made. So, let us assume Dust is a sort of non-personal God. In the world, it is the source of spirituality. The Church is a institiution of fanatics, a distortion of Christianity. It is the false church set up by an antichrist. Now comes Christ. Who is Christ in the book? The answer is, Lyra. Her adventures have a very Christ-like feel to them: she frees the people to search for truth (Christ: 'the truth shall set you free'); she saves the world(s) from sin and fanaticism; she reaffirms the existence of love and the holiness of Dust; and she frees the dead to return to God in the world (to mingle with the Dust). As for the nature of this 'god', Dust. Too often we think of God as a human, only more powerful, wise, and kindly. Why does God have to be of this type? Can't God be a spirituality, a consciousness, a great and holy essence, that fills the world and clusters around those beings that are conscious? The history of our world, as Serafina Pekkala puts it, is "one long struggle between those who want you to obey and submit, and those who want you to stand tall and think". Only, the Church that we have viewed as Christianity had become corrupted by lesser men only a few hundred years after Christ. Those who are truly spiritual and call themselves Christian will find that they need not be tied down to the Bible always, and that consciousness is the greatest gift of all. Holiness is in thought, not in repeating words mindlessly. And this book is truly great. It reveals to us these values, and it awes us. Truly a book for the ages.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the prequels
Review: Philip Pullman's third addition to his great trilogy, is by far, worse than its precursors. The book is awe inspiring, imaginitive, but the dialogue seems overemotional and basically silly. However, if you are looking for a good book with good concepts look no further. All I say is it is not as good as the rest of the trilogy and is on the edge of being histrionic. Still it is a feat in imagery and is a grand idea. Perhaps Pullman should have spent longer than the two or three years since the second book to perfect the dialogue. This is all the book suffers from. Hope this helps.
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