The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Intriguing, and Thought-Provoking
Review: In a stunning conclusion to Philip Pullman's His Dark Material's Trilogy, he sets himself up for what could have been the hardest writing task faced by any author _ever_, but he manages to pull off concluding a trilogy that equals or excels works by LeGuin, Tolkien, and Lewis. In short, this book ends what my be one of the greatest stories ever concieved by mankind, and it does so very well.

When I finished the second book, I thought to myself "Aye, Pullman's going to be in a bit of hot water with radical Christian groups ranting about his themes of the death of God (or lack thereof) and whatnot." As you can see in some of the Amazon reviews, we have some people who loved the book but their religious devotion was the only reason to pull down their rating. It's JUST A BOOK, people. Don't you know how and why religion came about in this world!? It was a way for our primitive minds to grasp the world around us. It governs our thoughts and our actions, and often times, religious zealots will blindly follow their beliefs without questioning them. This does not mean that I hate all religions. I _do_ hate people who denounce books and movies and culture as "works of Satan himself." and protest the release of such materials with relish. These nutcases need to remove the neurosis from their lives and get on with it. So what if a book presents a viewpoint that is different than yours? Don't let that EVER cloud your judgement of the author, the plot, the imagination, and the magic of literature.

That being said, I will say that this book isn't perfect. Scenes regarding Father Gomez feel short-shifted and out of place. Some scenes feel unnecessary and weigh down the already long book. But besides that, this book is very good. Imagery through words is so vivid and detailed that the reader feels that he or she is actually part of the book. Pullman does well to create characters that aren't the perfect superhuman types. Deciet and lies are very prominant as character traits throughout the book.

The Amber Spyglass effectively ties together the entire series and ends it strongly and well. His Dark Materials deserves the highest praise and should be put with the likes of the Earthsea Series and Lord of the Rings.

-Freddie W

Rating:
Summary: I wanted to . . .
Review: This book is a double edged . . . knife. The book is great, there is no denying that. Lyra and Will go through some fantastic adventures jumping between world and even going so far as to go down to the world of the dead.

And yet, it has a certain finality about it. A lot of unexpected things happen in this book. The "His Dark Materials" series has enormous potential, especially with the unlimited possibilities that the knife and the compass creates between them. It could easily become another RedWall.

It's hard to write the review without revealing the whole story line. But I think that this is the last book in the series. Unless of course Pullman takes the story into a predictable direction. Not likely. Buy the book, All three books together make an excellent read, especially late into the night.

Rating:
Summary: In my opinion, NOT a children's book
Review: I have grappled with whether or not I consider this series to be appropriate for children and have concluded, after reading the final installment, that it is not. The first volume, The Golden Compass, received the Carnegie Medal, the highest award for children's literature in England. Other than having pre-adolescent protagonists, the books seem far too intense and mature in theme for most children of that age. Parents who are concerned that Harry Potter is the antichrist (and I adore the Potter books!) need to steer their children far from His Dark Materials. Pullman is a masterful and gifted storyteller, but his objective seems to be to promote his atheistic point of view. As the grandchild of a Church of England clergyman, Pullman is well acquainted with both the scriptures and the liturgy. He has turned his back on his Christian heritage and has created an alternate, twisted humanistic theology in which God (the Authority) is a fraud and is ultimately destroyed, Enoch is portrayed as an evil, villanous killer-angel, and yet an innocent sacrifice is required to overcome death. Pullman celebrates the wonders of human flesh perhaps without realizing that some followers of Christ recognize the great advantage and blessing of the human body as the temple of God with eternal potential. Pullman's concept of triumph over death involves a dispersion of atoms into the universe, rather than the reuniting of spirit and body in the resurrection. His storyline borrows from Christ's adage that "the truth will set you free." Pullman has stated that his purpose in writing His Dark Materials was, in part, to provide an alternative to the religious propaganda such as what C.S. Lewis has written. (See the cover story interview in October, 2000 School Library Journal.)

Rating:
Summary: The Amber Spyglass
Review: I've waited nearly two years for this book and Phillup Pullman lives up to every expectation of the series with The Amber Spyglass. His creativity and imagination are boundless and this book only reinforces that. The variety of characters and scale of worlds he creates is breathtaking. He will go down in history as one of the great authors of our time (at least I think he will ;)). Get it! (Not for devout Christians)

Rating:
Summary: A love/hate relationship
Review: After reading the first two books in three days, I could not wait to get ahold of this one and I stayed up all night to read it. Although it is very good, it does not quite live up to the first two. I love it because it is an excellent book - something that is rare these days. I hate it because it is disturbing. Although he makes the book sound so hopeful and happy at the end, once you think about it, the universe he leaves you with is absolutely hopeless. I did not so much have a problem with the way he treated Christianity, as I did with the empty world he gives us. As for letting children read this... I hate the idea of restricting children from reading books, especially ones that encourage imagination, but I would be careful with this book. It would take a very bright child to get this book. The first two were great for all ages, but this third one is hardly a children's book. In fact, most adults won't understand most of what is discussed in it. So parents, be careful with this book. I'm not saying that because it's bad, but because it will take a special child to read it.

Rating:
Summary: If only I could give 6 stars
Review: Let me begin by saying that this is the second best book i've ever read. Yes, the second, after book one of the series, The Golden Compass. This book is truly amazing. It was breathtaking how Phillip Pullman could have such small and quiet beauty (the mulefa scenes) and such astounding grandeur (the war with heaven, the land of the dead.) and both be so compelling and interesting. I'll keep this review short because all you really need to know is that missing out on this book is a horrible mistake.

P.S. Before reading this book you should know two things: You really must read The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to understand what goes on here, AND if you are offended by strong religious themes and story elements, you should probably not read this book.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: "The Amber Spyglass" shows Philip Pullman at his best. After reading the spellbinding sequel to "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife," I waited months for this book to come out, The Subtle Knife having rose to the top of my book list and becoming my favorite. But now The Amber Spyglass is my favorite book. I hate to give away the details, but it is full of everything I wanted to happen in The Subtle Knife. In the beginning of the book we discover Lyra's capturer and Will goes out to save her with some help. It really shows how much they care about eachother, and they go out on a limb to the world of the dead to rescue the ghosts. Mary Malone has also left her world (and Will's) and has befriended some strange, yet very kind creatures. Towards the end of the book, Lyra and Will fall in love, which makes it even harder for them to part. (Since I've given it all away I'm hoping you've read the book before you read my review!! But if you haven't, my advice is simply READ THE BOOK!! It's the best 518 pages you'll find.)

Rating:
Summary: A FANTASTIC ENDING TO THE SERIES
Review: Despite a slower paced beginning,The Amber Spyglass had a masterful conclution bursting with emotion. All of the loose ends and ideas that had been hanging from the first two books were sumed up beautifuly. Although I finished it a few days ago I'm still haveing trouble getting over the ending which was really really sad. It makes the book more powerful than a "happily ever after" but still. My only real critisisim to the book is the amber spyglass itself. Unlike the golden compass and the subtle knife, it had very little relevence to the main plot. Still this is just a minor critisisim and the book more than reached my expectations. Its somewhat sad that this is also the last book in the series, because it means that I will not be able to read more about the characters. However, a fourth book would seem somewhat inapproipiate.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and astonishing
Review: As the finale to His Dark Materials, this book is a beautiful, thought provoking book, while remaining a fun read. I was definitely impressed with Pullman as a writer after reading this series. Pullman has been compared to Tolkien, but his stories are so much more imaginative... Tolkien based most of his mythology on Norse and Old English mythology. Pullman invents whole new universes. The part with the mulefa i enjoyed especially. The multiple plotlines were handled well, thought; some have criticized the 'cardboad' characters but Will and Lyra were very well developed as growing young adults, not just as children any more.

Also, as with any provocative book, people have taken offense at Pullman's depiction of Christianity. All I can say is, I was raised as a Christian but later had doubts. This book really provoked my mind further and made me think about Christian history, and to my mind much of what the book said was true. Anyway, to have a healthy debate you need both sides and if the Christian Right criticizes this book on these grounds I will definitely lose what little respect I have for them.

The ending was very well done, and haunting (people may not realize why Mary Malone was the tempter, but its because of her stories about love and the marzipan- which provoked that incident between Lyra and Will, akin to eating the forbidden fruit). It was also heart breaking... I am normally not a sentimental person but this ending really affected me.

But read this book. Its a thrilling series if nothing else... but very beautiful as well.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece-touching!
Review: This conclusion to His Dark Materials is better than the first two, a befitting climax to the trilogy, and both heart-warming, tragic, and bittersweet. I reccomend everyone to read this story, and the two proceeding it, as it one of the most well-written books I have read.