Rating: 
Summary: Never will another series like this ever be written again!
Review: I first read the Golden Compass when it came out four years ago and was instantly hooked on the writting skill of Philip Pullman. I laughed and cried with the strong characters he had written in this wonderfull book. When the Amber Spyglass came out I bought it as soon as the book store opened. I loved the book. I never knew how an author could get such an emotional response out of a reader, for I was silently urging Will and Lyre on and wondering what would become of the unspoken love the had developed between them in that book. I wished with all my heart that this was a 7 book series rather than just a three, and wished that it would go on forever. All things must end though, and in all of my life I have never read a fictional book to impact me in such a way that the Amber Spyglass did. I picked it up the very first day, and could not put it down until I finished it at 2 am, and I cried for at least an hour after that. The ending is a surprise, and while I will not spoil it for anyone, I can say that I never saw it coming. I hope that Pullman graces us with his writing by making one last book to show us what is characters have done in 20 years or so. There will never be another series like this written again. Pullman almost recieved the Newberry for his first book in the series, if he does not recieve it for this one I will be surprised. If you are thinking about this book please consider it a wonderfull story for all ages. Also recommended is the audio, dramatic storytelling of the books.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This book is better than the Golden Compass and the Subtle Knife because the writing is a step above. Pullman is a fantastic writer, and I think he ranks among the best storytellers in literature today -- regardless of genre. Some younger children might be a little put off by the relatively complicated and difficult style; I'm not sure why this trilogy is still classified as 'young adult.' I didn't realize until I read this book that the His Dark Materials trilogy is essentially a sequel to Paradise Lost. Really fascinating stuff -- Milton was inspired to write Paradise Lost by an enigmatic passage of the bible... some early part of Genesis. Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge and god says, "You know good and evil, now you are one of us." Milton thought "what does he mean by 'us?'" and wrote an epic poem about how angels had a fight with god before creation and god banished some of the angels from heaven. By 'us' he meant the angels he had banished. Starting to see the similarities? Now Lyra being Eve starts to make sense, huh? Anyway, buy this book. It's well worth the money. P.S. The passage around page 30 involving Metatron is really incredible writing... he manages to give a sense of urgency and immediateness without resorting to tired fantasy cliches.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the three!!!!!!!!
Review: THe Amber Spyglass was far better than my expectations. I first read the Sally Lockhart books over 2 years ago and then read THe golden Compass. THe Subtle Knife was much better than The Golden Compass. After reading the Amber Spyglass, I can truthfully say it is the best of the 3. It is well written and has a good, but sad, ending
Rating:
Summary: Pullman's Third His Dark Materials Volume: Stunning!
Review: Philip Pullman has created an everlasting, exciting, and superb closer for the HIS DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY. It is just as un-put-downable as THE GOLDEN COMPASS and THE SUBTLE KNIFE. The end is not one of those "and they lived happily ever after" endings, it is actually quite the opposite. But I won't say any more on that. His great characterization(Pullman's), abundant suspense, and great plots are extended to THE AMBER SPYGLASS. One thing that confused me though, was this: The book had very little to do with the amber spyglass. I wonder why it was named that? Other Books I Suggest: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS THE GIVER A WRINKLE IN TIME (I am only eleven, mind you, so you may not enjoy these).
Rating: 
Summary: A disapointment
Review: Phillip Pullman got our hopes up with the magnificently written The Golden Compass. The Subtle Knife was almost as good. The Amber Spyglass was a disapointment. I waited two agonizing years, mired in suspense awaiting this book's arrival. Pullman's writing is just as good as his first two books, but his message is unclear and confusing. Pullman goes a little overboard with the good and evil/hero villan message. Pullman also shys away from the imaginitive writing that made his first two books so good. There are few new innovative characters and creatures and more repetitive religious quests and implications. Pullman's writing about the journey to the land of the dead is long and drawn out, almost boring. It is totally unlike Pullman's usually vibrant and creative style of writing. The dialouge in this book is also atypical of Pullman's conversational writing. The dialougue doesn't flow like it did in past Pullman stories. However there are some bright spots in this story. The chapters about the Meufala and their society are brillantly crafted and very interesting. The ever-twisting plot did keep me on the edge of my seat for a good part of the story. I think it will be interesting to hear what kind of reviews Pullman gets for this book. Buy this book and see what you think.
Rating:
Summary: A truly amazing work of art¿
Review: Of the books in the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy; the sighs of relief, and gasps of wonder and dismay in the Golden Compass; the cliffhanging apprehension, and the extreme suspense in Subtle Knife... and of the sheer brilliance, and intense power, of The Amber Spyglass, this one tops each of them. This extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime literary work of art is most likely the most magnificent and stunningly vivid of the entire trilogy. From the first page, to the last, 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. Phillip Pullman has created something more entertaining, engaging, fulfilling, and absorbing then anything like it to date... but come to think of it, there is nothing quite like it, and there never will be anything quite like it. These three books are literally one of a kind, and nothing will be quite the same in one's eyes once they have been experienced.
Rating: 
Summary: Astounding.
Review: I read "Northern Lights" as part of my course ot University, and was hooked, so i immediatly went out and bought the next two. This, in my opinion, is the best of the three books. The bittersweet ending, with the poignancy only a true love can leave behind, the expertise with which Pullman brings all the threads of narrative together, and makes the reader realise that non of his characters are either "good" or "bad" but are more true to life, and are a bit of both. The imagination, and the suspense is amazing.
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 Stars, rounding up
Review: This book certainly made an impression on me. I found the whole series riddled with the same flaws, but this one, like the first one, surpassed them. It certainly doesn't have the focus, or the sense of wonder and discovery that the first book has, but after reading the second book I had gotten used to the fact that "The Golden Compass"'s virtues as a story were unique to its own volume, and I was able to enjoy the poorly-woven-together sub-plots for their own sake.
No, it doesn't hold together the series. And it is sylistically confused and inconsistent. Pullman seems to be experimenting with different tones, different ways of describing things as the book goes on. And the good characters (including the universe itself?) are naive, snobby and intolerant in their open-minded way, while the bad ones are jokes/straw men set up to be knocked down.
Yet... and yet... I still enjoyed reading it. Pullman put a lot of energy into creating this book. He didn't manage to construct anything outstanding out of all these symbols, ideas and dramas, but they are worth experiencing on their own.
To be brief, what I like best about Pullman's books is his ability to bring out the power of the individual contents of his book. I agree with anyone who says the ending doesn't wrap up the plot in anyway, or deliver what seems to be promised, but it seemed satisfying in its own way.
*(Spoilers from now on)*
It was satisfying because it was brief and powerful love. It was fulfilling the prophecy, yes, but it doesn't matter (or make much sense in terms of what it's accomplishing). Love is something universal, and Pullman portrayed it very powerfully, and that's why it was satisfying. It's satisfying in itself. I think this is why people like the daemons so much, too: they have an intrinsic appeal regardless of how they're involved with the plot. You can say that about a lot of things in the series.
The books are enjoyable if you think of them more as dream-like than as clock-work. Things in dreams have a value on their own. This book was moving towards love, and ultimately parting and growth, the whole time, seemingly in spite of any complicated story-devices and conflicts. In many ways, I find it very satisfying that the plot was sort of thrown away, as if the characters stopped caring. Dust? Authority? Oh, yeah, whatever. They died somehow. The story seems to know what's more important.
Though it lacks the integrity to make it truly great,
reading the book is a worthwhile experience.
P.S. (The ultimate spoiler) A lot of reviewers seem puzzled by the fulfilment of the prophecies. When Lyra leaves Pantalaimon on the shore, she's not fulfilling the betrayal part of the prophecy, but the "she will experience pain" part of it. She betrayed Roger, and she's going to the land of the dead because of that betrayal.
And the Lyra=Eve prophecy: in addition to the fact that Mary tempts Lyra with the story of romance, which gives Lyra an idea of what she wants to do with Will the next day, we also read that Mary gives her a friggin' piece of FRUIT, which she HANDS to Will to EAT right before the critical moment. Come on, people.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my God get over it.....
Review: Any Christian that is insulted by this story should never ever touch a FICTIONAL book.
Oh well yeah, this is HERESY, of course. Beside that it is a very well written and heartbreaking story.
It's a Fantasy Trilogy for God's (I'm sorry) sake and I rather let my children read an open minded book like this and tell them of the twist of religion and science than let them read faihtfulcatholic stories. That's maybe appropiate for children under twelve...I think above that age, they are ready for a little bit of truth (please regard the "little bit"), aren't they?
Rating: 
Summary: New Age Harry Potter
Review: The "His Dark Materials" trilogy is written like the unsuccessful love-child of the Celestine Prophecy and the Harry Potter books. I just read that the author is an atheist, but that seems odd since the core of this story is New Age hokum. While the Catholic Church is a den of the most horrid iniquity and the Christian God turns out to be a senile Alzheimer's patient (though power-mad and wicked before senility arrived), even the "physicist" finds honesty and guidance in the I Ching. Witches, angels, herbal remedies, divination, auras... you get the idea. One of the main characters (Lyra), even has a portable wigi board-like device called the altheiometer that she consults throughout the books to find the "truth."
In this Age of Aquarius, the World of the Dead (literally the underworld) sections are the most painful reading. When Will and Lyra find the solution to the misery of these poor dead souls, it's so silly and uninspired I couldn't imagine what the author was thinking.
By the third book, the characters have become cardboard cutouts that can change their essential natures as quickly as the "dust" wind can blow them. And the ending-oh, the ending! Abandon hope all ye who exit here...
I can't say that this trilogy is a complete waste of time. The first two books were mostly fun (although sometimes preachy) and I generally liked both Will and Lyra. By the beginning of the third book, however, I had to start skimming to keep myself awake.
Be aware that for "young adult" fiction, this book is particularly gruesome with graphic torture, murder, dismemberment, and (essentially) cannibalism.
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