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Jane Maduram

Philip Pullman

The Amber Spyglass

The Amber Spyglass is the final book in Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. I felt that it continued the trend away from the action of the first book, towards a Miltonesque saga, which leaves me even more confused as to who the readership of the books is supposed to be. Possibly Pullman expected his readers to grow up as the books were published, so the first is more (although not totally) suitable for children. That is all very well, but now that they are all available, it makes it hard to recommend the trilogy as a whole (which is how it needs to be read) to any particular readers.

The book is slower to get started than the previous two, with multiple threads to follow, but there's still plenty of Pullman's unique inventiveness, and his mixing of magic and science. Finishing off a trilogy like this is no easy task, and I thought that Pullman did pretty well, although I was a bit confused about Mary Malone and Lyra's temptation, which seemed to be what the book was leading up to. I would say that if you like a good story and don't mind Pullman's strange take on various subjects then you should give these books a try.

Amazon.com info
Paperback 544 pages  
ISBN: 0440418569
Salesrank: 314347
Weight:0.75 lbs
Published: 2003 Yearling
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Paperback 544 pages  
ISBN: 043999358X
Salesrank: 39720
Weight:1 lbs
Published: 2001 Scholastic Point
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Amazon.ca info
Paperback 544 pages  
ISBN: 0440418569
Salesrank: 51437
Weight:0.75 lbs
Published: 2003 Yearling
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Product Description
The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heart-stopping end, marking the final volume of His Dark Materials as the most powerful of the trilogy.

Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, come a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spymaster to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. So, too, come startling revelations: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live--and who will die--for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that--in its shocking outcome--will uncover the secret of Dust. Philip Pullman deftly brings the cliff-hangers and mysteries of His Dark Materials to an earthshattering conclusion--and confirms his fantasy trilogy as an undoubted and enduring classic.


From the Hardcover edition.
 
Amazing! *****
The Amber Spyglass is the third book in the His Dark Materials series. The story continues with finding out what happened to Lyra and how Will plans on saving her. It also follows the stories of Lord Asriel, Mrs. Coutler, Mary Malone, and many others. Will and Lyra lean they must travel to the land of the dead and to get there they must give somthing up. It is very heart breaking, I had a hard time reading this part. Great action sequence with the war between Lord Asriel and the Authority. I enjoyed reading about Mary Malone and the Mulefa. But best of all were Will and Lyra. I loved their story! I cried my eyes out when I finished the book. I felt like there was so much left open at then end of this book. It made me want more. Philip Pullman is an amazing writer!

On another note, I know how sensitive some people are on the whole religion topic. As for me, I am on the same boat with Philip Pullman, which may have caused me to enjoy it even more. But, if you are not like me, and are very religious and take things way too seriously DO NOT read this series. There is a good posibilty you will be offended by certain things in this story.
 
The most incredibly beautiful book you shall ever read. *****
The Amber Spyglass, along with the two previous books in the series, is the most incredibly beautiful book that I have ever read. While reading this series, I do not think that I have ever cried harder in my life, nor have I smiled any wider. These three books have filled me with the most powerful happiness, and the deepest longing. They have torn my heart apart, and filled me with the deepest sadness and grief, but a sadness that was so beautiful. They caused me to fall so deeply in love, that I thought that I would faint because my heart was so full and the longing within me was so great and so fierce. They are mesmerizing and enchanting, fragile, deep, beautiful, powerful, magical, fierce, wonderful, daring, and thrilling. Yet, these words cannot even describe how I feel, they barely begin to describe these books. Together, these three books are the most incredibly beautiful adventure I have ever experienced. And it is an adventure I shall never, never forget. For it is within me, within my thoughts and my heart and my very being, with every breath that I take. I love these books so fiercely, with every inch of my soul. They are incredible, and deserve to be read over and over, by all. And all deserve to read these books, for they are truly the most special gift. They are full of daring adventure and magic, love, beauty, worlds within worlds, action, courage, bravery, strength, compassion, fantastical beings, other worlds, destiny, innocence, knowledge, and wisdom.
If you have not read this series, please, you must!

So far, I have read this series twice, but only because it is so intense and so deep and incredible and beautiful that to read it is such a huge event, one that takes so much out of me and fills me with the deepest longing I have ever known. However, if I could, I would read this series over and over again, until every word would be ingrained within my being. It is so special and has changed my life so deeply.

It was so important for me to write this, because I love these books so much, and I want everyone to know how incredible they truly are. You must understand that these books are no longer books for me, they are so deeply alive, and so much apart of my life. They are worlds that exist, that can be felt and entered and explored. The characters are within me and around me, and they are some of the deepest loves of my life. These are not just books, they are adventures into other realms. I love them so much!

- Love, Malia.
 
Caps off a thrilling trilogy *****
I took a long time to get around to reading the last of the Dark Materials books. I had heard the later books bog down in theology and long discussions, veering off from the more straight forward adventure presented in the first book. Nothing could be further from the truth. This trilogy found its legs in the second book and dug far deeper, literally into the depths of the earth for its spectacular finale, securing its place in the rarified pantheon of classic fantasy that will live forever. Pullman is right up there with C S Lewis. In fact, C S Lewis in particular is a fair comparison to this writer. Even if they could not be further apart with regards to their religious views, both authors used the genre of fantasy and science fiction to espouse their religious philosophies.

Like any great work of fantasy, the book can be read as a parable, a metaphor for our lives in the real world. However, because it is a serious work of visionary literature, it's main concern is not to function as a manifesto or philosophical argument. but to tell a wondrously entertaining story and involve us with marvelously sympathetic characters , which Amber Spyglass effortlessly does. This is the magic ingredient that, while not necessarily ensuring its place alongside Tolkien, Lewis and Peake, at least places it in the general vicinity.

I am aware that there is a lot of controversy surrounding these books and rightfully so. I am not going to be an apologist for Pullman's position towards organized religion and in particular christianity as it evolved into the Catholic Church. Make no mistake: This is subversive literature. That being said, those who come to the simplistic conclusion that Pullman is an angry atheist could not be further from the truth. Indeed, if one must resort to labels, it would seem that he is a sort of pantheistic, mystic gnostic,. His cosmology is immense and personal, reminding me of William Blake in its complexity and uniqueness. It is a world that allows for angels and witches to coexist and moreover, be either good or bad guys.

These books work on many levels. On a basic level, it is a coming of age story that any young teen can relate to. On a deeper level, it is a probing visionary manifesto that skewers the disempowering aspect of organized religion. The book encourages the reader to courageously think for oneself, question authority and to discover the answers to life's great questions through observation and direct experience. It is a pro-science, anti- dogma philosophy that will madden some church elders and encourage more forward thinking christians to think outside the box.

When it comes right down to it, the books teach us that life is sacred, and that love has the ultimate power to heal, transform and regenerate. And in the end, what could be more christian than that!?
 
Fantastically creative, profoundly heretical, thought-provoking ****
I read the second and third books of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy back to back, so I don't think I can really comment separately on The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. I realy enjoyed the first book, The Golden Compass, finding it very creative and an exciting adventure. Finishing the trilogy, I realize that I didn't know the half of his creativity. The adventure kept on moving, keeping me gripped to the end, but the ideas he explores are bold and provocative. What happens when we die? Do we have souls? Does God exist, and is He good? I'd heard that these books were considered heretical by some, by I didn't realize the extent of it. From the point of view of organized Christianity, these books are profoundly heretical, far more so than the Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons, even more than Satanic Verses is heretical for Muslims. The organized church in his book is a corrupt puritanical and power-hungry organization, with names like the Magisterium, the Consistory Court, and the Oblation Board making it a thinly veiled analogy of the Catholic Church. (The fictional church is based in Geneva, so it has Swiss Guards. Just how thin can the veil be?) His account of God, angels, and creation is revealed in the second and third books, and it is shocking. But what is most heretical is that he describes a world in which good and evil exist and people can be moral without needing a creator or an afterlife. Heaven is where we build it. All of this theology (or is it anti-theology?) is not dry philosophical prose, but is integrally woven into a fascinating fantasy of parallel worlds, intriguing characters, and a great battle between good and evil (though it's not always clear who is on which side until the end). One of the parallel worlds encountered is a very creative imagining of an alternate evolution. This trilogy is written as a fantasy for a youth audience, but like the latter Harry Potter books, deals with some dark themes that require a bit of maturity to appreciate. Unlike Harry Potter, where each of those books ended in a safe place, each of these books before the last one ends with things looking rather bleak. (In Hollywood's version of The Golden Compass, they had to twist the order of events to end on a more upbeat note.) But in the end, they really make you think about goodness and truth and self-sacrifice, and the meaning of life. I thoroughly enjoyed these books, but they are not for the theologically faint of heart.
 
A solid conclusion ****
Oh, the ending was so sad!! Really, I loved the story and I am glad that finally learned what Pan ended up as - which was the whole reason I began reading this series! I was surprised by how much death it involved - and the fact that there wasn't really a happily ever after, but a sort of a hint at it... If there is a companion novel written, I imagine I would read it.

As for the religion thing, it did get preachy in its own way in this book... which did detract from the story overall, I felt. Still, it was exciting to read. All in all, I think Pullman's books aren't really for young children, but they are certainly entertaining for teens and on.
 
book *****
part of a set, I couldnt get in to it by hubby said it was brilliant.
 
A Brilliant Book *****
The Amber Spyglass is one of the best books I have ever read and is suitable for people of any age apart from young children as the plot is quite complex with lots of twists and turns and a large number of characters so you could get a bit confused. It is a fast-paced book with plenty of action and is an amazing conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. The two main characters, Will and Lyra, are likeable and realistic and this makes you want to continue reading. The Amber Spyglass is also very different to most books you will have read before and captivates you from the beginning. Although it is long, you never feel tempted to skip a few pages or chapters like you might do with other long books, as everything that happens is relevant to the overall plot and you never get bored because there is too much description or dialogue.

The book's ending is also extremely good. It would have been easy for Philip Pullman to give it a happy, predictable ending, but instead, he chose to make it much more memorable. It is heartbreaking and suitably climatic for such a good book. Although you might wish Pullman had made the ending happier, it will definitely be one you will never forget.

Overall, if you have already read the first two books in this series, "The Amber Spyglass" is a must-read and if you haven't read any of them yet, you definitely should. You won't be disappointed.
 
Final book in Pullman's triology doesn't disappoint *****
For lovers of fantasy, this book, the third in the trilogy is just as exciting and page turning as the first two.
Philip Pullman's imagination is vast, entertaining and thrilling. I haven't finished it yet but it's hard to put down! I recommend all three books to children and adults alike but read in order to know what's going on!
 
Muddle Earth ***
I lost interest in "The Amber Spyglass" about half way through, but ploughed on in the hope that it would pull together the many loose ends to a satisfying and coherent conclusion. This turned out to be a triumph of hope over experience.

As with the earlier volumes, there are lots of ideas, some borrowed, some new; but there was also the same jumping around from one idea to another, without any of them being followed through. The exception to this is the mulefas and their parallel world (complete with an alternative evolutionary history). When scientist Mary Malone finds herself in this world, she gets time to explore and figure things out for herself, rather than having a passing witch or angel zoom in with an instant explanation. Interestingly, other reviewers have commented that children are put off by this episode and character, so perhaps they appeal more to adult readers.

The trickle of logical inconsistencies in the earlier books becomes an intensely irritating torrent in this. In one scene, Lyra has all her hair cut off - a few pages it later seems to have grown back again. Will suddenly, and without explanation, acquires a daemon (albeit a missing one). In the World of the Dead, no one has ever seen Gallivespians (Pullman's Lilliputians) - this is flatly contradicted later by another dead character. Angels are said to long for physical bodies so that they can experience physical sensations, but are capable of being bitten. One of the Church's many evils is to deny access to knowledge, but it supported Mary Malone (during her nun phase) whilst she earned a doctorate in physics.

I suspect that "The Amber Spyglass" doesn't really work as a freestanding novel - you need to have read the earlier volumes. Anyone who enjoyed those will probably enjoy this; others will just have to make up their own minds.
 
Ridiculous and awful, gone off on some crazy tangent *
I loved the first book, 5 stars, the second was good, the knife was a clever idea and it's 2 sided blade was clever. But what the hell happened here. Malone ends up talking to animals with elephant like trunks, learns a language, climbs trees, watches them ride on wheels? on "natural" roads. Meanwhile our friends Lyra and Will are hardly in the book... when they are they're out of character and decided to go visit the dead - but first they have to visit the "suburbs" of the dead - yes, you read that right. They encounter more and more stupid situations... the land of the dead suburbs having electricity, that they're a holding pen, that people's deaths are around them (reminds me of a funny line from the Simpsons where grandpa Simpson keeps seeing death all around him but I digress). This is all so stupid and ridiculous. The story isn't even building properly to some big war. I have no issue with any stance on christianity in the story and there really isn't that much of it - just stupid stupid side stories. Oh and people breaking character. Lyra coudln't be seperated from her demon - but yet does so voluntarily because she has a dream about going to the land of the dead. No, wake up, get on with the story! Don't be so dumb. Truly awful - possibly not deserving of one star.
 
Brilliant and disappointing ****
This book, the last of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, was disappointing in that it didn't, to me, show the big picture clearly. However, the smaller stuff - Mary's back story, Will meeting Iorek - was excellent and just having finished the book, I can say that I will remember the characters for a long time.
 
The Temptation of Lyra *SPOILER* ***
I thought I agreed with everyone that this last book in the series was a complete disappointment. BUT....hear me out, I'm sure I'm not the only one that put down the book in order to really think for a moment(or threw it, as seems to be the case in many reviews since it seems to abrubtly stop without a hint of resolution). Perhaps the last book is so subtle compared to the first two and Pullman actually has a point that isn't spelled out and repeated over and over as many of his ideas in the writing are (the diamond shaped bodice of the mulefa....seriously, did any of you NOT miss that point? ). So, here is what I have deciphered as a coherent meaning to the end of The Amber Spyglass:

Mary Malone's role with the Mulefa IS important because it helps her to regain that feeling that she once had as a child falling in love (through her experimentation and understanding of Dust). She is led to the opening for the dead and is reminded to "tell them stories" which leads her to share this notion with Lyra. Lyra in turn has a "door open inside of her that she never knew existed" which causes her to acknowledge her love for will. That moment becomes the pebble that changes the course of the river (or whatever metaphor you prefer) and Dust, as a concious substance, uses that moment in time as a foothold to save itself. Shaky, yea...but it works. As for the whole "fall" comparison....Just as Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden at the realization of themselves to a life committed to finding a way back into Heaven, Will and Lyra are unable to stay in their "Eden" (being together) after their realization of love and are cast back into their worlds to a life committed to building the Republic of Heaven.

Now, I must say that this is by far a disappointment when compared to the other two books, but only in the sense that where Pullman has been anything but vague or subtle anywhere in the first two books; all of a sudden when you are expecting this amazing battle and armageddon, the death of the creator, resolution, etc. There's silence. Instead, he gives us a moment. One moment that this entire trilogy builds to. Over and over we are reminded that the different worlds exist because at one time when something happened in one, chances caused something different to happen in another and by that moment, caused another world to come into existence. The moment where Will and Lyra fall in love seems like a complete disappointment when in fact it is the only act that changes the course of everything. Anticlimatic, you bet. Annoying, to me at least. Pullman, however, does manage to end things and not leave you hanging you just have to read a little deeper than you had been.
So, I still think the book was a complete disappointment, but only because I desperately wanted a different ending. I wanted more of the characters I had grown to love, I wanted an amazing battle, resolution between Lyra and her parents, Will and his mother, etc. The book itself could never stand alone, yet you need to read it to come to your own terms about the trilogy.
 
A huge disappointment *
I loved the Golden Compass and the Subtle Knife but this book disappointed me terribly. I was outraged. To much ranting about Dust, 'we have to seal all the holes' 'oh but then we cant see each other any more'
really, who cares!? Lyra and Will falling in love was terrible, ruined the plot with nonsense
 
The real value of this book is not to be found as a standalone, but rather as the conclusion of an outstanding triology... ***
"The amber spyglass" is the third and last book in Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" triology. It is good, but not nearly as engaging as the previous two books in the series, "Northern lights" (or "The golden compass", the name given to that book in USA) and "The subtle knife". I must say that I didn't love "The amber spyglass", but I'm glad I read it.

The books in "His Dark Materials" are the kind of books that make you happy someone taught you how to read. They are full of magic, interesting characters and weird events. In a nutshell, they make you dream, and awake your imagination, whether you are extremely young or already an adult.

From my point of view, that is extremely important, and that is the reason why I recommend "The amber spyglass" to you, even though I only give it 3 stars. Truth to be told, the real value of this book is not to be found as a standalone, but rather as the conclusion of an outstanding triology that is already a classic. Recommended!

Belen Alcat
 
Enjoyable. ****
This is the third and last book in the His Dark Materials trilogy (after Northern Lights, or The Golden Compass in the US, and The Subtle Knife).

This volume starts just where the previous left off: after the conflagration on the hills near Cittàgazze, Lyra is nowhere to be found. Looking for her, Will meets two Angels, Balthamos and Baruch, who urge him to bring the Subtle Knife to Lord Asriel. He promises to help them, as soon as he's recued Lyra.

Lyra is actually in another world, where Mrs. Coulter is keeping her asleep with drugs, and telling the local population that she's a holy woman and that she's trying to heal Lyra, so as to be left alone and unquestioned. Soon though, with the help of a little village girl named Ama and of two tiny spies in the service of Lord Asriel, Gallivespians known as the Chevalier Tialys and the Lady Salmakia, Will finds her again and saves her.

But now the most dangerous part of the journey begins, because both children want to go to the Land of the Dead, to make amends and try to rescue Roger and Will's father.

As for Dr. Mary Malone, who crossed into Cittàgazze and then in yet another world, she meets a strange people called the Mulefa. Living with them for some time, she finally learns their language, make friends and discover they also know about sraf, the Shadow particles she was studying in her laboratory, or what Lyra calls Dust. She'll build a spyglass to see sraf and understansd its purpose.

Meanwhile, Father Gomez, an emissary of the Church, is on a Holy mission to kill Lyra, to prevent her from committing the original sin again.

I still don't know what to think of these books. The story is sometimes very moving, with some heart-wrenching passages, but the rest is sometimes dull and not very believable. I didn't think this final book tied up all loose ends either. It was enjoyable, but I wouldn't call hid Dark Materials my favourite series.

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