Book Review: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Amber Spyglass #3 His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

3. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 518
Acquired: 2/27/2010
Book of Your Shelf? Yes
Why I have it: Third (final) of a series
Series: His Dark Materials #3

Lyra and Will are back and still trying to find a way to Lyra's father, Lord Asriel. Lord Asriel's war is fully underway, but the final and decisive battle is still to come. Lyra and Will meet Mary Malone, a friend made in Will's earth, in yet another version of the world. (The jumping around sounds much more confusing that it actually is in the book.) Mary must help them find a way to understand dust and save all the worlds in existence.

Lyra is a character I will always love. She is so realistic to me it's frightening. Will is a bit to steadfast for my taste...almost too stubborn and to be real at times.

I hate to say too much about the plot and ruin it for people who have not yet read the first two. This was a fantastic end to a series. I was sad to see it stop, but completely happy about the way it did. Not all the strings were tied off nice and neat, but that's life, messy. All the plot lines were wrapped up in a way that allowed the characters to have resolution and a continuing purpose beyond the end of the story.

The twists and turns were numerous, but all made sense as they occurred. They were also spaced out in a way that made the story seem more real and believable.

5/5

Book Review: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by Philip Pullman

The second book in His Dark Materials Trilogy was not nearly as well written as the first. Lyra has crossed over into another world where she meets Will, from yet another world. At first the jumping around was a little confusing, but I think that helped me understand how Lyra felt. Being in a place that is so similar to home, yet at the same time completely different.


Lyra is the same loveable brat that she is in the first book. We see how she has developed as a character a little bit. She has learned that her actions have consequences, and they are not always what she expects them to be. We also meet her new friend, Will. This book is more a tale about Will's quest than Lyra's. The world they meet in is haunted by strange creatures that seem to feed off people and they uncover an artifact with strange powers that no one really understands.

This book seems to be more of a transition book. Things needed to happen in order to continue the story, but I just didn't find this part to be nearly as interesting as book 1 or 3.

3/5

Book Review: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Lyra has always been adventurous and it has led her into several awkward predicaments, but she is about to stumble into her greatest adventure yet. An unknown force, known only as the Gobblers, has been stealing children. Rumors abound about what happens to the stolen children. When one of Lyra's friends is taken, she decides that she must go find him.


Her quest takes her across the world from the city of Oxford to the swamps where the gyptians live and finally in to frozen north of Svalbard. Here she discovers the awful truth of what the Gobblers are really doing, and it's worse than anyone had imagined.

Lyra's adventures are beyond belief and fantastic. While she can be quite an obnoxious brat at times, you can't help but fall in love with her and her friends. Her friends are varied but loyal. There's just something about the girl that they can't resist wanting to help. The story is written in a way that draws you into her life and had you rooting for her the whole time.

4/5