Philip Pullman - Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials, Book Iii

Pros: Wonderfully complicated grand adventure that will leave you reconsidering your place in the universe.
Cons: Hostile towards religion, critical of authority...can be problematic or very enlightening

There's not a Product Listing for "The Amber Spyglass," which is the third book in The Golden Compass series as Epinions calls it...more accurately titled "His Dark Materials." That's what the author titled it, anyway.

So I'm a little bit...

Pros: fitting end to an exciting series
Cons: If you don't read the first two books first, you'll be lost

Please note: this is a review from 2001, which I am moving to its correct location in the Epinions database. After reading the first two books in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, I was eager to read the third one to ...

Pros: A rich, heretical celebration of life. A visually stunning, complex, imaginative tale.
Cons: Some readers may find the heresy offensive.

"'Well, where is God . . . Is he still alive, at some inconceivable age, decrepit and demented, unable to think or act or speak and unable to die, a rotten hulk? And if that is his condition, wouldn't it be the most merciful thing, the truest proof of...

Pros: Well-written
Cons: Plot goes downhill, mass tangled religious controversy

The Amber Spyglass is the final installment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series--and the thickest, coming in at 518 pages! Before this, two children from parallel universes have joined forces. Lyra Belacqua and her truth-telling ...

Pros: Concludes the stunning story, incredibly powerful & moving; a truly great story.
Cons: Takes a while to get where it's going.

The Amber Spyglass concludes the His Dark Materials trilogy, which began with N orthern Lights and continued with T he Subtle Knife. The size of the task Pullman has set himself in ...

Pros: Fantastically tragic ending to a phenomenal young-adult trilogy.
Cons: None. None whatsoever. Philip Pullman is a genius.

Yeah, I admit it: I’m a big, squishy wimp. I cry at weddings. I cry at funerals. I cry at movie scenes that take place at weddings and funerals. I am the one from whom tears are jerked, even during the most gratuitous and cheesy of TV movies. So is...

Pros: A courageously written book, Pullman reverses all that "established religion" holds sacred.
Cons: Some people are going to find Pullman's "heretical" challenging of established religion offensive.

A war is waged against the entire hierarchy of heaven.

Who says God is right, just because he claims to have the authority? After all, we have known other "leaders" who have had questionable motives, haven't we?

The...

Pros: Unique world-construction, interesting protaganist
Cons: overly ambitious plot, silly character development, half-baked resolution

I'm starting to hate fantasy writers. Phillip Pullman started out with a bang, writing the intriguing novel "The Golden Compass" which introduced us to Lyra, the idiosyncratic girl-hero lost in a world of psuedo-victorian technology/magic. Many of ...

Pros: At least it's imaginative
Cons: The anti-Christian stuff is only hype

The name of The Amber Spyglass is controversy. Specifically, it’s the controversy created by millions of Christians who have never bothered to sit down and actually read the book. However, I do have one infallible source who actually does know ...

Pros: Excellent completion to the series.
Cons: A bit more confusing that the first two, some may not like religious ideas.

This ain't no Harry Potter. As the final book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, The Amber Spyglass is a bit of a departure from its two predecessors, but still a strong fantasy read.

In Book I, The Golden...

Pros: insights, writing
Cons: story isn't perfect, a few unsatisfactory conclusions

Two individuals (see comments) have suggested I warn people that my summary pretty much reveals the entire story. If you would rather not know how the book ends, skip the summary and go straight to my comments (though there are also spoilers in my ...

Pros: Some nice plot twists, inventive worldview
Cons: Philosophy and structure finally falls apart in this book. Not an ending.

I read the Golden Compass and the Subtle Knife again right before the release of this final chapter in the His Dark Materials trilogy as preparation.

I found the first two most enjoyable and eagerly awaited the conclusion to our young hero...

Pros: Answers questions and wraps up the epic story.
Cons: Too long and drawn-out with a weak ending.

Full disclosure: I'm reviewing this "young adult" novel as an adult who actually studied the first book in the His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass) in a graduate-level Children's Literature class. So my perspective on this book is probably not ...

Pros: Everything and Anything! It has all the elements in it!
Cons: It's over within 465 pages. ;)

It sums up everything! All the questions are answered in this last book and it just makes you want to slap yourself on the head. The occurrences of this book are written so logically and convincingly you close the book wondering if any of it could be ...