Rating: 
Summary: Bill Denbrough Beats the Devil - Part II
Review: (Hoping that the title of this review has sent some endorphines rocketing up in readers of "It" by Stephen King...)I felt compelled to write this second review to the long-awaited (also by myself, alas...) and extremely disappointing "The Amber Spyglass" by some facts: 1) I used to be a big Philip Pullman fan. I issued an Amazon order for the whole trilogy (though I already owned the first two volumes in the Italian translation) a month before the publication date of "The Amber Spyglass". As another reviewer perfectly said, I loved "Northern Lights" (I prefer this title), liked "The Subtle Knife" a lot and I wish Pullman had written another and COMPLETELY different "The Amber Spyglass". In other words, he has botched his creation as no other writer ever did... maybe only James Joyce approached such a feat in the unique but uniquely unreadable "Finnegans Wake". But there's a big difference even there: Joyce had everything in the world to say and he chose to say it only for himself... Pullman... well... 2) One star was far too much... the right vote would be MINUS-INFINITE stars. Pullman would deserve it as a measurement of the difference between his infinite ambition (hey presto, he gives his "answers" to practically all the Great Questions) and his less than finite accomplishment. 3) I was sadly impressed by the fact that even 5-stars readers almost always complain about the ending. Now, this is a strange phenomenon. "The Lord of the Rings" has a rather melancholy ending, too, but I don't know that anybody ever openly complained against it. Leaving all the great tragedies in literature alone, of course. But the completeness of "The Amber Spyglass" as an artistic failure is this: even people who desperately WANT to like the book find no rhyme nor reason in its ending - and rightly so, because there isn't any. I will try to state this as clearly as I can, for everybody: Book, and the worlds they describe, and their characters, have a life of their own. By no means they are the property of the author to do as he pleases. That is the great rule that Pullman broke. He could have ended his trilogy in many ways. But nothing at all gave him the right to end it in a way where ALL the main characters were completely untrue to themselves, with no believable reason. (Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel sacrificing themselves, a most unworthy deed for such delightful villains, and Lyra and Will sacrificing themselves in another but no less terrible way... At the end, one feels that everything that happened has been simply USELESS, and that is the worst sensation any book can give you.) 4 and most important) OK, this book saddened you just as it saddened me... but don't despair, there are many good books around, for example... Of course, "It" by Stephen King. It'a a single novel, but it's as long as the whole "His Dark Materials". It gives everything Pullman promised but didn't deliver. Teenage heroes and heroines against terrible evil - metaphysical and otherwise. Love. What the teenage heroes and heroines did become after twenty years. Love again, the real one. Pennywise the Clown - you can't even conceive HIM (or IT?) turning good! Would you? And, of course, Bill Denbrough Beats the Devil... TWICE! Of course, The Lord of the Rings (if you have already read it, do yourself a favour and do it again). So you'll understand why any comparison is ludicrous. By the way, LOTR isn't really a trilogy at all. If you add "The Hobbit" (and you MUST add it) it's one of the two great tetralogies in the world, the other being "The Ring of the Nibelung" by Wagner... useless to say that Tolkien owes a whole lot to the German musician/playwright. If you like uniquely creative atmospheric stories of cosmic horror, anything by H. P. Lovecraft. If you like good science fiction stories about parallel Universes, with sympathetic characters, anything by Clifford D. Simak. If you like anything weird and supremely written, "The Gormenghast Trilogy" by Mervyn Peake. If you like great stories with a theological aspect that doesn't drown the book, "An Instance of the Fingerpost" by Iain Pears (don't worry, he's no atheist... on the contrary, I could say that his theological outlook is right Pullman's opposite). At the very least, stick to Harry Potter. Nothing to write home about, I'll admit, but still some worlds better than the Spyglass. After ending Harry, it will probably be late at night. Take a stroll outside. Watch the sky. Feel the wind. Thank our Authority, or whatever is the name you give.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful read
Review: The Amber Spyglass is a fitting end to His Dark Materials. yet it manages to be so much more than just an adventure story. It draws heavily from Paradise Lost, but the point of view given is all its own. The book is also very beautiful at times, with a grandeur in its theme that lights up the whole book (and the series). One reviewer called the theme of the book its main weakness. I would like to present the opposite view. The major theme is that Judeo-Christian values are always questionable as to their effects and validity(not their intent). While the religion may not be meant a certain way (I am pretty sure pacifist Christ never wanted wars fought in his name) it is always distorted by believers. This is the main danger of organized religion as shown by the Amber Spyglass. One may say that religion can be so much more in people's lives, but only if that person is willing to accept a faith without evidence because it makes him 'feel better'. When the Amber Spyglass shows us this picture of organized religion, you may call it a 'straw man' and say that the book doesn't prove or disprove its theme, simply asserts it. Unfortunately it is very difficult to prove a theme that applies to our world without real historical examples, and in a fantasy world that's not possible. If the author makes up a history, it is just that- a made-up history to reinforce the point. What one may do is draw real parallels with our world and Pullman accomplishes this rather well (has anyone wondered about Lyra's church? It could be our church, if our church still had the same power it had in the 14th and 15th centuries. Preemptive absolution sounds awful similar to papal indulgences). In other words, the theme of the book is not only sound, it comes close to being awesome (in the old sense of the word, inspiring awe). I would suggest this series to anyone who wishes to be provoked a little into thinking and also appreciates good fantasy and a the grandeur that accompanies it.
Rating:
Summary: Greatly moved
Review: Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy has included a trio of my favorite books. The setting is beautiful and engrossing, and the characters seem more human than most of the people I know. The plots were all fantastically enjoyable, with enough suspense and intrigue that you simply can't bring yourself to put the book down, even after multiple readings. After the first two volumes, I eagerly anticipated the third, praying it wouldn't be a disappointment. I am impressed often enough, but rarely moved. This book moved me to tears on several instances, as does simply thinking about it. It challenged my perceptions, and moved me to my soul. I cannot recommend a book more highly than this.
Rating:
Summary: Try to put this down!
Review: I have read, and re-read, every book by Pullman, and this seris is his best!! I've been waiting for this book well over 1 1/2 years, and it exceeded my very highest expetations!! You must read the 1st 2 books before this, however. If you liked this, I would totally reccomend the Sally Lockheart trilogy, about a willful girl in the confining times of 19th century-England. Again, this author rocks!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book if you read it as a literary work
Review: Hello, This is a great book if you read as it is intended to be, a literary work. However, there will be debates for years to come about it's "Christian themes". I am a Christian and a devout one at that. However, I support all literature and I am against banning of any book. For all those right wing Christians who believe this book should be banned, let me say this. If we ban this book, we might as well ban the bible, for that is what will happen. Please do not infer any deep religious connection to this book. Read it for what it is, a retelling of Milton's paradise lost. Hopefully, Pullman will continue the series and write something on Milton's pardise regained. In any case, this book is a way to examine your beliefs. I have read it and my beliefs have been strenghted do to there examination. Thanks
Rating: 
Summary: extremely disappointing
Review: As a seventh and eighth grade English teacher, I was thrilled to discover "The Golden Compass" four years ago. I was even more thrilled to read "The Sublte Knife." I was even more excited by the prospect of the third book. Pullman's world was brilliant, his story was moving, and his themes were provoking. My students and I spent almost three years waiting for the third and final book, constantly bemoaning the constantly changing publishing date. Finally, I read the book. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. Pullman is a great writer. He continues to provoke. But what happened to his plot? What happened to all that preceded the final book? Why did Mary make the amber spyglass? What was really significant about the visit to the world of the dead? What about those characters, such as Iorek, Serrafina, and Lord Asriel, once so brilliantly and deeply conceived? What happened to their complexity? Like much of the plot, they just pop up, fill a space, and then disappear. Sure, those characters and creations developed in the previous books make appearances in "The Amber Spyglass," but their appearance and explanation seem obligatory and even silly. For example, the Spectres, as fascinating as they were in "The Suble Knife," are really ridiculously explained and then brushed aside in "The Amber Spyglass." I admire Pullman's courage in writing a book that challenges organized religion, and I agree with many of his themes. Unfortunately, he dropped the ball regarding his characters, his plot, and his overall vision. I was so looking forward to teaching this trilogy in the future. Unfortunately, I fail to see any real merit to the series as a result of this extremely disappointing final volume.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy conclusion to the trilogy.
Review: I bought this book the day after it came out and finished it yesterday. Like its predecessors, it was a hard read--not so much in the language (though for a children's book the vocabulary level is wonderful), but many of the concepts are hard for me, a born and raised Christian, to digest. I was very pleased with this book, as it tied up the many loose ends from the first two books into a wonderful, heart-wrenching conclusion. My fear for this book was that it would lose the spark of the first two novels, and though it was more predictable in places, this is a very worthy follow-up to "The Golden Compass" and "The Subtle Knife". I strongly recommend this to anyone with an open mind and a desire to read one of those rare books that touches your mind and your soul. Then lend me your copy...there's a list of seven people to borrow mine!
Rating:
Summary: Warring angels and elephants on wheels
Review: As one of the adult readers of this "young adult" book, I'd suggest that you're no less likely to like this at 31 than at 11. An involving, creative ride and a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. A word of caution: Pullman writes the whole series with a semi-aetheistic point of view that is crucial to the story: If you want stories with a point of view that doesn't violate Christian belief, this isn't your book. His point of view is clearly not Christian, although neither is it diabolical, as I was afraid he was starting to get with Subtle Knife. Intricate plot line, intriguing and detailed characters and settings, and good pacing. Highly recommended, but read the first two first or you may find yourself very confused (besides, why miss the fun of reading the whole batch?). Worth the wait, and one of the best books I've read this year.
Rating: 
Summary: A momentum that is impossible to maintain
Review: After staying up into the wee hours to finish the amber spyglass, I was compelled to go back to the first two books and read the trilogy from beginning to end, in order to get a better sense of the whole. I had waited for this concluding book since I finished The Subtle Knife 2 years ago and was hungry for the final pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. In this respect the book is satisfying, compelling, dizzying. But sadly it becomes fuzzy at the end and you realise that Pullman has in some ways been running out of gas from about half way through the Subtle Knife and by the end of TAS he poops out. The storytelling arc of Northern Lights/Golden Compass is so exquisitely crafted. The first 2 thirds of the book builds relentlessly to Bolvanger, and before you can catch your breath we are presented with the Bears of Svalbard and Lyras great betrayal by her cold, selfserving father. (is it really possible to say that Mrs. Coulter is any worse a parent than Asriel?). I just dont know that it was possible for Pullman or any writer to maintain such momentum and quality. The second and third books read so much more like serializations. with crises occuring and being resolved before there is much opportunity to build suspense. the knife breaks, the knife is repaired, did we ever doubt for a momnent that Lyra and Will would be reunited with their daemons?. For those of you, like me, who have lived so intimately in our imaginations with Lyra, Will, Iorek and Company for the last few years, this book is irresistable and only partly disappointing, and has it stopped me from urging every sentient being I know to read the whole trilogy? not at all.....
Rating:
Summary: Simply Great
Review: Personally i don't think its necessary to get into the whole political and moral controversy that surrounds this book. People can argue about it until their faces go blue but it is not going to change my opinion of the book and i will certainly recommend this book to anyone who will listen to me. It was a simply fascinating read, all three books were in fact. After the second book i had my doubts whether or not Pullman would be able to pull off another book like the previous two. I just didn't see how he was going to be able to wrap up the story. After all the delays in its publishing i started to get very worried, but last night I finished The Amber Spyglass it is astonishing how well the story was carried out clear to the end. I'm still literally feeling the effects of his words within me, it made me happy, sad, but most of all hopefull for the future. The ending was one of the most powerful i've read in a long time, Pullman is a master in describing the complexity of human emotions. My hat is off to you Philip
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