His Dark Materials III: The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Advantages: Ending of a great story
Disadvantages: It is indeed the end.

...part of my review of His Dark Materials! I know it has been a few days coming but as I have said I realised when I came to write it that I didn’t have my copy of the book. However, now I am back and armed with my book so I can finish my review! For those of you who have not seen my first two reviews, I must first say, in case you haven’t guessed, that this book is part of a trilogy. This is the third book in this trilogy, with the first two being ...
...Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel- by the command of his dying father. But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel, when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and intrigues that beset him. The two great powers of the many worlds are lining up for war, and Will must find Lyra, for together they are on their way to battle, an inevitable journey that will even take ... Read review

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

The Amber Spyglass concludes the His Dark Materials trilogy, which began with Northern Lights and continued with The Subtle Knife. The size of the task Pullman has set himself in concluding the vast, expansive work he has set up thusfar is reflected in this 550-page behemoth of a volume, with 38 chapters, compared to the 23 and 15 of the previous books respectively. In summarising and assessing the qualities of the third and final book of the series, ...
...led. He is searching for his father, and following the Alethiometer's advice, Lyra decides to help him, soon realizing their quests may be linked. In the deserted city, Will becomes the possessor of Æsahætter, the subtle knife itself; a much-coveted weapon which could decide the fate of all the worlds. Just as they begin to uncover the true nature of Dust, and the scale of Lord Asriel's real plans emerge, the enemies who have been trailing them catch ... Read review

Advantages: Imaginative and ambitious. Pullman's complete refusal to condescend to his readers.
Disadvantages: Characterization not as good as in the first two books of the trilogy

...of Philip Pullman's highly successful His Dark Materials trilogy. Although I finished the book some days ago now, it has taken me quite some time to try and commit my thoughts on it to a review. The entire trilogy has been dense, absorbing and rich in ideas and sub-plots, but the Amber Spyglass is the longest and most challenging of them all, and it takes some time to work out quite where to begin. I think it is worth doing, though. As winner of ...
...Story is About... The His Dark Materials trilogy is set in a universe where there are countless parallel worlds, all overlapping one another, yet never quite touching. In the first book of the trilogy (Northern Lights) we are introduced to a girl named Lyra in her world - an Oxford similar to the one we know, but with many differences. In Lyra's world, everyone has a daemon (an external manifestation of their soul appearing as an animal in form, ... Read review

Advantages: Beautifully written Climax to a great saga
Disadvantages: it has to end

...such a furious pace. His passions for freedom and desire to put across a message fuel his storytelling and the results are staggering. I keep using superlatives a lot about His Dark Materials but I think that they are well placed for Pullman never lets us down. Even in the quieter corners of the novels there is no sense of superfluity. We do not question the relevancy of the material, we accept that it has a place and function within the greater ...
...over weighting one side of his story to the detriment of the other. He creates a delicate balance, just as he does between character and story. Neither one ever truly dominates. This is perhaps the mark of a master storyteller. I think as well that the end is beautifully fitting, because though as readers we want everyone to be happy, we are not allowed a cliché happy ending. It is entirely bittersweet and all the better for it, as it illustrates ... Read review

Advantages: amazing plot and ideas
Disadvantages: might be a bit much for younger readers

...valley. While Will searches for his friend, Lyra dreams of the world of the dead and of her lost friend Roger who is trapped in this grey, unending land, not really alive, but still aware. These nightmares decide Lyra's future for her, and take her and Will on a strange journey through many worlds where they will meet may strange beings - ghosts, harpies, deaths, tiny and deadly Gallivespians, armoured bears, witches, Mulefa (who ride around on seed ...
...2) has travelled into another world and is studying the mysterious dust with the Mulefa - four legged, trunked sentient beings who roll about on wheels using ancient lava flows as roads. Mary knows it is her job to tempt Lyra, to 'play the serpent' but how will she do this? It soon becomes evident that there is more at stake than anyone could possibley have imagines. Whiel Mary struggles to solve the riddles of dust, the Church have sent out an assassin ... Read review