His Dark Materials III: The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman > Reviews > Pullman reveals the trump card!!!

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Good
Characters	Outstanding
Listenability	Pretty compelling but not addictive

Advantages:	Brilliant end to a brilliant trilogy .  Short chapters :  ideal stopping places
Disadvantages:	Much longer than the others .  Very descriptive in the middle .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

A little short of amonth ago, I woke up on Christmas morning and opened my presents. One of these was Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. I had eagerly awaited these (guessing I would get them for Christmas) and tucked into them immediately.

The first two in the trilogy, namely 'Northern Lights' and 'The Subtle Knife', leave you thristy for more. Pullman creates a fantastic tale over the course of the trilogy, leaving the reader needing closure.

'The Amber Spyglass' is significantly longer than the first two books, over 500 pages long, and at points in the middle, it seems to drag slightly.I found myself pushing through long descriptive paragraphs without incidences of conversation to break up the monotony. These descriptions were integral to the plot, as is everything, but I felt Pullman was close to going off at a tangent in these parts.

Pullman touches heavily on the religious nature of the books in this third and final installment. I had to put that to the back of mind and regard it purely as work of fiction. 'His Dark Materials' has been used in the same sentence as words such as 'heresy'and 'blasphemy', and I could see why, but I just readit as an imaginative tale.

Having said that, there is little else I can say to criticise it. In terms of plot, it follows a few different paths of characters. The main character of the series is Lyra Belacqua, a girl who has the weight of saving the world(s) on her shoulders. Accompanying her is Will Parry, a boy the same age as her. Will is the bearer of the Subtle Knife (the title of the 2nd book), and together they travel through different worlds with the aid of the knife. They are aided by characters such as Iorek Byrnison,king of the armoured bears, and Lord Asriel, intrepid explorer and guardian of Lyra.

Dr Mary Malone,who is first mentioned in the 2nd book, sets off on her own adventure in another world, encountering a new species and learning about Dust, the essence of all beings.

All other characters are mentioned on a regular basis, and the book is split well into chapters, providing good stopping points for readers who find such an extravagant tale exhausting and too much too take in all at once.

The characterisation is brilliant. I found it easy to picture the characters in my mind, from the main characters encountered in the first two books such as Lyra and Will, through to the harpies and the Gallivespians (little warriors like the people of Lilliput in Gulliver's Travels). Everything comes together well and, in the end, nearly all the questions are answered. The suspense is excellent, and I put the book the book down at the end, feeling disappointed because the tale was over. I can only equate it to the feeling I had when I read the last Harry Potter book, and realised there were no more coming.

I was very glad to have read the whole trilogy, and will probably read it again. And, of course, they are making them into films (although giving them different names such as 'The Golden Compass'.

Availability for buying the book:
Paperback: You can find 'The Amber Spyglass' individually and as part of the trilogy set. Prices rangedepending on where you look, although buying the book new will cost you £6.99. Ebay you are looking at a couple of pounds if that for a used copy. Hardbackversions can be found for between £5 and £10.

One final word of warning: if you have not previously read the other two books in the trilogy, the book will not make sense in many ways and the experience will not be as enjoyable.