The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Title: The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred Knopf 2000

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 518

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy; Mount TBR; My Years -- 2000

How I Got It: I own it!

The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heartstopping close, marking the third and final volume as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, The Amber Spyglass introduces a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spy-master to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. And this final volume brings startling revelations, too: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live—and who will die—for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that—in its shocking outcome—will reveal the secret of Dust.

Good graciousness... I could not be more blown away by this trilogy. And I have no idea how these novels can be classified in the children's section. These have so many layers. We get a bit of adventure, some romance, some theology, some philosophy... It's just so layered that I had to pause every chapter or so to ingest what I was reading. The moment that Dr. Malone finished the spyglass and saw the Dust flowing was a beautiful revelation. I'm still processing this novel over 12 hours after finishing. I think this trilogy will be one of those that we be reread every few years. Read this for a challenge to your worldview.

His Dark Materials

#1 The Golden Compass
#2 The Subtle Knife
#3 The Amber Spyglass

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

Title: The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred Knopf

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 326

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy; Mount TBR; What's in a Name -- Pocket

How I Got It: I own it!

In The Subtle Knife, readers are introduced to Will Parry, a young boy living in modern-day Oxford, England. Will is only twelve years old, but he bears the responsibilities of an adult. Following the disappearance of his explorer-father, John Parry, during an expedition in the North, Will became parent, provider and protector to his frail, confused mother. And it's in protecting her that he becomes a murderer, too: he accidentally kills a man who breaks into their home to steal valuable letters written by John Parry. After placing his mother in the care of a kind friend, Will takes those letters and sets off to discover the truth about his father.

Warning: This review may contain spoilers concerning The Golden Compass...

This book had some crazy twist and turns. The first part of the novel I was confused. How does everything fit together? Who is Will? How is he connected to the larger war? And how is he connected to Lyra? What are the Specters? What does Mrs. Coulter want? Is Stannislaus still alive? How is he connected to everything? How are all the worlds connected? Why are they connected?

So many questions... We don't get them all answered in this volume, but it certainly sheds light on many of the mysteries. I loved how we get to see the worlds and the quest through another pair of eyes, Will Parry. He's an interesting counterpart to Lyra. In fact, he seems to have a controlling effect on her that I wouldn't think possibile after the first book. She is growing. Will is growing. All of the other characters are playing intregral parts to that growth and their futures.

Throughout the book, I found myself having to pause and reflect on what I read. I didn't power through the pages like I usually do. I savored the paragraphs. I stopped to think of answers to questions either posed by characters or ones that popped into my head. I'm very intrigued by where this is all going. J told me that I would have to read all three books back to back. I didn't believe him at the start, but I do know. I will definitely be continuing with The Amber Spyglass just as soon as I get something to eat...

His Dark Materials

#1 The Golden Compass
#2 The Subtle Knife
#3 The Amber Spyglass

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Title: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred Knopf 1995

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 399

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA; My Years -- 1995; Mount TBR; Book2Movie

How I Got It: I own it!

In The Golden Compass, readers meet 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Jordan College in Oxford, England. It quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our own—nor is her world. In Lyra's world, everyone has a personal dæmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This is a world in which science, theology and magic are closely intertwined.

This book is so much more than I thought it would be. I went into the book thinking it was a YA Fantasy novel (more or less). But this story has so many layers. Pullman throws in theology and philosophy and ethics and history and sociology and psychology. This is a story of who we are and where we came from. As Lyra learns of the world around her and makes mistakes, we journey with her. We encounter the same puzzling questions and dilemmas. We sometimes make mistakes and sometimes make the right choices. We learn of parallel universes and the possibilities they hold. We learn of deceit and betrayal, but also of loyalty. We learn what it means to be human and bear and witch and daemon and everything else. I loved the characters and the settings and the adventure. But I really loved the revelations and conversations. The plot helps us to journey along the path to a higher realization of the universe. I can't wait to jump into the second book, The Subtle Knife. I'm told we travel even further down the rabbit hole.

Movie Version:

I saw this movie before reading the book and even then I thought it was bad. Now I know how truly bad it is. They took a wonderfully complicated novel and turned it into a silly family adventure movie. All the complexities are gone. Although somehow they are hinted at, leaving the audience in complete confusion. They cut out huge swaths of the plot line. Characters disappeared everywhere (especially my favorite, the witches). I think part of the problem is summed up by this bit of trivia courtesy of IMDB.com

Director Chris Weitz has himself adapted Philip Pullman's work, citing the film and its sequels to be influenced by Barry Lyndon and Star Wars. He also mentioned that the film would make no direct mention of religion or God, two of the key themes of the books - a decision attacked by fans of the trilogy. According to Weitz, New Line Cinema feared that "perceived anti-religiosity" would make the film financially unviable in the USA. However, Weitz reassured fans by saying that religion would appear in euphemistic terms.

His Dark Materials:

#1 The Golden Compass
#2 The Subtle Knife
#3 The Amber Spyglass