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The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3)
The Amber Spyglass - His Dark Materials, Bk 3
Author: Philip Pullman
The final entry in the His Dark Materials trilogy (which was inspired by John Milton's PARADISE LOST), THE AMBER SPYGLASS weaves together a number of story strands as the final battle between good and evil approaches. Will, with the help of a pair of Gallivespian agents, searches for Lyra who has been hidden away by the devious Mrs. Coulter. Sci...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780345413376
ISBN-10: 0345413377
Pages: 480
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 186

3.9 stars, based on 186 ratings
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on
Helpful Score: 5
A great ending to the trilogy. This story is magical and not all happiness and sunshine- great drama. I loved it.
reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on
Helpful Score: 4
I HIGHLY recommend this entire series (His Dark Materials), although I like the first and third more than the second. They are set in such well-thought-out, intriguing worlds, and I love Pullman's writing style. His plot lines and characters are as phenomenal and well-thought-out as his settings. Lyra is quite possibly my FAVORITE fictional character, which is saying a lot.
reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 130 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heart-stopping end, marking the final volume of His Dark Materials as the most powerful of the trilogy.
Along with the return of Lyra and other familiar characters from the first two books come a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spymaster to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. So too come startling revelations: 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 liveand who will diefor love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle thatin its shocking outcomewill uncover the secret of Dust.

Philip Pullman deftly brings the cliffhangers and mysteries of His Dark Materials to an earth-shattering conclusion and confirms his fantasy trilogy as an undoubted and enduring classic.
CheriePie avatar reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 149 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I liked it, though not quite as much as the second book in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, which was my favorite of the three.

The Amber Spyglass picked up right where The Subtle Knife left off, and having been a couple months since I read that, and 15 other books in between, I kind of forgot some of the finer points of the previous story. I kind of wish I'd had that copy handy for a quick refresher before starting on this one. I was able to get back up to speed quickly enough, but there were still some references to previous minor events that happened, and I found myself having to work back through memory or hoping that they'd expand if it was really important to the story. An example that kept being referred to is how Will was arguing with his father at the time he died in book 2. Well, unfortunately, I couldn't recall the circumstances surrounding Will's father's death clearly enough in my head to know if what they were arguing about at the time was significant to the story, and I didn't even know how he'd died until that detail was eluded to in a later conversation.

I don't think this was as much of an issue between the first and second books because more of the minor plots and events were wrapped up before the end, while of course the big plot that spans the entire trilogy is left open... but you don't usually forget the major plotline anyway, just some of the details of the minor ones.

So I always like to give an objective statement or review about the book as well as my opinions on it. And that said, I thought the entire trilogy overall was very good and well written. Though I was both pleased and disappointed in the way everything was resolved. How can that be?

WARNING! SPOILER ALERT.
You must highlight the text below in order to read it.

Well, I didn't like that Lord Asriel died, and I didn't like that Lyra and Will couldn't be together after all they'd went through. I guess both those points added a note of sadness to the ending. Of course, all the events that had transpired thus far lead up to the final resolution, and I enjoyed seeing the way everything fit together nicely.
reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on
Helpful Score: 2
This brings the His Dark Materials trilogy to a grand and emotional conclusion. I loved it, and couldn't get it out of my head!
Read All 43 Book Reviews of "The Amber Spyglass His Dark Materials Bk 3"

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reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on
Pretty good book.
reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on
I love this book. It was just as good as the other two books in the series. You should definately read the series - it is amazing. It is definately not just for children, however, I am going to keep my set of books and make my future children read them, because the deeper lessons within the books are intelligent and very valuable.
reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 18 more book reviews
The last book of the series did not let me down. Parts of this book are dark and dreary, similar the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. A must read trilogy for those exploring love and the human spirit.
Joanana avatar reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 9 more book reviews
This is the third book in Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.
danaewinters avatar reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 2 more book reviews
I had mixed feeling about this series as a whole, starting with this book. On the positive side, the characters were complex and well-written - even those with the most dark and twisted natures weren't seen as entirely evil, but merely flawed in major ways, while those with the best of intentions weren't lily-white either. The religious undertones, though, struck me as less of an athiests point of view than your typical angry ex-Christian - one who was more angry at God than entirely unbelieving as one. The bitterness grew in this book, and came to a full head towards the end. Stylistically, it was extremely well done - descriptive and engaging enough in the first book to compel me to finish the series, even when I was disagreeing with it's message.

Philisophically, though, I found it overwhelmingly preachy and overly-bitter, unable to keep the writers own bias regarding religions as a whole from clouding an otherwise wonderfully crafted tale.
jck avatar reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 13 more book reviews
I LOVED the first two books in the series. The Subtle Knife (2) ends in such a way that you have to keep reading the 3rd! But I almost wish I hadn't started the series because the only way to end it was with this book. It was literally the ending (last 50 or so pages) that destroyed the whole series for me. I felt bitter and betrayed, why had I decided to get so attached to these characters if it would end like that?! If maybe you can find a way to read this and be ok with stopping once you get that feeling in your gut that it is going in a direction that you don't like, then for sure read it! The beginning is still way interesting and attention grabbing, it's just the end. Oh the end.
reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 56 more book reviews
I'm not sure I liked the ending, seems to be happening a lot as of late with the books I have been reading. The concepts and ideals in this book are far from the first book, and I can understand why the last two never made it into movie form.
KitchenWitch avatar reviewed The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Bk 3) on + 14 more book reviews
This book is not for the faint of heart. It actually had me tempted to flip ahead to make sure...you know so and so were going to make it past the well...read the story!

It is thoroughly engrossing, and will keep you turning the pages. But it is Dark, just as the title describes, but it is of course being the climax to the series the darkest by far.

Lyra and Wills adventures take them on journeys that will break your heart right along with the childrens. It again is brilliant writing and you feel, hear and see everything. It is J.K. Rowling's magic meets Stephen King gripping scares, in a child's (preteen/teenager's) story. Yes, it will ruffle a few Christian feathers but the entire story is wonderful!! You could even say it might make some people think.


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