Ok, so the Golden Compass was good. The Subtle Knife was pretty much pointless, and this book . . . well, let's just say that after all the hype these books got, I was very, very disappointed. The best part about these books is the Mulefa (A new species that Pullman introduces into the storyline). The male characters are arrogant, the female characters are deceptive, and without giving the ending of the book away I can safely summarize the moral of the story - if we are all "good and happy and wise and kind" and generally wonderful people, the world will be a better place to live. Well, no duh. Any four-year-old can tell you that.

Unlike other reviewers I found this entire series to be a fun, entertaining fantasy.

I know there are those who are practically screaming about atheism and 'killing god' and what have you, but I found it to be more of an intriguing take on religion and the effect that they have on society/cultures.

My children read this series (twin boys, 12 and daughter, 9) with me and we were all holding are breath at many parts, rooting for the characters and feeling sad/teary (of course the twins didn't get teary :P) at different parts, so I would say the author did an excellent job of pulling us into the story and none of my children (nor myself) felt that it had any bearing on our relationship with God as it was 'just a story and pretend' (those are the words of my children; paraphrased from the three of them)

I would recommend this book (and series) to anyone (old or young) who is looking for an exciting, fantastical romp. It does have underlying messages about society and politics (I found it more about the politics of religion over anything else.)

Enjoy
--Aileene

DO NOT BE FOOLED! Our family listened to the audio of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife - enjoying the action, while still having an uncomfortable feeling in the gut. When we got to the third book in the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass - we stopped listening. For the Christian - this is NOTHING SHORT OF BLASPHEMY. The entire series is about "killing God" in the author's own words. The third book in the worst - but all are bad....trying to set the trap to ensnare kids into the fantasy world of believing all this stuff. No, the demons, witches, spectors and talking animals didn't freak us out. It was the out-and-out lies of an athiest author that turned us off. So, IF YOU ARE CHRISTIAN....DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS SERIES.

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Oh, the ending was so sad!! Really, I loved the story and I am glad that I finally learned what Pan ended up as - which was the whole reason I began reading this series! I was surprised by how much death it involved - and the fact that there wasn't really a happily ever after, but only a sort of a hint at it... If there is a companion novel written, I imagine I would read it.

As for the religion issue, I must admit, it did get preachy in its own way in this book... which did detract from the story overall, I felt. Pullman's philosophy became redundant and I can see why this viewpoint alienated and offended more religious people. Still, it was an exciting book to read. All in all, I think Pullman's books aren't really for young children, but they are certainly entertaining for teens and even older.

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