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 ...  Read the complete review

** ...the dawn is surely coming ** The Amber Spyglass is the third and final volume of Philip Pullman's remarkable His Dark Materials trilogy. For me this book marks a return to form after the merely excellent middle volume, The Subtle Knife, and although it is not without its little flaws here and there it makes a very meaty and generally deeply satisfying conclusion to the series. Those who have read the first two books and are still wondering just why His Dark Materials is so hated in certain religious quarters will without a doubt find the answers here: although there are nasty priests and fallen angels, that's not the half of it. In fact, without trying ...  Read the complete review

I recently reviewed both 'Northern Lights' and 'the Subtle Knife', the acclaimed first two parts of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. This is the final volume in the series, and to my mind a suitably excellent continuation and final conclusion to the overarching story. It is a little longer than its predecessors, but this is by no means to its detriment. There is rich description here that was slightly less evident in the rest of the series, and this is necessary to gain a picture of the diverse locations and items encountered during the course of this book, more so than in the others. In this book the mystery explored through the first and second ...  Read the complete review

Right, I?ve dealt with The Northern Lights and The Subtle Knife so I guess it was kinda obvious that I was gonna get around to The Amber Spyglass sooner or later ? so OK, it?s sooner rather than not ? like the Guitarist Gary Lucas said: a little pain is good for you. There is no pain, however, in The Amber Spyglass, unless you take into account that it has, at some point, to end. It?s really is that simple. In many ways great stories are made by their climaxes. If only because it leaves the final and most indelible imprint in our minds. If all that went before is brilliant and all that ends is dross, we have a tendency to forget the beginning and ...  Read the complete review

The Amber Spyglass is the third and final part 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 the Whitbread Book of the Year 2001, this is a story that is just begging to be read and enjoyed by children and adults alike. -The Story is About... The ...  Read the complete review