Northern Lights, the Subtle Knife, the Amber Spyglass
1144 pages
English language
Published Jan. 16, 2011 by Everyman.
Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass. The epic story Pullman tells is not only a spellbinding adventure featuring armoured polar bears, magical devices, witches and daemons, it is also an audacious and profound re-imagining of Milton's Paradise Lost. An utterly entrancing blend of metaphysical speculation and bravura …
Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass. The epic story Pullman tells is not only a spellbinding adventure featuring armoured polar bears, magical devices, witches and daemons, it is also an audacious and profound re-imagining of Milton's Paradise Lost. An utterly entrancing blend of metaphysical speculation and bravura storytelling, HIS DARK MATERIALS is a monumental and enduring achievement.
Perhaps it’s because I’m well older than its target audience, but this was an overlong letdown
The first two-thirds or so of The Amber Spyglass were at least as strong, creative, and engaging as the previous two books [which I thoroughly enjoyed], but I cannot escape the feeling that the ending just wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be. The final chapters of this substantial trilogy were occasionally [not to mention ironically] tainted by deus ex machinas instead of further thoughtful plot development. If anything the ending felt premature. What seemed to be the promise of further adventures was stunted and ultimately foiled by deus ex machina and declarations that felt brittle and hollow to me when compared with the substance of the rest of the journey.
I am sincerely looking forward to the eventual release of The Book of Dust but, based on what I've read about it so far, I don't think it will do anything to rectify the untimely ending and …
The first two-thirds or so of The Amber Spyglass were at least as strong, creative, and engaging as the previous two books [which I thoroughly enjoyed], but I cannot escape the feeling that the ending just wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be. The final chapters of this substantial trilogy were occasionally [not to mention ironically] tainted by deus ex machinas instead of further thoughtful plot development. If anything the ending felt premature. What seemed to be the promise of further adventures was stunted and ultimately foiled by deus ex machina and declarations that felt brittle and hollow to me when compared with the substance of the rest of the journey.
I am sincerely looking forward to the eventual release of The Book of Dust but, based on what I've read about it so far, I don't think it will do anything to rectify the untimely ending and resolution that took place in The Amber Spyglass, which is a pity. It almost felt like there could've been a fourth book that began in the last fifth of The Amber Spyglass. It would've told more of the story that was simply hinted at before being abruptly glossed over and truncated at the end of the trilogy. This fourth book could even ultimately have ended in the same manner that The Amber Spyglass did. That would've been marvelous. Perhaps I'm over-eager and jumping to conclusions and this is precisely the sort of thing that The Book of Dust will do. We'll see.
All things considered, this was a very enjoyable and captivating journey. I'm just sorry that it ended leaving me feeling a bit bewildered and cheated rather than pleasantly exhausted and fulfilled. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
