His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Book 3)
The unforgettable His Dark Materials trilogy that began with The Golden Compass and continued with The Subtle Knife, reaches its astonishing conclusion in The Amber Spyglass. These modern fantasy classics have been hailed by Entertainment Weekly as an "All-Time Greatest Novel" and Newsweek as a "Top 100 Book of All Time"
Throughout the worlds, the forces of both heaven and hell are mustering to take part in Lord Asriel's audacious rebellion. Each player in this epic drama has a role to play—and a sacrifice to make. Witches, angels, spies, assassins, tempters, and pretenders, no one will remain unscathed.
Lyra and Will have the most dangerous task of all. They must journey to a gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone and from which there is no escape.
As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living—and the dead—comes to depend on Lyra and Will. On the choices they make in love, and for love, forevermore.
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Whitbread Award
Winner of the British Book Award (Children's)
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century
Published in 40 Countries
"Masterful.... This title confirms Pullman's inclusion in the company of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien." —Smithsonian Magazine
"Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the twentieth century. An astounding achievement." —The Cincinnati Enquirer
"War, politics, magic, science, individual lives and cosmic destinies are all here . . . shaped and assembled into a narrative of tremendous pace by a man with a generous, precise intelligence. I am completely enchanted." —The New York Times Book Review
"Breathtaking adventure . . . a terrific story, eloquently told." —The Boston Globe
Don't miss Philip Pullman's epic new trilogy set in the world of His Dark Materials!
** THE BOOK OF DUST **
La Belle Sauvage
The Secret Commonwealth
Throughout the worlds, the forces of both heaven and hell are mustering to take part in Lord Asriel's audacious rebellion. Each player in this epic drama has a role to play—and a sacrifice to make. Witches, angels, spies, assassins, tempters, and pretenders, no one will remain unscathed.
Lyra and Will have the most dangerous task of all. They must journey to a gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone and from which there is no escape.
As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living—and the dead—comes to depend on Lyra and Will. On the choices they make in love, and for love, forevermore.
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the Whitbread Award
Winner of the British Book Award (Children's)
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century
Published in 40 Countries
"Masterful.... This title confirms Pullman's inclusion in the company of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien." —Smithsonian Magazine
"Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the twentieth century. An astounding achievement." —The Cincinnati Enquirer
"War, politics, magic, science, individual lives and cosmic destinies are all here . . . shaped and assembled into a narrative of tremendous pace by a man with a generous, precise intelligence. I am completely enchanted." —The New York Times Book Review
"Breathtaking adventure . . . a terrific story, eloquently told." —The Boston Globe
Don't miss Philip Pullman's epic new trilogy set in the world of His Dark Materials!
** THE BOOK OF DUST **
La Belle Sauvage
The Secret Commonwealth
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Not quite as strong as the previous two, especially the first. The exposition is a bit blunt here, as Pullman tries to cover a lot of mythological ground in a relatively short space. It's certainly an adequate finale to the series, though.
My daughter and I enjoyed reading this third book in The Dark Materials trilogy. The story continues, with all sorts of twists and turns, featuring the same array of colourful characters, plus some fun new ones. We love Lyra and Will! This novel follows them closely as they use the Subtle Knife to visit a larger range of differing worlds. Pullman develops their relationships with each other, their daemons and the entire universe in a major way and this was riveting. In parts, unfortunately, we found the plot and some of its details very complex and hard to follow. This was probably not helped by reading the book in short intervals over a series of months. I think trying to read it more quickly would be advisable. There was also a considerable part of the story, in the middle of the book, where Lyra and Will travel to the world of the dead, which I did not really enjoy very much. It was drawn-out, uncomfortable and depressing. If I were editing, I would have kept this section much more brief. In contrast, we particularly liked the storyline which follows Mary Malone and her encounters with the Mulefa and their unusual world. One other thing to consider is that Pullman’s obvious disdain for the Christian church runs deep through these books. This could be upsetting for some people but, for us, it sparked some interesting discussions. Overall, His Dark Materials has been an addictive and fascinating ride for us. I can see why Ed Sheeran named his daughter after Lyra - this is certainly an enchanting read!
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