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Loading... The Amber Spyglass (2000)by Philip Pullman
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Ultimately, Pullman's reach exceeded his grasp. He just tried to cram too big a story into his trilogy (and especially in this last book). There are too many characters with incomplete story lines, who pop into the main narrative a little too frequently and a little too conveniently to save the protagonists. Properly fleshed out, this probably would have gone on for another novel or two. But by then, YA and adult readers alike would have lost interest because the story ultimately just isn't that interesting or satisfying.
The philosophical/metaphysical/theological point that Pullman introduces is just too muddled. Is the Authority God? Is Metatron? How can a being that "runs" multiple earths (if not their whole universes) be tricked so easily? And what the hell happens at the conclusion of the battle with the Kingdom of Heaven? We never learn because Lyra and Will just pop through to a different world and then completely lose interest in whether their friends survive. They never even once mention the battle again! Even 12-year-olds are not that self-absorbed. In the end, I just kept listening because I had already committed so much time to the book. But had I never checked the book out from the library, I probably would never have missed knowing how the trilogy ended. I like the message and the ideas behind these books, but the plot didn't really blow me off my feet. Especially the whole big battle is completely underdeveloped for something which was granted so much attention in the earlier books. The dusty conclusion doesn't really satisfy after 3 volumes of building up to... what exactly?! I suppose the thing about trilogies is that the story builds and builds and then it has to end. And really what ending is satisfying? This series surprised me in its religiosity (particularly the stuff about Christianity being a con) but the ending didn't surprise me at all. Still, I'd probably recommend it to kids 12 and up who like this sort of thing.
And as the bumpy journey among these dark materials comes to an end, there is the most moving of scenes: all fantasy subdued and only human frailty revealed in the real world of Oxford's Botanic Garden. Belongs to SeriesBelongs to Publisher SeriesGallimard, Folio (4617) Gallimard, Folio SF (146) Heyne Allgemeine Reihe (86424) Is contained inHas the adaptationHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Lyra and Will find themselves at the center of a battle between the forces of the Authority and those gathered by Lyra's father, Lord Asriel. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I remember it being not quite as perfect as the first two, but still worthy. ( )