Summary
The final entry in the His Dark Materials trilogy (which was inspired by John Milton's PARADISE LOST), THE AMBER SPYGLASS weaves together a number of story strands as the final battle between good and evil approaches. Will, with the help of a pair of Gallivespian agents, searches for Lyra who has been hidden away by the devious Mrs. Coulter. Scientist and ex-nun Mary Malone, trapped in an alternate world, must develop a device to track the progress of Dust lest the world's inhabitants, the mulefa, perish forever. And, all the while, a priest/assassin searches painstakingly through the worlds to prevent Lyra from fulfilling her ultimate destiny. The trilogy also includes THE GOLDEN COMPASS and THE SUBTLE KNIFE.
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Media Reviews
"Pullman's intellectual imagination has scope for inventions that can match his ambitious themes, but such freedom overrides the constraints of plot and characterization necessary to a credible and satisfying dramatic shape." -- Brian Alderson
-- New York Times Book Review
The question of God's existence, the problem of death, the power of the imagination-all these meet in Pullman's long-awaited conclusion. . . . [In the first two books], Pullman set up an argument between the old orders of faith and the new republicanism and scientism of the Enlightenment, an argument which was . . . utterly gripping. . . . It was pretty heady stuff, and rumors circulated that Pullman was paralyzed with writer's block. . . . In fact, there was no way he could satisfactorily conclude what he had undertaken, as the amazing, admirable, and disappointing The Amber Spyglass testifies. . . . I am willing to follow Pullman a long way . . . in his argument against our theological inheritance. . . . But to seize Heaven on the ground that it straightjackets desire, what a bore! . . . But we might remember that . . . blasphemy is often the handmaiden of awe. This fantasy series is worth a read.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company. -- Daria Donnelly
-- Commonweal
Fans who endured the three-year-wait . . . will be rewarded once more by powerful writing, vivid description, and realistic action. This 500-pager is packed with the struggles between good and evil, realizations both true and painful, and an almost-tangible sense of otherworldliness. Its myriad twisting and intertwining plots and its emotional roller coaster make it an exhausting yet exhilarating read. . . . Almost-13-year-old Lyra should not necessarily set the readership age. Some disturbing images and mature themes may make this book more appropriate for older readers.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company. -- Karen Carden
-- Christian Science Monitor
"THE AMBER SPYGLASS is vast and engrossing, though likely a little too challenging for younger readers or those lacking a certain intellectual sophistication." -- Monica Stark
-- January Magazine
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Random House Childrens Books
Published date: 2007
Size: 5.75 x 9.25 inches
Weight: 1.7 pounds
Ages: 10 to 12
Pages: 560
Synopses
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.
Publisher's Notes
In this conclusion to the fantasy trilogy begun by The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, Lyra encounters a host of new characters like Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spymaster to Lord Asriel, and the Mulefa, which are mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust--and its secrets.
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