The Amber Spyglass

Philip Pullman (author)

Scholastic Children's Books, UK: 2001; 548pp

ISBN: 043999358X

Note: extension concepts, vocabulary

Issues: ethics, friendship, morality, personal development, philosophy, relationships, social condition

This final novel in Pullman's His Dark Material trilogy will enthrall readers - although they should be warned that these are not stand-alone novels but rather three sections of the one story.

Lyra has been taken captive again by her mother, who is keeping her in a drugged sleep in an effort to stop the young girl from fulfilling her destiny and perhaps, like Eve, causing the fall of humanity.

Will, in charge of the Subtle Knife, is determined to rescue Lyra before doing anything else, regardless of the consequences. Together they will then travel to help Lord Asriel in his quest to bring about the downfall of the Authority, of God himself, in order to release humanity from the bonds of doubt and misery that beset them. Can this be done? Should it be done? Opinions are many and those who argue are powerful and ruthless. Will and Lyra seek the path they are destined to follow regardless of the heartache it causes them - and it will lead them into the world of the dead, where Lyra must find Roger.

This incredibly complex narrative is only comprehensible to those who have read the previous novels. Although it is a page-turning adventure, full of dangerous encounters, difficult decisions and remarkable characters, more than anything it is a novel about the power of the individual to change the world for the better. It is about moral responsibility, social ethics and what makes us human. It is about personal change, emotional development, relationships, and the interdependence of creatures and their environment. It is about boundaries and comfort zones - and moving beyond them. It is about all of these things and more - and as such it is an exhilarating, absorbing, moving and inspirational piece of writing.

Pullman's final novel in this trilogy is a work of great depth and scope, the language poetic and filled with images that will dominated the reader's imagination. An enthralling blend of fantasy, adventure, epic, myth, philosophy and religion, it will appeal to a huge readership of all ages. Layers of meaning and subtle intertextual references will delight the advanced reader and lead them to the works of greats such as John Donne and John Milton - especially the latter's Paradise Lost.

Highly recommended and worth reading several times to absorb the many subtleties of the text