The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman

Mar 04, 2011 mark monday rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastickal, kidworld

i just decided to copy-and-paste a response i wrote regarding this book in one of the GR groups. that is inexcusably lazy. so sue me! also, it is full of SPOILERS.

- i think one of the most unique things about this book is the fact that one protagonist is a liar and the other is a murderer. not only is that uncommon, particularly in YA lit, it is transgressive. i like how the tools that help these two in their amazing adventures are ones that are normally displayed by villains. and without their...more i just decided to copy-and-paste a response i wrote regarding this book in one of the GR groups. that is inexcusably lazy. so sue me! also, it is full of SPOILERS.

- i think one of the most unique things about this book is the fact that one protagonist is a liar and the other is a murderer. not only is that uncommon, particularly in YA lit, it is transgressive. i like how the tools that help these two in their amazing adventures are ones that are normally displayed by villains. and without their ruthless abilities to lie and to kill, they wouldn't have survived. to put these abilities in the hands of the protagonists is one way of showing that despite having negative attributes, a person can still be good and still be heroic. the characters are as complex as real people in that they are not all good. and in many ways, both the ability to lie and the ability to kill come back to haunt both children (particularly the latter) - they don't just get a free pass by the author. but nor are their flaws portrayed in a black-and-white way. many children lie. many people in the world have killed. but doing either does not make them automatically villains. i like that as well.

- as far as the author's atheism goes, it doesn't bother me and i think the series is quite separate from his point of view. the "God" that is destroyed is not actually God, he is a despot angel gone to seed, an imposter. i actually found the book to be exceedingly spiritual and very much connected to the ideas of love for humanity, love for nature, even love for spirituality in its own way. now obviously pullman is a curmudgeonly atheist...but i don't see those views shoved down readers' throats during the series. what i see is an ability to use ideas of 'angels' and 'heaven' without sentiment and to even subvert Christian paradigms....without actually saying 'There Is No God or Heaven'. that may be implied, but i think it can be argued that the opposite is also implied....that there may be a God and a Heaven that is above all of these angel hierarchies, all of the warfare.

- as a God-lover myself (i would hesitate to call myself 'Christian'), i am always on the look-out for sneaky, nihilistic, anti-spirituality tracts. those kinds of things annoy me just as much as the display of judgmental religious rhetoric. despite the author's personal perspective, i didn't notice that in this series, and i was looking for it. angels warring and a False God Angel to me do not amount to a renunciation of faith. if anything, it illustrates a critical stance towards current organized religion. i can deal with that. it is not all-or-nothing or black & white, it is a grey scale. and as i've mentioned, overall i found the novel to be deeply spiritual - pullman may be a curmudgeonly atheist; the morality of the book itself is not.

- personally, i thought the Chronicles of Narnia (one of my favorite series) was far more overt in its religious teachings than Golden Compass was in its 'question what you have been taught' lessons. Chronicles was a wonderful adventure AND a clear religious allegory. Golden Compass is a wonderful adventure AND a lesson in not blindly following faith - with the ultimate lesson that a person can still find their own personal way to faith & spirituality. i think that is a good lesson for kids. for everyone!(less)

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Jan 19, 2008 Paul rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay....first...make no mistake, this review contains spoilers.

Now, having read the first book (5 stars) and the second book (3 stars) I had some hope for this book. But, this book was an excruciating head-hammering look at an author making all the wrong moves.

1: Lyra's sublimation to Will becomes utterly complete. Hell, women are supposed to bend to men, aren't they? Lyra quit taking a step without fearing it would cause Will to raise his eyebrow.

2: Lyra's mother (who had been SUCH a wonderf...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Brad rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: most-hated, fantasy, avoid-at-all-costs

My entire review could be this: Phillip Pullman's "The Amber Spyglass" is one of the poorest closing books of a trilogy ever written.

But I feel compelled to continue. At one point, I actually stopped reading "The Amber Spyglass," put it down and vowed not to finish, but I wanted to be able to slag off the book with authority, so finishing became a must. And I even had a slight hope that Pullman could save his series

I did finish, but it never got any better.

Mulefa? Gallivespians? Iorek Byrnison...more My entire review could be this: Phillip Pullman's "The Amber Spyglass" is one of the poorest closing books of a trilogy ever written.

But I feel compelled to continue. At one point, I actually stopped reading "The Amber Spyglass," put it down and vowed not to finish, but I wanted to be able to slag off the book with authority, so finishing became a must. And I even had a slight hope that Pullman could save his series

I did finish, but it never got any better.

Mulefa? Gallivespians? Iorek Byrnison fixing the incredibly fragile subtle knife? The knife breaking at all? Mrs. Coulter continuing to live? The incredible coincidence of everyone meeting the same Cittàgazze kids? It was all too much, and it only got worse as the book went on.

Thematically it was equally frustrating. There has been so much talk about Pullman's anti-religiosity, but the most offensive part of The Amber Spyglass is Pullman's portrayal of women. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Pullman is a misogynist , but he does seem to have a poor understanding of women.

The five main women in "His Dark Materials" are a catalogue of feminine stereotypes. Lyra, as her name so clumsily suggests, is a consummate liar, who eventually becomes a moony-eyed, love sick teen, subordinating herself to her lover Will. Mrs. Coulter is a manipulative femme fatale whose only hint of goodness is her inexplicable maternal instinct. Mary Malone is the pure ex-nun full of kindness and curiosity, blessedly open to all new things. Seraphina Pekkala, the loyal witch, is the classic "heart of gold" character (usually she'd be a whore with a heart of gold, but in a kids book witch with a heart of gold will do). Then there is Mrs. Parry, Will's mom, and her madness (other women appear in the story more, but they're not as important as Will's mom). There are few if any shades of gray in these women, and as the book drew ever nearer the close I found myself hoping desperately for the women to do something unexpected. My wish went unfulfilled.

Maddening, frustrating, and a great disappointment because of what it promised, China Mieville got it right when he made his list of 50 books every good Marxist should read and said, "in book three, 'The Amber Spyglass,' something goes wrong. It has excellent bits, it is streets ahead of its competition… but there's sentimentality, a hesitation, a formalism, which lets us down."

On second thought, Mieville was too nice. "The Amber Spyglass" should be avoided like a plate of raw chicken meat on a hot African day. Read "The Golden Compass" and skip the rest. Period.(less)

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Jan 10, 2011 Maciek rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: fantasy, own-in-paperback, owned-books, read-in-2011, reviewed, the-ya-shelf, journeys-and-quests

This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
-T.S. Eliot

Warning: Contains spoilers.

The Amber Spyglass is the final volume in His Dark Materials trilogy.

I really enjoyed Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass as it is titled in the US), the first volume of the trilogy. Pullman introducted us to a fantastic world of great scope. It was suspenseful, the presented world was enchanting, and Northern Lights was pregnant with interesting ideas and concepts - that's why I chose to read al...more

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Jan 26, 2008 Jim O'Donnell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oooooof.

Too much. Way too much.

Pullman's series concludes like it started. Good but nothing great. And tiring. Very. The Amber Spyglass weighs as much as the other two books put together....and then some. Pullman pulls in still MORE main characters and still MORE beings and still MORE complications and still MORE unlikely, unbelievable turns-of-event. It just got to be too much. Between the witches and the angels and the cliff-ghasts, the shadows, the specters, the ghosts, the Gallivespians, the...more Oooooof.

Too much. Way too much.

Pullman's series concludes like it started. Good but nothing great. And tiring. Very. The Amber Spyglass weighs as much as the other two books put together....and then some. Pullman pulls in still MORE main characters and still MORE beings and still MORE complications and still MORE unlikely, unbelievable turns-of-event. It just got to be too much. Between the witches and the angels and the cliff-ghasts, the shadows, the specters, the ghosts, the Gallivespians, the armored bears....you come away feeling tha the author is trying to beat you over the head.

And yet, you cant stop turning the pages. It is well-written, suspensful and you just cant help wanting to know what happens next. Thus the extra star.

The vast assortment of characters and beings would be fine if it hadnt detracted from the well-crafted main characters of the first book. Mrs. Coulter becomes less of a player and less interesting by the page. The same with Asriel and...characters that should have been better fleshed out and worthy of the weight they carried in this war (The President, Father Gomez, Metatron...)were left virtually unknown.

Most maddening was Lyra. She began the series as an admirable, sympathetic, tough little woman-to-be; a wonderful, powerful heroine driven to do what was right. By the end of the series her subservience to the boy Will is complete. The woman must bow before the man. This book is much too full of "Oh Will! What will we do Will?" followed by her sobbing and Will saving the day. I found that very chauvenistic and quite a turn off.

Still, the ideas of the book are interesting - but not earth shattering. What initially drew me to this series was that the Christians are busy crying about how this series and the movie based on the books are going to corrupt our children and kill God and wreck havoc on our peaceable society. Laughable to say the least.

Understanding that this book was geared towards young teens, I still couldnt help but think that any teen who had not had these doubts or questions or wonderment about God should be tossed out in the snow. Many of the "anti-God" things in this book were things my friends and were arguing about over cases of Miller Genuine Draft in Stephanie Montez's basement. There's nothing new here.

So I dont understand the fuss. In fact, there is only one atheist character in the book, Mary Malone and she felt and empetiness and a loss without her connection to God. I found her rejection of the Church odd. She ate marzipan and kissed an Italian. Whoa! I ate roasted chesnuts and kissed a Colombian once but it didnt make me an atheist. Cant we believe in God and enjoy the world at the same time? Pullman seems not to think so. Therefore there is something ironic about the near heavenly place Dr. Malone finds herself stranded (in fact, the mulefas, thier trees and wheels and her relationship with them was the most interesting part of the book).

In any case, Pullman doesnt say that there is no God. In fact, he allows that there may be a creator, a greater force but the war isnt against God. The war is against the supposed Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal dictatorship run by an angel who wields power through the Church. What is atheistic about that? Nothing. What drives the Christians nuts is that the books but the very valid question in the reader's mind...who does The Church 'work' for? If you arent or havent asked yourself that question you too should be chucked out in the snow. Here, the Church clearly works for a corrupt and evil angel and considering little things like the Crusades and the Inquistion...not to mention the insane theocratic drive of our current President and candidate Huckabee...Pullman may have hit it on the head. God may indeed exist (for me It does)but 'His' spokesmen on earth, indeed his most ardent supporters, clearly do not work for US or for HIM.(less)

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Jun 21, 2011 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, story-review

- George, wake up!

- Ungh... what time is it?

- I think about four am. You were having a nightmare.

- Mmmn.

- Hey, you're shaking. Come over here. It's alright. Do you want to tell me about it?

- Ann Coulter and Satan jump into the void and pull him down with them. The evil archangel.

- I'm sorry?

- Ah, it doesn't make much sense, does it? But it did in the dream. It was even noble and tragic. I think.

- What else happened?

- Well, I know I shouldn't have stayed up reading that physics book. There was...more

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Feb 02, 2008 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In The Amber Spyglass Philip Pullman commits two serious authorial sins: he gets preachy and he loses control of his story. The result is book that, while excellent in places, is somewhat less enjoyable than the first two volumes of His Dark Materials.

In The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife the narrative focused on Lyra and Will, the two main characters. In this book the action jumps between their story and three or four others, which are at times peripheral and uninteresting. The most egregi...more In The Amber Spyglass Philip Pullman commits two serious authorial sins: he gets preachy and he loses control of his story. The result is book that, while excellent in places, is somewhat less enjoyable than the first two volumes of His Dark Materials.

In The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife the narrative focused on Lyra and Will, the two main characters. In this book the action jumps between their story and three or four others, which are at times peripheral and uninteresting. The most egregious case is the storyline that follows Father Gomez, the priest sent to kill Lyra. This story goes nowhere: he never encounters Lyra and is eliminated by a character we thought had left the book several hundred pages previously. His story serves no purpose other than to inject some cheap tension and offer a platform for another dig at the Magisterium/Church through the doctrine of preemptive absolution (a cool idea, it must be said). This seems to be the motivation for many of the digressions. It's almost as if Pullman had a list of neat ideas, realized this was his last chance to get them in the series, and resolved to insert them at any cost.

There is also a great deal of convenience in the narrative. The alethiometers have become both deus and machina: everyone has one and can suddenly read them almost perfectly. This becomes a crutch for Pullman to move the story along without much motivation. Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, at best morally ambiguous in the previous books, have become good for unclear reasons.

For all these narrative problems on the fringes, the central story involving Lyra and Will is strong. The more serious problem is the preachiness. Narratively the problem is that it's very heavy handed, but I don't want to focus on that. Nor do I object to the content of Pullman's message. My problem is that Pullman seems to be mistaken about what he is preaching.

Pullman has claimed in interviews that he wanted to be the anti-C. S. Lewis and that unlike Milton, who was of the Devil's party and didn't know it, he is of the Devil's party and knows it. These claims certainly helped raise the profile of the books and the film (about which less said, the better), but they are overstated. I believe, on the contrary, that Pullman is of God's party and doesn't know it. Pullman's cosmology is very similar to Christianity's, and his trilogy very similar to more overtly Christian fantasies like The Chronicles of Narnia.

This may seem to be a perverse claim to make. Pullman, after all, has a chacter whom we are supposed to believe say Christianity "is a very powerful and convincing mistake." But it is at least a plausable reading. In the first place, Pullman's world is not atheist. It is pantheist: the universe is god. This god communicates through the alethiometer and other truth-telling devices, which not only tell the factual truth, but also give moral advice. The alethiometer frequently tells Lyra that things are right and wrong, not just true or false.

Second, the relationship between god and the demonic element (The Authority) is exactly the same as it is in Christian accounts of Satan. In both cases a creature falsely claims to be the creator in order to gratify his own pride and exert his own power. This rebellion is the origin of evil in both stories. In both cases things can be set right by recognizing and rejecting the false claims of the demonic authority, a miraculous and unexpected intervention by the true god, and learning to love one another. Admittedly Christians are not pantheists, but most do not believe God is a lion either. Pullman has changed the form, but the content is remarkably similar.

Finally, both Pullman and Lewis show their characters learning moral lessons that the reader is also supposed to imbibe. In both cases the characters learn to be brave, honest, and loyal; to sacrifice their own immediate desires to the needs of others; and to pursue truth and knowledge, including to question authority. Pullman is not exactly tearing up the foundations of Christian morality here.

Rather than seeing Pullman as an atheist or anti-Christian author, it is more accurate to see his as part of a long tradition of English anti-clerical (and perhaps anti-papist, although that's a different review) writers. Many Christians have understood the visible Church to be corrupt and the clergy to be ambitious for power, without ceasing to be Christian. Some might even argue this is an essential truth of Christianity.(less)

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Jan 19, 2011 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religion, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I also liked the third book a bit less than the others. The whole thing seemed rushed, as if he threw together every disparate idea he could think of at the last minute and didn't really plan ahead. I wanted this to be a great series, but it didn't really reach its potential.

I really liked the descriptions of angels at the beginning of the second book, as these strangely alien creatures with wisdom far beyond our own and their attention fixed on other-worldly things. But as the story progressed,...more

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Jul 15, 2009 Joe rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was twisted. The plot was very contrived and the characters have lost the remaining appeal that they had in the first 2 books. The "redemption" of Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel is utterly unconvincing. Pullman makes an open mockery of God, whom he depicts as a weak, timid, helpless old being manipulated by a twisted, tryanicial angel. No, Lyra and Wil don't kill God in the end, but Pullman does. The story culminates in the predictable recreation of Adam and Eve's experience in the gard...more This book was twisted. The plot was very contrived and the characters have lost the remaining appeal that they had in the first 2 books. The "redemption" of Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel is utterly unconvincing. Pullman makes an open mockery of God, whom he depicts as a weak, timid, helpless old being manipulated by a twisted, tryanicial angel. No, Lyra and Wil don't kill God in the end, but Pullman does. The story culminates in the predictable recreation of Adam and Eve's experience in the garden, with the conclusion that Satan had it right all along.
The problem with Pullman's "Republic of Heaven" ideal is that he puts too much faith in humanity. History has proven time and again that men are incapable of building and sustaining a truly benevolent society. We need God in order to build heaven. (The true God, not a warped idea of Him as seen in many religions today). The only thing worse than religious oppression is Godless oppression.
Pullman is right that men have corrupted the truth, and this is manifest in many false teachings in religions today, but he is wrong in concluding that this is God's fault, or that the very idea of God is false, and that God himself is a corrupt invention of man. There is a God, He is good, and there is a true way of worshipping him that affirms humanity.
Pullman is also right that human passions have wrongfully been suppressed by many religions. But he is wrong in suggesting that there should be no higher authority to set bounds on human passions. Our passions are God-given, and God desires that we enjoy them. He teaches us, not to deny ourselves of these passions, but to deny ourselves of selfish and harmful (to ourselves or to others) expressions of these passions. There is an appropriate bounds. True religion strikes the right balance between the full expression of human passion and approprate self restraint.
Finally, Pullman is also right about one thing in the Garden of Eden: it was a good thing, ultimately, that Adam and Eve partook of that fruit. It is in fact what God intended to happen. There was nothing inherently evil in the fruit itself. The sin was in doing so at Satan's urging. (less)

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Mar 11, 2008 JoLee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-young-adult

First of all, I would not recommend these books to kids. I don't think that most kids would be able to navigate the intricacies of Pullman's ideas and separate the story from the rhetoric. I see this as a major problem since they are written for and marketed to children.

That being said, there are a lot things about the books that I found really interesting. For example, the people of this world have a creature that is part of them, their daemon. The daemons are a physical manifestation of the pe...more First of all, I would not recommend these books to kids. I don't think that most kids would be able to navigate the intricacies of Pullman's ideas and separate the story from the rhetoric. I see this as a major problem since they are written for and marketed to children.

That being said, there are a lot things about the books that I found really interesting. For example, the people of this world have a creature that is part of them, their daemon. The daemons are a physical manifestation of the person's soul, which is an incredibly interesting idea. The children have daemons that can change forms symbolizing how their personalities are not fixed or decided. When a child matures his daemon takes on a form that best portrays that person's character and personality. In a way the daemons act as a conscious; they also reveals character traits that a person might want to keep hidden.

Pullman's books definitely have an anti-organized religion slant. But the issues that Pullman tackles in the first couple books are things that I don't believe in anyway - like original sin and the church wielding political power. Here's what Pullman himself said about that, "When religion acquires that power, it goes bad very rapidly. That's the criticism I think the story of His Dark Materials is making, because in Lyra's world, power is wielded by religious authority, and that's why it's gone wrong." One of the major conflicts in the story is a Galileo-esque tale of a man who makes a scientific discovery that goes against the doctrine of the Magestrium (the church and the seat of political power.) And since he is like Galileo, you can imagine how well the Magestrium takes that discovery.

One thing that really bothered me about the first couple books actually has nothing to do with Pullman but just the general state of the world right now. That is the fact that it always seems like the church goers in books have to be crazy - either crazy controlling or crazy religious or just plain crazy. I'm shaking my head now in frustration.

Where things got dicey for me with Pullman's books was in the last book of the trilogy. Now instead of fighting against the corrupt church, Lyra's father wages a war against heaven and God is portrayed as an old man, which I found pretty offensive. However, that being said, I never got the impression that Lyra's dad was a "good guy" or that he was doing the right thing by trying to overthrow God.

As far as the physically inappropriate behavior is concerned, I never really could decide what happened in that scene. It's clear that the kids love each other (they actually aren't that young, 14 and 15, I think) but that is all that is clear. Involved in this situation, is a character who is told that she is "to play the serpent," as in the Garden of Eden. And, I suppose, that if you believed that Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because of some sexual sin (which I know people do), you might read this section of the book in that way. But I'm not sure if that is what Pullman was going for.

Ok. So final run down. Is all the criticism hype? No. But most of it is too heavy handed. Am I sorry I read the books? No. And I would even consider reading them again. I would like to get my mind around some of Pullman's critiques and see if I feel as uncomfortable with some of the stuff as I did the first time (it's been 4 years probably). I walked into these books blindly. I didn't have any idea what I was getting myself into when I started reading them, and so I think I was doubly shocked by some of the themes of the books. But what a fruitful conversation Pullman has started. I would love to talk to someone who has carefully and thoughtfully read the books. I saw the movie but Nate didn't, and I really wished that he had so that we could talk about it and try to separate Pullman's ideas from those of his characters.(less)

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Sep 19, 2007 Corie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone over 12

Shelves: fantasy-science_fiction, young-adult, true-love, brain-candy

If you haven’t read the ENTIRE three books, please don’t read any further. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you because the ending is so endearing and…..lasting, that I would HATE to take it away from you.

I absolutely fell in love with Lyra. Didn’t you? She was the sister I wish I would have had growing up. She was myself as I played with all of my brothers in the mudfields, she was the daughter I’m sure every woman would yearn to have. In my opinion, Philip Pullman was brilliant in his creation...more If you haven’t read the ENTIRE three books, please don’t read any further. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you because the ending is so endearing and…..lasting, that I would HATE to take it away from you.

I absolutely fell in love with Lyra. Didn’t you? She was the sister I wish I would have had growing up. She was myself as I played with all of my brothers in the mudfields, she was the daughter I’m sure every woman would yearn to have. In my opinion, Philip Pullman was brilliant in his creation of this little girl. Her flaws were her strength just as much as her strengths were her salvation. And when you take her inquisitive innocence and throw in Will’s brave maturity…..together, the two of them are almost too much to bear. I was heady with adoration for the two of them combined. I’m sure some would say they were too perfect together, too sappy, too trite. But my cynicism runs deep and my heart was still touched. Maybe it’s because I’m a girl or because my heart still remembers the depth of that first love. The absoluteness of it. My heart remembers “Going to China”, (haa haa) and it longs to visit again.

Will was the boy every girl wants to fall in love with. Loyal, strong, clever, honest, sweet and faithful. I hated him for agreeing to close every single window except one, but loved him for his dedication to do what’s “right”. I wanted to shake him and tell him that when he gets older he will realize that one more window wouldn’t have mattered – that what he was at Lyra’s side was worth one silly little window in the fabric of the worlds. But of course, he wouldn’t listen to me, because he is young and doesn’t know how rare True Love is. So I sighed (and cried) and watched them (felt them!) split forever. And I agonized over whether they would ever figure out how to Astral Project into eachother's lives. And if the one would wait for the other when they died, so that they could walk out the window they created hand in hand. I could literally picture them sitting there on that bench for an hour each year, aching for eachother once again. Sigh....

I liked how Mrs. Coulter was deep enough to be both intrinsically evil and love Lyra with a blindly, maternal love in the end. I liked how the Master at Jordon and John Faa were father figures in their own ways. I liked little Roger’s complete faith and how Iorek’s devotion was tempered with a knowledge that was higher than either of the children’s.

I did find Mary Malone unbearably boring and found myself wishing away any chapter having to deal with her and her mulefa. Get back to the real story of Lyra and Will! I could have done without her entire story line.

And of course there was Pantalaimon. How much do we all wish we had a dæmon that we could see, touch, talk to, rely on? How much fun would it be to have a morphing little partner in everything we do? Ahhh, was a fun concept to explore and probably the very secret to HDM’s success. Pullman’s descriptions of the different dæmon’s throughout each book were descriptive, imaginative and comical.

All in all, an excellent book. I wish I would have read it slower so that I could have enjoyed Lyra and Will's company a little longer.

(less)

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Oct 19, 2007 Pige rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

I actually finished this book a couple weeks ago. But life outside of goodreads, my general frustrations with the book, and the sense that reading it and thinking about it was contributing to an extended bought of grumpiness kept me from putting any thought or effort towards commenting on it here.
I suppose I should get it over with now. I have to say that reading this book was at times overwhelmingly painful and my main motivation for actually finishing it was to be able to know for myself that...more

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Sep 30, 2009 Qt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

5 stars for the writing quality.

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Apr 20, 2007 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: favorites, own, scifi-fantasy

Heartbreaking, cynical, beautiful, potentially life-changing.

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May 01, 2008 Susie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Considering all the recent controversy surrounding Pullman's Dark Materials, I was careful to avoid reading any articles or reviews that would taint my opportunity to judge this book on face value. I found it to be an incredible story. Pullman drew from history, religion and science to form his own unique creation. I can't say that it was remarkably uplifting, or inspiring, or even that it made me question my view of life and how my religion plays into that. In fact, it probably only solidified...more

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Jul 17, 2007 Sammy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: b-the-good

Okay, before I say what I need to say let me just say that I really loved this series, it was inventive and original, I've never really read anything like it. The only disappointment was that it seemed anti-climactic. I was expecting a little more to the ending, going out with a bang, not the relatively quiet exit that it actually had. It didn't kill the novel for me, but it did disappoint me a bit. I'm wondering if Pullman chickened out with a big ending he originally intended or someone steppe...more Okay, before I say what I need to say let me just say that I really loved this series, it was inventive and original, I've never really read anything like it. The only disappointment was that it seemed anti-climactic. I was expecting a little more to the ending, going out with a bang, not the relatively quiet exit that it actually had. It didn't kill the novel for me, but it did disappoint me a bit. I'm wondering if Pullman chickened out with a big ending he originally intended or someone stepped in and made him change it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter because the book does deal with some pretty controversial issues. Either way everything was tied up very nicely and all my questions were answered. But he also ended it in a way that sort of left it so you can also make your own decisions on what happened or what else will happen, I liked that a lot because I felt that it meant Pullman had a lot of trust in his readers.

Once again Pullman's writing did not disappoint, he explained things without spelling them out but also so even those not well versed in religion, science or fantasy could understand what he was talking about. His vivid descriptions still survived well into the last page of this last book. And even though there was a lot of jumping around from character to character it was done smoothly so the reader wasn't annoyed or left feeling jarred out of place. All of his characters grew and became even more demensional, though it did make Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter a little more confusing... were they good or were they bad? I kind of enjoyed that delicate line they balanced on.

I think one of the most wonderful parts in the story was Will and Lyra's relationship. It had to be treated so carefully because while they were still kids on the cusp of becoming adults, they had just been through so much that shaped them and had them grow. The relationship just didn't happen, there were hints scattered throughout so when they finally did get together you weren't seeing it as unbelievable, you were seeing it as something you knew was coming. It also wasn't too adult, it was perfect for them. Children that weren't quite children due to what they had just been through, but not quite adults due to their age. It was heartbreaking when they wouldn't be able to be together anymore because you knew it just wasn't a young first love, it was a true and deep love they more than likely won't find again. It was because their love was so raw and undying that they were able to change the Dust and help the worlds. It was honest, true love, the love that Mary explained to them, the "forbidden fruit" if you will.

Overall I loved this series, every character was a joy unless they were specifically supposed to be cruel and unliked, and even then they weren't annoying and I wasn't finding myself wanting to skip past the pages they were in. The fact that Pullman was able to address so many issues (especially the ones about religion) without getting preachy or dry was another thing I think made the novels truly enjoyable. As a Christian I didn't feel the need to get defensive about how he represented God and religion altogether because he presented it in a fashion that while you believed it to be true in the world of the novels, you knew it wasn't an outright attack on the beliefs of many.

In the end this was a fantastic series that was very much a worthwhile and enjoyable read. I don't think it's a series that's aimed towards a specific group of people because it encompasses so much. There is bound to be something within the novel you find and bond to that keeps you reading. And, personally, as much as they say it's a children's book, I think it's totally an adult read as well. Maybe even moreso than a kid's read, you think?(less)

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Nov 29, 2011 Blair rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booker-prize

I got quite far into this (more than halfway through) but still didn't feel particularly bothered about it - a disappointment after I enjoyed The Subtle Knife so much. My interest in the story just completely petered out, for some reason.

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Jun 03, 2012 Wei Cho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, steampunk, science-fiction, young-adult

Loved the book! As much as I disliked the ending, because I truly enjoyed the Lyra-Will relationship, I think it was appropriate. Sometimes I felt that the story strayed too far away from the original goal, or, the original goal was very confusing. But good book nonetheless. :)

Edit: Now I have more time to write a better review:
This book was sweet, well-rounded. There were extremely sad moments throughout the book (at least for me). One thing that I curse Phillip Pullman for is the subtlety of h...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, steam-punk, childrens, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Although I loved the first two books I thought this was definitely the weakest, the story just strayed too far from the protagonists - Lyra and Will. It tried to cover too much ground and was running so many random stories simultaneously it had to resort to introducing a character on one page just so it could follow them for a chapter, or even a few paragraphs. This means you ended up following more and more background characters you essentially don't care that much about.

I think you're in troub...more Although I loved the first two books I thought this was definitely the weakest, the story just strayed too far from the protagonists - Lyra and Will. It tried to cover too much ground and was running so many random stories simultaneously it had to resort to introducing a character on one page just so it could follow them for a chapter, or even a few paragraphs. This means you ended up following more and more background characters you essentially don't care that much about.

I think you're in trouble when you decide to make your heroine - the most endearing and interesting character of the books - lie asleep for the first half of the novel. I also found the mulefla characters and the Mary Malone story strand extremely dull, and the simplistic view of their primitive culture irksome, what a coincidence that their society was structured perfectly as a moral example to the humans in the story of the best way to live. I get that their world was the equivalent of the garden of Eden, but if they are going to be so boring do we have to spend quite so much time with them away from the main story?

In regards to the main quest story of Lyra and Will, it became very frustrating as more and more random stuff was thrown at them to stop them reaching their goal. I wished they had got to and been a larger part of the big battle sequence sooner. When it was revealed they were going to have to go to the land of the dead to apologize to Roger etc, my heart sank. Although I did find it hilarious that everyone in the underworld was a cockney too! All in all there was just too much filler in the story for me.

As far as the theology went I didn't think it was anti religious and to my mind Phillip Pullman came across as a Christian or believer in God who is also a rational humanist. The character who I think he most closely associates with is Mary Malone and when at the end she gave the children the lecture about her life and her beliefs, that felt to me to be a moment the book stepped outside the world of the story to give an opinion about religion in the real world. Mary questions whether God exists and tells the children - we may never know etc, so live for the now. I felt this was a bit strange since the children just killed God/the Authority in the previous chapter? Pullman seems to be pulling back from his own story a little here - so that he stops short of killing god or the church or any part of any of the worlds in his story. I did think the very ending, the parting of Will and Lyra was beautifully written, and so emotionally engaging, and struck exactly the right balance. Though I probably could have done without some of the moral message.

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Oct 30, 2008 Clare rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This review and reviews of the two other books in this trilogy are posted on my blog at http://inputs.wordpress.com/2008/12/1...

This book is well written and the story really hooks you in, but I really disliked the philosophy Pullman is pushing. This philosophy seems to be a kind of Nietzschean materialist version of gnosticism (phew!). His is a universe which allows only of one interpretation, a place where the event is nothing but the intervention of chaos and the void and must be negated so t...more This review and reviews of the two other books in this trilogy are posted on my blog at http://inputs.wordpress.com/2008/12/1...

This book is well written and the story really hooks you in, but I really disliked the philosophy Pullman is pushing. This philosophy seems to be a kind of Nietzschean materialist version of gnosticism (phew!). His is a universe which allows only of one interpretation, a place where the event is nothing but the intervention of chaos and the void and must be negated so the status quo can be restored in the full glory of its disciplinary order. It is a universe where the human curiosity for knowledge leads to ruin and annihilation (although the author overtly claims the opposite) and where the fluidity of identity must be replaced by the supremacy of the rational and by fixed identity.

Just to break down those abstractions a bit. The ‘event’ is the opening up of windows to other worlds by scientists – Lord Asriel and the scientists in the Cittagazze. This leads to the beginning of the breakdown of the universe and the potential annihilation of consciousness. It is scientific curiosity about what is out there and other worlds that leads to this situation.

Views on identity centre around daemons (souls). Children have daemons which can change shape until they reach puberty. After that, they become fixed which Pullman indicates several times is a good thing and a sign of maturity and wisdom. This identity also appears to maintain the social order. Once a servant always a servant. As Lyra explains in The Amber Spyglass the daemons of servants are usually dogs, indicating that these are people who need to be led and ordered around. One is not a servant due to unjust social circumstances or questionable social hierarchies but because that is what one’s nature is and one must remain as ordained. Entire armies of Tartars have wolf daemons. If one is not happy with one’s daemon – too bad – you are stuck with it. So much for social justice or working on the self as a project.

Lyra, when she hits puberty, loses her intuitive ability to read the alethiometer and must then be formed by the disciplinary institution of the (boarding) school in order to develop rational techniques to read it. It is the Modernist idea that fantasy and intuition are the province of childhood and are properly replaced by adult ‘rationality’. C. Wright Mills provides a classic example of this kind of thinking in his 1959 work The Sociological Imagination.

Dust appears to be conscious matter which works in sync with humans – it is both attracted to humans and generated by humans. It relies on humans to aggregate into a conscious form. Angels are beings who can’t quite pull it off in terms of really existing because they have no real material body. They are half existences (even if they are powerful) and envy the body of humans.

A propos this angelic nature, Will is content to ask entities such as angels whether they are stronger or weaker than humans. When the first angel he meets, Balthamos, replies he is weaker than humans, Will bluntly tells him that he has to do what he orders him to do in that case. This theme of exploiting his position as the strongest emerges again and again. If Will thinks he can exercise power over somebody or something he doesn’t hesitate to do so. The Nietzschean hero indeed.

‘God’ or ‘the Authority’ is an evil being who only wants to dominate and control Man and is frightened of the power of the latter. What we have here is an old-fashioned modernist anthropomorphic view of the universe. Humans (and the equivalents thereof) are the centre and the raison d’être of all conscious being.

On another topic, the idea of a romantic interlude between two twelve year old children resulting in the salvation of the universe both present and future is both tacky and unconvincing. Why should ‘Dust’ (aka conscious matter particles) find such an event to be the stabilising point?

There is no room for multiple interpretations of elements within Pullman’s cosmology, which makes it a very closed and small universe. At the same time it is hard to pin down what is actually going on satisfactorily and it all seems very confused and self-contradictory at the edges. It would appear that both scientific and spiritual forms of experimental knowledge are dangerous to the well-being of the entire universe and that the best we can do is conform to a rigid disciplinary status quo which will preserve our nature and protect us from the danger of annihilation. There is nothing but a gaping void beyond or outside of this status quo. Even when you are dead you are recycled to guarantee the ongoing existence of this ghastly stasis.

In conclusion, one is left with nowhere to go at the end of Pullman’s trilogy but that would appear to be the author’s aim in any case.
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Sep 29, 2011 Somesuchlike rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-speculative-fiction, author-phillip-pullman

My God, this book is confusing. I have read it several times, and I couldn't explain the plot to anyone. I just don't get it. There's too much going on.

The relationship between Will and Lyra, I think, becomes less interesting as they become closer, so, obviously, by the time they're professing their love for each other, I just don't care any more. I don't care that they're split up forever - by the end of the book, Lyra has lost everything that made her interesting.
And, well... they're twelve....more

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May 20, 2008 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those with an open mind, lovers of great storytelling

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was surprised in looking over the reviews for the final book of the trilogy--so much disappointment, anger, bitterness! While I don't believe the book is flawless, I felt a lot of reviewers took out their frustrations on Pullman's politics or his decision to twist the happy ending rather than on the storytelling itself. I thought, whatever problems you have with the book, the storytelling, magic, and emotional power of the book were absolutely riveting. I rarely rush through books so quickly,...more I was surprised in looking over the reviews for the final book of the trilogy--so much disappointment, anger, bitterness! While I don't believe the book is flawless, I felt a lot of reviewers took out their frustrations on Pullman's politics or his decision to twist the happy ending rather than on the storytelling itself. I thought, whatever problems you have with the book, the storytelling, magic, and emotional power of the book were absolutely riveting. I rarely rush through books so quickly, but I would find myself staying up to read "just one more" chapter and move through three or four because I just couldn't put it down. Because I don't really know where to start, I'll just address some of the main problems other people have mentioned.

1) The "there are too many main characters/worlds/ideas" thing. I respectfully disagree; I felt that he expanded on characters we had known previously (particularly Mary Malone, who I really came to love), while simultaneously introducing new, fully-fleshed out characters. I didn't need an entire book devoted to Balthamos or Baruch to understand them, or more exposition on Atal's life before Mary's visit to the mulefa's world. I loved watching the development of Tialys and the Lady Salmakia. Ultimately, I felt he wove these new lives in without ever losing the sense of Lyra and Will--who I think were even more smartly written and complex here than in either of the other two books. I think Pullman was surprisingly deft at weaving everything together while keeping a strong primary focus on Lyra and Will's coming-of-age (and "Fall").

2) Several people think his character choices were mere plot devices or cop-outs. For instance, Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, and their redemption through their love for Lyra and for one another. While I loved Mrs. Coulter as a deliciously cruel villainess, I think his decisions with her character in this were both surprising and wonderfully done. Mrs. Coulter explains it herself--she had saved Lyra twice before in the other books; that she did so again here really wasn't out-of-the-blue in this book, as so many people have said. Her love for Lyra may have seemed out-of-character to some, but for me, it made perfect sense. The thing I loved about Mrs. Coulter most was that I never really knew what she would do next. You come to assume she's going to make ridiculously cruel moves, but even then, what were her motives? Whose side was she on? Would she switch? Her changes and redemption in this, for me, just proved that Mrs. Coulter was the most superbly unpredictable character of the trilogy. I'll concede that Asriel was a bit more surprising to me in a less skillful way, but we did see a bit of a preface to the final scene between him, Coulter, and Metatron (Asriel/Marisa's union) at the end of the first book, when he offered his hand to her to work together. So I felt it still made sense and was really touching, at least for me. Someone mentioned the harpies--I found the whole bit in the Land of the Dead to be incredibly moving and invigorated. That the harpies came around resonated with me--yes, it does seem a bit silly that no one would have thought to tell the harpies stories beforehand, but I think themes of truth and storytelling (and stories as a way towards redemption or creative expression) were finally fulfilled here, after much leading up to them through Lyra.

3) The religious aspect. While I certainly agree with one review that called Pullman out on his inherently pantheistic world, I don't think that should necessarily be considered a flaw, simply because he identifies himself and the trilogy as anti-theistic. There is, of course, some Higher Power in Pullman's world(s)--but that power isn't God, it isn't his high angels, and it isn't the church. That in itself is a bold move for a "children's" author (or most any author) to make. While Dust certainly has some kind of mystical subtext to it, I think his decision to place religion in the hands of the natural universe is beautifully written and thought-out. Sure, they kill God (which has been called blasphemy by some reviewers--why read/review it, if you're going to give it an unwarranted one star on the sole basis of your divergence from his (and the book's) politics?)--but I think Pullman makes quite clear that the greater meaning of the war against God, etc. is that it is rather against the Kingdom of Heaven, which is corrupt and tyrannical, losing the meaning of the supposed "goodness" of religion altogether. I'm an atheist, but just as his rejection of orthodox religion didn't bother me, neither did his inability to fully narrate an atheist storyline/world/whathaveyou. So to bash the book on the basis of disagreeing with the underlying value system seems to me an injustice; it's not a theological polemical or academic essay--it's a book, and a terrific one, in my mind.

Of course, as I said, it's not perfect. The end was a bit disappointing, but for me, again, it made sense. I think I would prefer the realization that adults have to face hardships--like separation, lost-love, recognition of the self in the context of many others--than to have everything tied up in a pretty, romantic package. That Will and Lyra must be separated seems to me the most adult moment of the trilogy; as they move from childish selfishness into the hard realities of adult responsibility and decision-making, they make the hardest decision of their lives, and effectively seal the deal of their Fall from childhood to adulthood. So while it may not be the saccharinely satisfying union of the two in eternal love, it leaves the reader with a sense of loss and nostalgia, which everyone must face as they enter the real world. I would have preferred more of Serrafina Pekkala and Iorek (among a few other favorite characters), and I felt that the Fall itself wasn't as epic as it was built up to be, but I felt really satisfied with the book and the trilogy on the whole. I think it's more disheartening to see so many reviews bashing it for reasons I don't really understand, and many that seem, quite frankly, inessential to the book/trilogy itself. I still highly recommend it to anyone with an open mind and a love of great storytelling.

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Tanya Not on my part....not really....I just don't think it functions as a complete piece of literature...I don't care what the subject matter is....the cha...more
Jul 27, 2008 02:56pm

Shara This was a brilliantly written review. You were able to take every negative criticism of this book and poignantly elaborate and effectively argue why...more
updated Jul 13, 2009 11:13am

Jamie Shara wrote: "This was a brilliantly written review. You were able to take every negative criticism of this book and poignantly elaborate and effectiv...more
Jul 13, 2009 03:33pm

Dec 20, 2007 Lori Anderson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I am so glad I'm done reading this series. It's languished on my bookshelf for ages before I finally decided to read it.

I'm sorry I did.

First, I hated how the first book was written -- so many references to things that weren't explained -- I felt like maybe I'd missed a book or something, but no, this was the FIRST one. I hated the main character, Lyra. It just wasn't grabbing me. I slogged on.

The second book got better with the introduction of Will. I liked him. He seemed like a good person,...more

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Nov 08, 2007 Erinina Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erinina-approved

Okay, so I'm being especially harsh on these books, because I think I'm trying to figure something out about my own young adult novel. My criticisms are harsh I think because the books are actually so powerful and wonderful and tell a story with three of my strongest beliefs contained within them. But, I can't shake my annoyance at 1) the condemnation of the church (surprising coming from me, I know) 2) the central significance of sex and now 3) the trite and naive purity with which 'native' cul...more

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Jun 07, 2007 Steve Coughlan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Holy Moley! We go from "Ripping Yarn" in the first two volumes to "Ripping Yarn + Theology" in The Amber Spyglass. That, plus tying up all the loose ends and touching base with just about every character from the first two volumes (even the dead ones... the whole middle third of the book, makes this a looooong goodread. It's got that basic LOTR Fantasy structure... little people doing heroic deeds and saving the universe (not one world, not a few, but all of them everywhere... or at least life o...more

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Feb 25, 2008 Antonio rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: christians

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, this instalment is by far the most complex and fast-paced out of the three. The many threads that make the parable intriguing and twined together very well, though sometimes it goes beyond well into either redundancy or beating, if not a dead horse, then at least one in agony.

No trilogy could really hope to be perfect, and as such this one loses steam at the end, but it still did not disappoint. Should I ever have the misfortune of reproducing, this series...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Megara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, sci-fi, young-readers

I found the first half of the book tedious but it picked up at the end. The battle was particularly interesting... and how Lyra and Will go into the after life. I liked how the book ended; I was almost anticipating a Harry Potter conclusion where they fast-forward into the future and Lyra and Will live happily ever after but that wasn't the case. I think the ending was a lot more realistic and in turn a lot more satisfying; however depressing.

There were a few bits of the story that I found unbe...more

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Jun 17, 2009 Porter rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was in high school, the local video arcade passed out fliers that that evening, after a $2 admission, you could play all the video games for free. I and several of my friends went and enjoyed ourselves.

And then suddenly they closed the doors, turned off all the games, and a preacher got up and proceeded to try to "save" us.

True, we had already gotten our money's worth, and we we could have gotten up and left (even though all of us wanted to but none of us had the nerve). But we still felt...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Samyogita rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Crude and disappointing, to say the least. So much so that if Pullman had named *this* part The Subtle Knife, the editors would have asked him to change it to The Knife. I won't spoil it for you but be warned that for a work that began almost as some sort of wonderfully irreverant atheist propoganda, it all ends on a shockingly religious/ christian note.

And even that wouldn't have mattered if it had been well written. But on that front The Amber Spyglass is probably the weakest of the trilogy....more

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Mar 15, 2012 zazii rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cualquier rastro de sutileza con respecto a la posición ateísta del autor es arrancada de tajo en el libro final de esta trilogía. Atrás quedaron las insinuaciones sobre el papel de la Iglesia, en esta entrega Philip Pullman la ataca de lleno, sin pelos en la lengua (¿o en la pluma?).

El detalle y la intensidad de la prosa no sólo reflejan la madurez de la historia, sino también de los jóvenes protagonistas, que muy a su pesar saltan de la niñez a la adolescencia vertiginosamente, en una transici...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
SPOILER - Loose end?	29	310	May 21, 2013 08:57am
Who else cried? (SPOILER!!)	23	148	Jan 21, 2013 07:41am
who wants to change the ending of this book	4	46	Nov 22, 2012 03:00pm
Am I the only one that hated this series?	78	557	Oct 14, 2012 02:25pm
Amber Spyglass Ending	14	217	Jun 19, 2012 06:30am

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