The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman Book Review

Will is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father. But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and and intrigues that beset him. The two great powers of the many worlds are lining up for war, and Will must find Lyra, for together they are on their way to battle, an inevitable journey that will even take them to the world of the dead.

This is my second favorite book in the series. It is the book that I hold all my standards to when it comes to having a great conclusion, series or standalone alike.

Before I talk about the pros and cons of this book, I just want to give my first impression alone. Well, maybe like seventieth impression considering how many times I’ve actually read this series, but you get the idea.

I loved this series. I remember how much the entire book captured my attention, how I was completely thrown by the ending and how it had completely changed my entire experience with reading. Going back to it now having read tons of different books across so many genres, I still have to say that this book has one of the most distinctive plots, character development, and themes that I have ever read.

So, now that my initial gush of the review has been completed, let’s go in to the actual book.

Pros:

I have never read a book that so neatly ties up every character’s purpose. As in, every character. All of the characters that we’d been introduced to were given an ending that was fulfilling and made sense. Even characters that we were introduced to in the beginning of the book series that we haven’t heard of since get a well done and natural conclusion by the end of the series. It was amazing and to be honest a treasure to witness in this day and age of writing.

I also absolutely loved the ending. And here’s why.

The ending, when you read it, is absolutely devastating with how sad it is. But, it isn’t angst just for the sake of angst. It actually makes sense for the ending to work the way it does because of how the story is told. And yes, this is a spoiler free review so I’ll let you work out exactly what that amazingly devastating ending is for yourself. But, just know that it is worth it.

Honestly, there’s plenty of fantastic things about this last book. I loved the religious symbolism in it, how it’s a different take on the corruption of religion and how it has affected society and laws put into place. I love the overall theme of the book, and how everything is so delicately presented. This is honestly one of the best examples of writing that I’ve ever read.

Cons:

Now, after all those great things I just said, I know it must seem crazy to have some cons here. And honestly, as someone who absolutely loves this book series I have to say that it’s really hard to find any personally. So, what I will say that is while I absolutely loved this book, it is a bit jarring to have it be so exponentially longer than the second book.

Overall, I loved this book. It was an emotional rollercoaster that I’ve come to love every time I read it. If you haven’t read it yet then I definitely suggest you pick it up. If you have read it then let me know your thoughts on this book, the series, or this video in the comments down below.

I’d love to hear from you.