The Amber Spyglass, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 3) | 
|  | | | Title: | The Amber Spyglass, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 3) | | Author: | Philip Pullman | | Publisher: | Knopf Books for Young Readers | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 28 August, 2007 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0375846735 / 9780375846731 | | List Price: | $22.99 | | You Save: | $10.05 | | Amazon Price: | $12.94 (via Amazon marketplace seller) | | | |
The HTML code below can be pasted onto your web-site, your MySpace page, or blog - or any number of similar places - to create a link to this page: If, instead of a text link, you'd like to create a link to this page which will display the book cover, if it's available, then the code below will do exactly that:
Check for the same book at these other US book sites:
• [ Abebooks ] • [ Alibris ] • [ Barnes & Noble ] • [ Half.com ] • [ Powells ] … or check UK bookstores
| Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
[ Unable to obtain editorial review or publisher's summary at present ]
| Other Items You May Enjoy:
Browse Books From These Related Subjects:
• All Subjects ›› Specialty Stores ›› Custom Stores ›› New & Used Textbooks ›› General AAS • All Subjects ›› Specialty Stores ›› Custom Stores ›› Qualifying Textbooks ›› General AAS • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Authors & Illustrators, A-Z ›› ( P ) ›› Pullman, Philip ›› General • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Authors & Illustrators, A-Z ›› ( P ) ›› Pullman, Philip ›› Hardcover • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Authors & Illustrators, A-Z ›› ( P ) ›› Pullman, Philip ›› General AAS • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Literature ›› Action & Adventure • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Literature ›› Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror ›› Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Literature ›› General • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Literature ›› General AAS • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› Series ›› Science Fiction ›› His Dark Materials • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Children's Books ›› General AAS • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Science Fiction & Fantasy ›› Authors, A-Z ›› ( P ) ›› Pullman, Philip • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Teens ›› Literature & Fiction ›› Adventure & Thrillers • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Teens ›› Science Fiction & Fantasy ›› Fantasy • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Teens ›› Science Fiction & Fantasy ›› Science Fiction • All Subjects ›› Subjects ›› Teens ›› General AAS • All Subjects ›› Refinements ›› Edition (format) ›› Deluxe Edition • All Subjects ›› Refinements ›› Binding (binding) ›› Hardcover • All Subjects ›› Refinements ›› Format (feature_browse-bin) ›› Printed Books • All Subjects ›› Refinements ›› Age Range (age_range) ›› Young Adult
Customer Reviews:
• A Mirror To Your Mind 09 July, 2008
Philip Pullman's series is like a mirror - what bounces back at you has a lot to do with what you bring to it. It's no secret that the author is an atheist, and exposes readers to this often disturbing possibility. Doubters will find it fascinating, even carthartic. True believers will, on the whole, find it offensive.
But in the firestorm of enthusiasm or loathing, don't overlook the undeniable fact that this is a terrific work of imagination. There are more delightful new ideas - ones having nothing to do with religion - in the first fifty pages than in most entire fantasy trilogies.
And while the third volume is the weakest - the pacing is badly off at times - it surprisingly becomes a beautiful coming-of-age story, realistically but tastefully told. Who of us has not almost forgotten the poignant beauty of that time in their own lives? Pullman brings it back to life with a sense of wonder. Yes, I've read other opinions on this, but those who even suggest there's something prurient here reveal more about themselves than about the book.
Perhaps the most important thing to know about this story is that it's a STORY. Pullman proposes dozens of "what if" ideas that tease our minds, sometimes in unsettling ways. But that's quite different from saying that the story claims to be reality. What if God's lieutenant got the upper hand for awhile? (That one sounds a little like the Bible or the Silmarilion). What if God was not immortal, but rather a being who lived for eons and eons? What if the afterlife isn't a pretty place, but you can opt instead for oblivion, returning your joyous energy to the universe? Subversive, challenging thoughts indeed, but probably not Philip Pullman's idea of reality. It's a story.
In the end, this is not a tale for people who fear where imagination might take them. But for those who can conceive of vast new possibilities, then apply their inner experiences in Lyra's worlds to our own real world, the potential rewards are great. And if Pullman is sent to Narnia when he dies, well then we can all have a good laugh over it.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A146JTB5WXUJQ3
• Don't Let Others Fool You 07 March, 2008
This is a good book and a good trilogy. The people that are saying these are anti Christian are being ridiculous. It's just a book. If you don't like to read about other's ideas, DON'T READ BOOKS. If a book can change your beliefs, you are WAY to easily manipulated.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3N83XAYWYLEVY
• Epic Fantasy Series Comes To Surprising, Thoughtful Conclusion 08 March, 2008
Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy may be suffering somewhat from the lackluster film adaptation of "The Golden Compass," but there's no denying that Pullman's three books are among the best novels the fantasy genre has to offer.
With "The Amber Spyglass," Pullman brings his series to a shattering conclusion as Lyra and Will fight in the war that has been building for thousands of years. While angels, witches, specters, and creatures from various parallel worlds kill and die, Lyra and Will struggle for the most basic and critical of prizes - love and mastery of one's destiny.
There are too many plot twists and surprising developments for me to attempt to summarize the story in any greater detail. Suffice it to say that some villains are redeemed, some heroes lose their way, and that Pullman never panders to his readers. This is not one of those books that builds to a cliched ending that has everyone standing happily together at the end, a la the medal ceremony from "Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope," where everyone gets cheered after the Death Star blows up. This is a more complex, subtle tale, and don't be surprised if you shed a few tears as Lyra and Will complete their journeys.
This is a wonderful series that any parent can feel good about giving to their child - or reading themselves. This is intelligent, deep stuff. Yes, yes, Pullman has had the audacity to write an allegory about religion, but his strong opinions shouldn't scare anyone who enjoys the free exchange of ideas - very few ideas are as well-expressed as this. The only caution I would consider making is that these books can be a little scary, so you might want to think twice about letting younger kiddies get their hands on it. But judge that for yourselves.
What a wonderful series.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2PNTEDGMOLMOY
• Magnificent In All It's Gnostic Splendour. 12 March, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole trilogy of "His Dark Materials" . Not only are the books a cracking good read from an entertainment point of view, but Pullman bravely presents a theory of religion that is wonderfully refreshing and honest.
Yes, it does appear that Pullman has a Gnostic view of the God of the Old Testament, and he does indeed present the domination of the "Church" in a rather dim light, but let's face it - if we look at the history of the Church and it's savage dealings with suffering mortals through the ages - then Pullman is not saying anything that isn't absolutely true. It always astounds me how people can forget about the many thousands of people who were horribly tortured and burned alive by the Inquisitors in service of the Church. How many people were executed because they had the temerity to discover something that didn't agree with suffocating church doctrine. It is appalling - yet all forgiven and forgotten in some strange anesthesia of the group mind. Would people be so forgiving of Hitler ? I think not.
Pullman's trilogy is a completely unique fantasy, and I was sorry to finish it. It will be a classic along the lines of Lord of the Rings. I particularly appreciated Pullman's black and white sketches at the beginning of each chapter - proving that he is an artist of many talents. Highly recommended.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1CSE6VD1B0KVH
• His Not So Subtle Bad Writing 30 March, 2008
You'd think that after 10 years the publisher would have invested in a rewrite, lord knows that it would have taken that long to fix this beast.
I had heard all the hype about these books and this volume in particular being anti-Catholic, etc, so rather than listening to the "do not read" uber religious chatter, I read all 3 books.
Forget his agenda -- Phillip Pullman or whomever ghostwrote this book was a very lazy writer here, unlike in the earlier 2 volumes. I was ready to quit after the first third of the Spyglass book out of boredom but was curious to hear how everything resolved. He doesn't even follow his story telling rules which he expounded in his earlier volumes. Basically he lies to the reader by promising something he doesn't deliver on.
The big show was to be the death match b/w Lord Asriel and God,
tag teamed by Will "the Knife".
I think Pullman's sendup to Armageddon into thin air was his way of saying that since Judeo/Christianity is a human invention, he didn't have to have a big fight to kill it off, that he could let it feebly fade away, which he did. Almost like it wasn't worth writing any more about.
As I trudged through the last book, the worlds and characters ended up being made out of and as important as cardboard. Pullman would reiterate a lot of the same detail when describing the world(s) and it was totally amazing to me that Will knew which worlds to cut into ... especially given the infinite potential for connecting worlds.
Contrast this to Tolkein, who spend most of his life not only further detailing his worlds, but inventing the mythos, language and geography as to be believable.
Pullman's naming of the characters was particularly trite.
Lyra ("Liar, Liar", the harpie exclaimed).
Will ((free) will, the desire to accomplish a goal, such as using the knife)
Mary (archetypical female figure, 2nd Eve, Jesus' mother, tempter, a nun -- voice of the church and the now new way of thinking).
Lord Asriel (Israel, rising up)
Give me a break ....
The various soliloquys were pandering and while I enjoyed thinking about some of the ideas, it was so heavy handed that I just had to wryly smile and wonder how the author could live with his lack of discipline in this work.
The Mulefa world was god-awful boring and he could have covered the whole evolutionary piece in 1 chapter. Mary's existence there and elsewhere seemed only to deliver the summary of a form of ethics w/o a god-head and how god-lessness does not equate to moral-lessness.
There was a major logical inconsistency ... if there was no God or supernatural like beings, then how could the witches fly, how could the grey Purgatory exist, how could the Specters and harpies end up being? For as much as the author attempts to justify everything through science, he didn't even bother to apply the same treatment to his fantasy trappings. Goofy.
I would rather have had this broken up into 2 books and him invested more time to bring this home. The whole book reminds me of my 6 year old randomly and messily sketching out ream after ream of characters and worlds on scrap paper and just letting them lay all over the house. Of course a 6 year old has to clean up his messes, but Pullman somehow got away w/ not doing the same.
Free Choice is a cornerstone of Christianity and also in these books. My only regret was that I chose to read them when I could have invested time reading books about evolution, history of religion or atheism for that matter rather than this tortured attempt at writing.
For all you 5 star assigners (Pullman apologists), your zealous defenses sound as narrow minded as the alleged narrow thinking religious folks that you are condemning ... this 3rd volume is weak writing no matter how you slice it -- even with a dull yet not so subtle knife.
Read it for yourself if you've got free time to waste and form your own conclusion! (Just make sure you don't waste your money and instead borrow from the library : )
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3LRHSQEN1ZPIK
|
