B+

The Amber Spyglass, the third novel of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, was a compelling conclusion to an original story of growing up. The finale again follows Lyra Silvertongue and Will Parry as they journey between multiple parallel worlds to save Dust and defeat the Authority.

The Amber Spyglass concluded, what I thought, was a fairly entertaining trilogy. The entire trilogy was well paced, packed with adventure, and intelligently written. The novels also challenged traditional ideas and presented alternative views about life, death, and the afterlife.

I enjoyed the third novel, but I did not enjoy it as well as the previous two. The Amber Spyglass saw central characters Lyra and Will journey to the underworld and fight against the armies of the Authority, which were both daring adventures, but were also interlaced with Pullman’s spiritual ideals. By the end, his points became overwhelming and took away from the story.

Overall, the novel was a fitting conclusion to the trilogy and was quite good, but it wasn’t as good as the first two novels. The series was an entertaining adventure and I would recommend it to any fantasy enthusiast.