Spyglass
Why I Read It: I was about to embark on a 22 hour road trip and my
brother-in-law conveniently had all three books on hand. And of course it
was on the list.
Plot: (From Amazon…getting lazy) "In an epic trilogy, Philip Pullman unlocks
the door to a world parallel to our own, but with a mysterious slant all its
own. Dæmons and winged creatures live side by side with humans, and a
mysterious entity called Dust just might have the power to unite the
universes--if it isn't destroyed first... Join Lyra, Pantalaimon, Will, and
the rest as they embark on the most breathtaking, heartbreaking adventures
of their lives. The fate of the universe is in their hands. The Golden
Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass pit good against evil in a
way no reader will ever forget."
Style: The story is told from multiple points of view but mostly stays
with Lyra and Will. At it’s heart it is an adventure story with some
coming-of-age themes. The action is well written and I had no problem
devouring all three books in a few days.
Thoughts: When the movie “The Golden Compass” came out there was a lot of
discussion about the anti-religious themes of these books. Thus I went into
these books looking for this much touted atheist agenda. The story is not
kind to corrupted organized religion or those who do evil in the name of
God. However I didn’t feel it was attacking my faith in any way.
As an adventure-fantasy story the books work really well. I was disappointed
with the final ending. I felt no closure or any kind of wrap-up of the
overall themes. Well actually I can’t even really pinpoint the overall
themes. There were some very good ideas and thoughts but I must have missed
the follow through because I am not sure what it was all about. Perhaps that
is how the author intended the story to end but it left me more frustrated
then satisfied. I enjoyed reading all three books and recommend them as
light/fun reading. If you are looking for deep philosophical reading I would
go elsewhere.
Quotables:
The Golden Compass
"You speak of destiny," he said, "as if it was fixed. And I ain't sure I like that any more than a war I'm enlisted in without knowing about it. Where's my free will, if you please? "
Amber Spyglass
"Being in love was like China: you knew it was there, and no doubt it was very interesting, and some people went there, but I never would. I'd spend my life without ever going to China, but it wouldn't matter, because there was all the rest of the world to visit."
Recommendation: If you like: Lord of the Rings, the last three Harry Potter
books, Lloyd Alexander
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