A review by jackpep
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

4.0

Every once in a while–probably more often than I recall–I read a book that seems to leave a hole in my chest. The last thirty or so pages of this book hit me like a rock, a train, nay, an avalanche. I realized then that I had fallen in love with these characters and with Pullman's genius world-building. Pullman's greatest strength is his ability to hide meaning, disguise truth, and nurse a bowstring-like tension that doesn't spring until he wants it to. Is it the perfect book? No. The first quarter of the book suffers without its main characters. There are alien worlds that seem a little too alien, at least from a biologist's perspective. There is an incessant and slightly ironic anti-religious sermonizing on Pullman's part which seems more appropriate in an essay than in a young adult novel. Though it's barely more noticeable than in the previous books and I found myself agreeing with every point he makes.

To conclude, I think everyone should read this series. Not just for its stunningly argued critique of organized religion but for its fully believable characters, the beauty of its prose, and the genius of its conception.