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    The Amber Spyglass
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    The Amber Spyglass
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    The Amber Spyglass
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Amber Spyglass

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    Narrated by Full Cast

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    ***** THE BOOK OF DUST, the long-awaited new novel from Philip Pullman set in the world of His Dark Materials, is here at last and hailed by the New York Times as "A stunning achievement"*****


    The unforgettable His Dark Materials trilogy that began with The Golden Compass-the modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an "All-Time Greatest Novel" and Newsweek hailed as a "Top 100 Book of All Time"-and continued with The Subtle Knife, reaches its astonishing conclusion with The Amber Spyglass.

    Throughout the worlds, the forces of both heaven and hell are mustering to take part in Lord Asriel's audacious rebellion. Each player in this epic drama has a role to play-and a sacrifice to make. Witches, angels, spies, assassins, tempters, and pretenders, no one will remain unscathed.

    Lyra and Will have the most dangerous task of all. They must journey to a gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone and from which there is no escape.

    As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living-and the dead-comes to depend on Lyra and Will. On the choices they make in love, and for love, forevermore.

    A #1 New York Times Bestseller
    Winner of the Whitbread Award
    Winner of the British Book Award (Children's)
    Published in 40 Countries
     
    "Masterful.... This title confirms Pullman's inclusion in the company of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien." -Smithsonian Magazine

    "Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the twentieth century. An astounding achievement." -The Cincinnati Enquirer

    "War, politics, magic, science, individual lives and cosmic destinies are all here . . . shaped and assembled into a narrative of tremendous pace by a man with a generous, precise intelligence. I am completely enchanted." -The New York Times Book Review

    "Breathtaking adventure . . . a terrific story, eloquently told." -The Boston Globe
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 23, 2003
    ISBN9781400085699
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Amber Spyglass

    4/5

    6,814 ratings297 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this final book. I found the alternate worlds lively and inventive and I liked the parallels with quantum physics. I agree with Angela, though - the spunky, brave Lyra is unrecognizable now that she knows Will, which is too bad.
    • 5/5
      Definitely the best of the three.
    • 4/5
      In Amber Spyglass, the last installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra, who started off as an ordinary kid in The Golden Compass, is seen as the most important child who has ever lived according to the church. Their fate depends on Lyra's journey into womanhood. She may be important but she is also seen as a threat as she is in the position of biblical Eve as the temptress of man's downfall. Heavy, right? Remarkably, young Lyra is on the cusp of introducing the concept of sin (Dust) to the world. She must be stopped before the Dust (sin=evil) takes over. When we first catch up with Lyra in The Amber Spyglass, she has been hidden away and kept drugged and sleeping in a cave by her mother (remember Mrs Coulter?). But. But! But, is Mrs Coulter all that evil? She acts the grieving mother as she recounts how she almost killed Lyra earlier. This is an epic battle between good and evil with lots of fight scenes and dying declarations (just wait until you get to the land of the dead). The references to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden are laid on pretty thick, but Lyra is coming into her own as a young woman and she has an equally adulting young man as her companion...The good news is that many of your favorite characters are back even if they died in an earlier installment. Iorek Byrnison the armored bear is back with his army! I was excited to see the bears and the witches but there are plenty of new creatures like harpies and ghosts. Probably my favorite characters to imagine are Gallivespians. They are small, slender spies able to ride hawks and dragonflies.
    • 4/5
      Ich hatte mit diesem Band etwas zu kämpfen – nach den 1500 Tolino-Seiten der ersten beiden Teile hatte ich eigentlich genug und hätte lieber etwas ganz anderes gelesen.Dafür waren die über tausend Seiten dieses Buchs dann aber doch relativ flott gelesen. Es blieb fast immer spannend, und die beschriebenen Wesen und Welten wurden wieder interessanter als im zweiten Teil, der diesbezüglich doch etwas trockener war als die Bände 1 und 3.Jetzt wird auch endlich klar, welchen großen Kampf die Akteure ausfechten: Es geht um nichts geringeres, als den christlichen Gott zu stürzen, der in der Geschichte in Wahrheit nicht der Schöpfer ist, sondern ein Engel, der die Macht an sich gerissen hat und mehr oder minder für alles Böse in der Welt verantwortlich gemacht wird.Da wird es dann doch recht einseitig. Zwar ist das ein durchaus interessanter Blick auf die Religionsgeschichte, und natürlich ist das organisierte Christentum bis heute für viel Schlechtes auf der Welt direkt verantwortlich. Trotzdem wirkte es auf mich eher seltsam, dass zum Beispiel die Wissenschaftlerin Mary, früher Nonne, erzählt, sie habe irgendwann „entdeckt“, dass Gott nicht existiert, also eine Tatsache behauptet, statt es als die Glaubensfrage darzustellen, die es meiner Meinung nach ist.Das Buch ist aus der Perspektive klarer Anlehnung des Christentums geschrieben, zwar nicht mit der Attitüde eines geifernden Atheismus, aber doch mit der eindeutigen Meinung, das jegliche Form des Christentums immer schon ein Fehler war und ist. Das ist schade, bringt der Autor doch anderen Formen der Spiritualität viel Offenheit und Sympathie entgegen. Hier hätte mir eine etwas ausgewogenere Sicht besser gefallen.Leider sind außerdem manche Inhalte nicht ganz vollständig erklärt und dargestellt. Warum etwa wurde Wills Dæmon plötzlich sichtbar? Was passierte in der großen Schlacht, nachdem der Anführer der Gegenseite vernichtet worden war? Darüberhinaus ist der ganze Teil der Geschichte, der sich um das Reich der Toten dreht, ein wenig seltsam, wirkt wenig durchdacht, passt nicht recht ins philosophische Gesamtkonzept und machte auf mich den Eindruck einer etwas kruden Idee des Autors, die er irgendwie unterbringen wollte, ohne sie so recht auf überzeugende Füße stellen zu können.Ansonsten ist das Buch aber spannend, anrührend und faszinierend. Aufgrund des philosophischen Tiefgangs meine ich, dass Leser mindestens vierzehn Jahre alt sein sollten, um diese Inhalte halbwegs nachvollziehen zu können.Trotz der oben genannten Mängel: Klare Empfehlung für die ganze Trilogie! Interessante Mischung aus relativ einfacher Geschichte mit viel Hintergund und philosophisch-sprituell-wissenschaftlichem Tiefgang.
    • 5/5
      Book 3 His Dark Materials. With the use of the alethiometer and the subtle knife, Will and Lyra travel between different worlds, as the great battle of good versus evil begins and some tough decisions have to be made. An enjoyable trilogy with many layers, and of course reading complemented by the lovely Folio Society edition
    • 1/5
      I take back my rants about the Chronicles of Narnia. Yes, Lewis got a bit heavy-handed in his anglo-centric retelling of Christian mythology. It was the height of subtly compared to Pullman.

      It just makes it worse that I actually agree with Pullman's thesis. Across the three novels, I think he's trying to suggest that empirical exploration, focusing on here-and-now is the real purpose of life. He seems to have more distaste for religion than I do, but still - we have a lot in common, philosophically. But that wasn't enough to redeem this trilogy. I found this whole thing terribly disappointing. I'd hoped that, in the final book, he would address some of the really interesting ideas he'd hinted at, but it was not to be.

      For instance - while Lyra spends much of the book lying her way out of trouble, she later has encounters where truth is more important. But the author never does anything with that, it falls to the wayside with most of the other interesting plot threads and themes. We're told that Asriel's great work will fail, but never explore the meaning of that failure, or what happens to those involved. Do the worlds go back to normal? Has this three book epic changed anything? There's no way to know.

      This book, like the the trilogy, fails as literature - the plot is scattered and limp, and the characters aren't enough to make up for it - and fails as a screed. I think I see what the author's trying to preach, but only because I'm in the choir. I don't think this book is going to change any minds, and it's not a particularly satisfying sermon for the already converted.

      P.S. Is it just me, or is the Author replacing a Christian-type god with the divinity of Dust? How else would Lyra have been able to read the alethiometer by Grace, then have to learn it the usual way once "everything was done"? Perhaps that's just a plot hole I'm trying to explain away. Goodness knows this book is full of them.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book less than the first, but far more than the second. For one thing, there were fewer people I viscerally wanted to punch in the face (that's in the good column), but I still missed the Gyptians and the polar settings of the first book.I liked how Mrs. Coulter's character got more complicated, even if I felt in the end that I still didn't really understand her. I got pretty into Mary and the muleta sub-plot, though I wish they'd contributed a bit more in the end. I was, to be honest, a little squicked by Will and Lyra's romance in the end -- it felt a bit out of nowhere, and in my mind the characters were a little young for all that, but maybe I am misremembering how old they were supposed to be.I probably could have left things at just having read the first book and been perfectly happy, though I do like the ending for Lyra -- that was pretty satisfying.
    • 5/5
      I really liked the last book of the trilogy. In many ways these books remind me of King's Dark Tower books. The story really isn't finished at the end of this book, but stories like this seldom are. The first book was ok and I almost stopped with it, but I am glad I didn't.
    • 5/5
      Read this years ago ... loved it.
    • 4/5
      Loved the series... hated the ending. :(
    • 4/5
      Mixed feelings about this one. It felt somewhat disjointed to me & I'm not sure I understood exactly what Philip Pullman was trying to say overall. There was a lot of material in this last section of the trilogy, but I didn't feel it was pulled together very well, and it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. He was obviously trying to make a statement about religion, but I didn't come away with a sense of what exactly that statement was and to what purpose many of his characters were put in the story. The climax of the story seemed to fall about 2/3 of the way through the book, and even that wasn't much of a climax. I will say that the book did not end as predictably as I would've expected. And after finishing this trilogy, I will now miss the characters of Lyra and especially Will!
    • 3/5
      The Amber Spyglass is the third and final book in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. This was a frustrating read. Buried under all the religious ranting is a decent, if confusing, adventure/coming of age story set across multiple worlds. I understand why the church was so upset over this series now. There were some genuinely enjoyable parts to read though there was a lot to wade through to get there. Will, Lyra and their daemons continue to be my favorite parts. I'm glad I finished the series even if I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable conclusion to the His Dark Materials trilogy.
    • 5/5
      Superb finish to a magical series.
    • 2/5
      This is a very hard book for me to review, because I remember it with such fondness. However, it is by far the weakest entry in the series. The problems of the previous books is compounded in this one. Primarily, Pullman's ambition far outstrips his storytelling ability.The Amber Spyglass is far longer than the previous instalments, yet it moves at a crawl. The plot is fragmented, feeling rushed at some points yet far too slow in others. The theological leanings of The Subtle Knife have now sparked an epic battle between Lord Asriel and the angels, yet we see so little of it. Instead, we follow the young protagonists as they travel between worlds, motivated by dreams and plot conveniences, and spend a lot of time discussing their theories about life, death and faith with characters old and new.The strong theological focus may also put off some younger readers. This book has a very anti-organised religion message and it goes to great lengths to illustrate this again and again. While I argued that you could enjoy the previous books without picking up on this message, this time it's unavoidable as it's deeply rooted in the plot. Yet the novel is very moving and has some memorable scenes. It also isn't a very happy tale. There are a lot of deaths of major characters in the story and even Lyra and Will's story has a sting in its tail. If you don't like sad endings, I'd certainly suggest giving this one a miss.Yet it was the characters that frustrated me the most. The female cast of this novel were especially frustrating. Lyra has "grown up" in this story by basically becoming submissive to Will. She doubts herself and stops doing things without his agreement. When danger strikes, she constantly reaches for him or hides behind him. Really, this annoyed me more than anything. Young Lyra had so many positive features but they all seem to have left her.More annoying still was the fact that every character seems to have fallen in love with Lyra. Even career villains like Mrs Coulter have had sudden changes of heart in this story and will fall over themselves in order to protect her. Really, this was very weak characterisation. It should take more for a character to completely change their attitude to life. Mrs. Coulter has just become a completely different person between books.Anyhow, to conclude, this book is a weak finale to an otherwise enjoyable series. It was just too long and contained a heavy-handed message and weak character development. Hopefully, Pullman will be back on form when the first Book of Dust is released later this year.
    • 5/5
      EVERYTHING HURTS, OKAY?
    • 3/5
      I was disappointed by this book, especially in light of how much I loved the first two novels in the trilogy. Developments seemed forced (like the romance between Lyra and Will), and I found the climax underwhelming. Still, it's an excellent series, and Pullman is a good writer. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy series or insights into the religious controversy surrounding the author.
    • 4/5
      Will rescues Lyra from Mrs. Coulter, Lyra and Will journey to the land of the dead, and Asriel wages war on the Authority.The best moments of the series are in this book — the wonderful insight that the tempting serpent is just frank talk between women, and the dissolution of the Authority ("... their last impression was of those eyes, blinking in wonder, and a sigh of the most profound and exhausted relief." [p. 411]).
    • 4/5
      The last book of the series is especially dark. Here you see many different worlds which are richly described and there are man connections and similarities you begin to see.
    • 2/5
      the last book in the trilogy
    • 5/5
      Really really wonderful performance by a full cast and the author of the book.
    • 5/5
      as the previous others, this audiobook is perfect in every way. it is practically an audio drama, for it has many talented actors who perfectly interpret their characters, instead of just a narrator. truly wonderful. the world would be great if all audiobooks could be done like this one.
    • 3/5
      Philip Pullman gives those of us who have been religious a lot to think about in his books. While this was not my favorite of the triology, it was still a great book.
    • 4/5
      A satisfying conclusion to the series. I just wish I had read it right after I finished The Subtle Knife because I forgot A LOT.
    • 4/5
      This book is so much longer than I remember and I had forgot 95% of it so Im glad I reread it. Adventure story that is also about religion and politics and morality. I wasnt really into the emphasis placed on romantic love as a marker of becoming an adult tho.
    • 3/5
      Preachy propaganda in narrative form which betrays the insecure attitude of the author who wants to destroy the kingdom of God and yet who longs for transcendence. His depictions of the church, the ancient of days, of the kingdom of heaven are so predictable and one dimensional. Though Pullman is a materialist, his depictions of other transcendent beings — of daemons, fallen angels, supernaturally strong animals and witches — are breathtaking and betray his longing for their to he an unseen realm beyond our own.This was the most preaching of the series.
    • 1/5
      The author might be a huge Louis Wain fan.
    • 4/5
      I could have easily done without the love story at the end (I actually made gagging noises in parts while listening to the audiobook in the car). But the rest of the book was lovely.
    • 5/5
      Love this trilogy
    • 3/5
      View my full review here. If I could, I'd give it a 3.5.

      The characters which flourish the most in this book are Lyra and Will. Each mature so much thanks to what they experience and it shows in their choices near the end of the novel in their decision to be selfless. Of course, the development of their relationship is also really lovely to read. It’s gradual so it seems realistic. Also, their love seems so pure and strong which I really think adds to their arc. They learn a new type of love with each other which I think is something beautiful to depict.

      I do think there are some inconsistencies. For example, Mrs. Coulter and Asriel don’t have a gradual shift into loving Lyra as they should have all along. Because of this, it makes their love somewhat unconvincing. What motivated the change? We don’t get to see that which for me is a bit of an issue.

      Overall, The Amber Spyglass is another good book by Pullman. I think it could have been better, but the pros far outweigh the cons. It was a joy to go along with these characters on their journey and see them mature, grow, and love.