The Amber Spyglass ~ Philip Pullman

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (2000)
ISBN: 0-679-87926-9
518 pgs

Classification: YA fiction
Genre: Fantasy, adventure
Age Level: 13+

Reader’s Annotation: In this conclusion to the His Dark Materials trilogy, beings from countless worlds converge to battle the Authority in a cosmic showdown, but the outcome is all down to young Lyra and Will.

Summary: Moving between worlds with the golden compass and the subtle knife, Lyra and Will face incredible dangers and unknown enemies. With help from Lyra’s beloved Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear king, and two tiny spies, Lyra and Will make a journey to a world where only the dead have ventured before. There they make a stunning discovery that can alter the course of history—if only they can manage a safe return to the world of the living. Meanwhile, in a world peopled not with humans but with other intelligent creatures, physicist Mary Malone fashions a spyglass of amber through which she sees that Dust is streaming away at an alarming pace. Unbeknownst to them all, the fate of Lord Asriel’s war against the Authority, and indeed the fate of all the worlds, rests on Lyra, Will and Mary, and their ability to make the right choices at the right time.

Notes: This is book 3 of the His Dark Materials trilogy; the preceding books are The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. The entire trilogy is outstanding, probing at philosophical and theological issues in ways that only the genre of fantasy can.
Flags: 5

The Golden Compass (Movie)

Based on The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Studio: New Line Cinema (2007)
Rating: PG-13

Genre: Fantasy
Director: Chris Weitz
Main Cast: Dakota Blue Richards, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig

Viewer’s Annotation: When children begin mysteriously disappearing from her community, 12-year-old Lyra Belacqua promises her best friend Roger that if he goes missing she will find him…and she makes good on her word when Roger is abducted.

Summary: In an Oxford of a different world, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua runs wild at Jordan College, dodging the scholars who try to educate her to play on the rooftops and in the fields with her Gyptian and servant friends. But children are disappearing and rumors of Gobblers and child snatchers circulate. Eavesdropping on a meeting, Lyra hears her uncle, Lord Asriel, talk of Dust, Ice Bears, and the far North. When a glamorous woman called Mrs. Coulter invites Lyra to assist her on a journey North, Lyra happily leaves the only home she has ever known. At the same, Lyra is worried because she cannot find her friend Roger to say good-bye. While staying with Mrs. Coulter, Lyra discovers the woman’s connection to the Gobblers and flees with only her daemon Pan and a mysterious gift from the Master of Jordan. In her flight, Lyra encounters a band of Gyptians who vow to protect her as they all venture North to rescue Roger and the other children.

Notes: Though the acting and visual effects in this film are great, the movie as a whole is not. Because the story itself is the first part of a trilogy, many elements of the plot are fully resolved by the end of the film, which makes for a frustrating viewing experience. As an adaptation, the movie is a poor representation of a masterful work.
Flags: 3