Book Review ~~ The Amber Spyglass ~~

I finished reading “The Amber Spyglass,” by Philip Pullman, just a few days ago. It’s the final book in the His Dark Materials trilogy as well as the most intriguing. In it, the plot of the story is fully revealed, and a lot of previously unknown information is discovered. Will rescues Lyra from Ms. Coulter, who kept her in a cave — supposedly to keep her safe — and the two use the subtle knife to open a window to the realm of the dead and then open another to allow their atoms to assimilate into other worlds once again. Meanwhile, Dr. Malone has entered another world where sentient creatures that call themselves mulefa coexist with trees that bear wheel-like seedpods that can be attached to their feet. They depend on each other, but recently, fewer and fewer seedpods have been growing. Dr. Malone constructs a telescope using the lacquer from the seedpods, and this allows her to see Dust. She realizes that it is flowing away quickly, which is why the trees are producing fewer seeds, and tries to figure out a solution. Meanwhile, Lord Asriel is preparing to wage a war against the Authority — the first angel, who pretended to create all the others — and Ms. Coulter has joined him. I really liked this book because of its complicated plot and would recommend it to anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, or simply looking for a good fiction book. I would rate it 9.8/10.

Book Review ~~ The Subtle Knife ~~

A short while ago, I read “The Subtle Knife,” by Philip Pullman, the second book in the His Dark Materials series. Unlike the previous book, this book began with a completely new character, in our world — Will. After he kills some men who invade his house, he discovers a window to another world, Cittagaze. There, he meets Lyra, who entered Cittagaze through a similar window created by Lord Asriel. They team up and return to Will’s world, where Lyra meets Dr. Malone, who is studying “Dust,” a substance the scholars in her world believe is original sin. Meanwhile, Will tries to find out what happened to his father, John Parry, who disappeared on an Arctic expedition. Unfortunately, Lyra’s alethiometer is stolen, and Sir Charles, who admits to stealing it, asks for a knife in return. Lyra and Will agree, but after they get the knife, which they discover can create windows to other worlds, they are told not to by the knife’s previous true owner, and instead, they steal the alethiometer back. Lyra and Will continue learning about Dust and searching for Will’s father throughout the book. I really enjoyed reading this book, as the real plot of the series begins to be explained as Lyra and Will travel. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, or elaborate plots and rate it 9.8/10.

Book Review ~~ Northern Lights/The Golden Compass ~~

Recently, I finished reading “Northern Lights,” also known as “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman. It’s the first book in the His Dark Materials series, which has a very intricate but enjoyable plot. “The Golden Compass” features Lyra Belacqua as she journeys, first to rescue Roger from the “Gobblers” and then to give Lord Asriel, supposedly her uncle, the alethiometer, which can tell the truth to those who can interpret it. The story is set in a universe similar to ours, but different in that people have daemons, which are souls outside, instead of inside, their bodies, and can think by themselves, offering advice to their companions. Daemons are animals that can change shape when the humans they are connected to are young children, but stay in a fixed shape once children begin puberty. I really enjoyed reading this book and its sequels because of its intricate plot — at first, the story seems to be about Lyra’s quest to rescue Roger from the Gobblers, but more and more information is introduced as it continues, and by the end, the plot seems drastically changed. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys complicated plots or simply likes fiction, especially fantasy or science fiction, and rate it 9.7/10.