While the first two books kept me entertained, the third book seemed like a bit of a let down. I guess I was disappointed at how easy Metatron was to get rid of in the end.

a very engaging series that might be a little scary for a younger child even if their vocabulary and reading skills were up to snuff. i would say 11 years old and up. in any case, a rich and believable world with some more adult nuances that make it a pleasure for the parent to read, as well. meaningful, gripping and imaginative.

the books are, in order:

1) the golden compas
2) the subtle knife
3) the amber spyglass

i just finished book 1 and am eagerly moving on with the story. it seems to me that dust = reason… does anyone share this reading of the story?

update: so now i’m done with all three. there were some great ideas in this series – particularly the concept of daemons, and the literal and metaphoric celebration of free will and critical thought. the first two books flowed along quite nicely, but then the third was slow-moving and complicated, and introduced lots of new characters and concepts that weren’t well-developed at all. what a shame how it petered out, but i’ll still say that’s it’s worth a read.

It’s not merely that Pullman manages to bring not one world into utter reality, but at least three; it’s his characters that leap off the page and engage the reader with nothing short of a vice grip.

This is on my constant reading list—books I read and re-read every few months—because it is such a satisfying experience.

Pullman’s scrappy protagonists, Lyra and Will, live on in the memory long after The Amber Spyglass comes to a close.

Wonderful, wonderful storytelling grounded in some very ‘this world’ magical truths.