Title: The Amber Spyglass - His Dark Materials - Book III

Author: Philip Pullman

Pages: 465

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is the third and final book in the His Dark Materials series.  Lyra and Will are continuing on their journey to the land of the dead, where no living soul has ever ventured.  Dr. Mary Malone is in another world with creatures that rely on the trees near their villages, but they have been dying for the last 300 years or so.  Finally, Lord Asriel continues to fight against the Almighty with his armies from many worlds, including battalions of angels.

My Review: Once again I really enjoyed the book.  The story with Will and Lyra is very easy to follow.  I wish that I was better able to understand the allegory and symbolism in the book and I am certain that I failed to understand the adult level themes in the book, so I would like to read them again in the future with a more open mind. 

The Subtle Knife

Title: The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2)

Author: Philip Pullman

Pages: 288

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Lyra has entered into an abandoned city in a parallel world where she meets a young boy, Will, from our world.  They are in Cittagazze, where children run wild and the adults are non-existent.  There is a tower in this city that houses a knife with the ability to cut openings into the parallel worlds.  Lyra and Will's destinies become intertwined when Lyra's alethiometer instructs her to help Will find his father. 

My Review: This book continues the quest and narrative from the first book with a few added dimensions, twists and turns, including visits to our own parallel world.  A battle is brewing between Lord Asriel and his innumerable armies and the strongest angels in the universe. Lyra must determine whose side she is on as the war moves closer.

The Golden Compass

Title: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials - Book 1)

Author: Philip Pullman

Pages: 351

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Lyra Belacqua is an orphan living at Jordan College in Oxford, England.  Lyra's Oxford is not like our own.  Everybody has a daemon in animal form, which is analogous to our souls.  Lyra spends her days racing along the roofs of the college, playing in the mud with her dear friend Roger and wreaking havoc wherever she can.  This continues until she spies an attempt to poison her uncle, which sets things in motion that leads her on a journey to save children who are being abducted and taken somewhere to the north.

My Review: I've read this book once before, but I wanted to re-read it before I got into the rest of the His Dark Materials Trilogy (Original review).  I really enjoy the story and was excited to find the full trilogy for cheap at the DI.  Lyra is a precocious pre-teen with a big heart and who is not afraid of big ideas.