At the outset of this final book in the His Dark Materials series, Mrs. Coulter has defied the Church and taken her daughter, Lyra, to a remote cave where she keeps the girl imprisoned in a drug-induced sleep. Will, still in the world of Cittagazze, enlists the help of two rebel angels, Baruch and Balthamos, to rescue Lyra. However, Will is not the only one searching for the girl. Lord Asriel has sent a host of gyropters piloted by the soldiers of King Ogunwe as well as two Gallivespian spies to retrieve her. The Church’s zeppelins have also been sent with a single mission, kill Lyra.
(Image by John Howe, www.john-howe.com)
Battle ensues. Will rescues Lyra with the help of the armored bear, Iorek Byrnison, but he breaks the subtle knife, the knife that allows him to cut openings into other worlds, in the process. Lord Asriel’s soldiers capture Mrs. Coulter, who soon steals the intention craft, an air vehicle directed by the pilot’s intentions, and goes to spy on the Church. Iorek Byrnison helps Will reforge the subtle knife, but not before warning him that the knife has intentions of its own.
At the same time, Mary Malone, the expert in dark matter, travels through the world of Cittagazze and into a strange new world populated by antelope-like creatures, called mulefa, who travel on wheels and have human consciousness. In this world, Mary discovers the true nature of Dust. She forges the amber spyglass, which allows her to see Dust, and finds that all of the Dust is being sucked out of the world, causing the end of human consciousness.
http://www.useless69.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pages/mulefa.html
Meanwhile, Lyra and Will have set out on a mission to the land of the dead so that Lyra can apologize to Roger, the boy whose death she caused, and Will can see his father, John Parry, again. In order to enter the world of the dead, Lyra and Roger must leave their daemon’s behind and meet their own deaths. In the end, they realize they have a greater purpose in this world.
Back at Lord Asriel’s castle, war wages between the forces of the Authority and Asriel’s armies. Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter have realized that Lyra will determine the fate of the battle. They fight Metatron, the Regent for the dying Authority, in a final attempt to save Lyra’s life. In the land of the mulefa, Lyra and Will finally meet the “serpent,” Mary Malone, who will awaken them to the temptation that will decide the fate of all humankind. Will they make the right choice? Or will all of the Dust go out of the world forever?
Pullman has crafted a masterful universe suffused with deep human truths. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I cannot say enough good things about it. In 2001, Pullman became the first children’s author to ever win the prestigious Whitbread prize for literature for The Amber Spyglass. (Read the Guardian article about Pullman’s victory).
DweebMeter: 5/5
Random House Info on His Dark Materials
Books about His Dark Materials:
2007. The Rough Guide to His Dark Materials
Colbert, David. 2006. The Magical Worlds of Philip Pullman
Freitas, Donna. 2007. Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman’s Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials
Frost, Laurie. 2006. The Elements of His Dark Materials
Gresh, Lois. October 30, 2007. Exploring Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials: An Unauthorized Adventure Through The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass
Gribbin, John and Mary Gribbin. 2005. The Science of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials
Lenz, Millicent. 2005. His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays On Philip Pullman’s Trilogy
Squires, Claire. 2006. Philip Pullman, Master Storyteller: A Guide to the Worlds of His Dark Materials
Wheat, Leonard F. 2007. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials: A Multiple Allegory: Attacking Religious Superstition in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Paradise Lost
Yeffeth, Glenn. 2005. Navigating the Golden Compass: Religion, Science and Daemonology in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials (Smart Pop series)
Jan 8, 2008 at 3:27 am
I just finished this book tonight.
Absolutely mind-bogglingly terrific!
Feb 13, 2008 at 11:00 pm
The pictures are great! I never was able to picture the elephant mulefa people before but now I can perfectly!
Feb 29, 2008 at 3:58 am
I LOVED the trilogy, but was left with so many questions and loose ends. What do you/other people think about the ending and some of these questions?
SPOILER ALERT!!!- read no further if you haven’t finished the trilogy!!!
Not writing the ending of the battle between Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, and the Metatron and telling us the outcome by filtering it through the witch, left me very disappointed. Phillip Pullman did not give Asreil nor Coulter the complete ending they deserved despite their wickedness. I wanted to read the desperate struggle downward to oblivion, not just hear about it from Serafina.
What about the rest of the battle?! Once Metatron dies, do the angels just give up? Do they destroy the Mountain? Do Asriel’s troops attempt to create the Republic only to find out they can not live for a long time in another world? Are the Specters obliterated?
Does everything return to normal once the abyss is closed? Did Lyra and Will’s love stop the flow of Dust and then the Angels closed the abyss to stop it all together?
The Authority – what a lying *&@^$! How come he managed to lie to everyone for so long without them revolting sooner? How come he goes un-blamed for the fate of the world and the fighting that ensues? Why does he get to die peacefully while he condemned all humans to a miserable after-life whether they deserved it or not?
What about the Muelfa?! What about those great white winged birds?
I do love his take on what happens when we die. I can’t wait to meet the harpies, tell them my stories, make the journey through the ground, and re-enter the world as Dust.
What is Dust in our world? Auras, perhaps?
Feb 29, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Finally, someone else who appreciates Pullman’s take on life after death. Everyone else I’ve talked to can simply not fathom a world without an all-powerful god, and a christian-esque heaven and hell. They hate the idea that the self turns to dust and rejoins the collective unconscious when we die, but I couldn’t think of a better way to go
Mar 3, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I haven’t finished the book yet but I am excited to. I love the triliology of the Golden Compass and i’m glad I chose these books to read. I also was never able to picture the melufas before I found this website but now I definately can! I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!
Mar 14, 2008 at 5:14 pm
chevere. fue buenazo leer los libros. jamas vi a los mulefa. es bueno el dibujo. me gusto la triologia
May 4, 2008 at 4:44 am
I agree!!
May 4, 2008 at 5:12 am
I loved the trilogy and I loved Pullman’s ideas about death, and his ideas about youth, but I agree with Lauren in that there were way to many questions left un-answered.
What happens to everyone in so-called heaven????? I was extremely confused about what had happened to Mrs.Coulter and Asriel. I mean, they have been such strong characters in the trilogy since “Northern Lights”, and they don’t even get a proper ending?
And Pullman didn’t let us know what happened with the whole battle. That was one of the reasons that I persisted through the whole three books – to find out if God, or the Authority, was actually defeated in the end.
And what about what happens to Lyra and Will??? They’re basically just told thankyou for what they’ve done and sent straight back to school. I mean, I actually thought that one of the messages in the three books was that you shouldn’t underestimate youth (me being approximately Lyra and Will’s age).
What I think should have happened in the end was that Lyra and Will had to go and close the windows themselves, with help from the angels. That would have given them time to come to terms with and accept the whole having-to-leave-eachother thing, and also it would have given them more time to say goodbye. Maybe they could have even found a loophole??
And as for there being a spectre made every time a window was opened…well, couldn’t there have been a way around that? Spectres are supposed to be afraid of the knife…how does that work when the knife actually creates them? And if the knife can cut any material existing, and the spectres are afraid of the knife, couldn’t Will have used the knife to kill spectres everytime he opened a window?
Perhaps I am just searching for a happily ever after fairytale and I am looking in the wrong place, but I honestly felt my heart being pulle out of my chest when I read that Lyra and Will had to leave eachother. It’s SO NOT RIGHT!!! Anyway, being a writer myself I do not wish to re-write Pullman’s story for him….but I do wish that I could have writtn it instead!!! A book about life and death and youth…why didn’t i think of that?????? Although it may sound like I didn’t enjoy the Amber Spyglass, I absolutely did and I would recommend it to all, along with the books that came before it, the Northern Lights and the Subtle Knife. HIS DARK MATERIALS – absolutely brilliant.I will be combing Philip Pullmans out of my local bookstores, I’m hungry for more. Fantastic, fantastic.
May 4, 2008 at 2:49 pm
To answer the question of what really happened to God in the end…I think God was dying before Lyra’s journey even began. Part of Pullman’s point is that God (or the fake god Metatron) has no real power over the world. In the end, it’s human consciousness (produced by Will and Lyra’s love) that stops the flow of Dust from leaving the world. He’s rewritten the whole Adam and Eve story, except this time, Eve and Adam have the power. Humanity is a beautiful thing, not a thing that destroys. To me, this whole story is about living for today, because what we are now is all we’ll ever be (and that’s a good thing). I love the idea that we just all turn to Dust and become a part of the collective unconsciousness when we die. That’s a philosophy I can almost buy into. So, I don’t think it really matters if the Authority was truly destroyed or not. God never had the power to begin with.
May 4, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Also, I agree that Will and Lyra’s separation at the end is totally gut-wrenching. Even though I hate it, I think it’s probably part of what makes me love these stories so much. All of my favorite books are painful in some way.
Jun 19, 2008 at 1:05 pm
the way that the mulefa are drawn is exactly as i imagined it amazing
Jul 21, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I have just finished this epic tale as well as Lyra’s Oxford(set 2yrs after Lyra and Will had been separated) and am in the middle of Once upon a time in the North(Set for a 24year old Lee Scoresby and a young Iorek Byrnison).
The Amber Spyglass what absolutely amazing, but it did have it’s loose ends. But most, if not all of the loose ends, were lost with-in the explosion of emotion that I felt when Lyra and Will had finally found the truest love, followed by the heart-shattering loss that they ‘had’ to come to terms with. We have all lost love ones and have had our hearts broken. But as many times as that’s happened for me, it ripped me apart to think that my losses could never compare to what I was reading. It was truly, and painfully, touching.
I do believe that the book should have been a bit longer. Giving a proper ending to an epic battle. An ending worthy of a pair of wicked parents, finally realizing their immense love for their daughter and what the future of her life would mean. And being that hopeless romantic, I wished, beyond a doubt, that there would be a happy ending for Lyra and Will. That they could build the Republic of Heaven… together!
I will definitely be making some fan-art for this series, it is the least I can do to thank Pullman for such a great tale.
Also, apparently the Northern American copies of The Amber Spyglass were censored! I am in search for a copy that is not. But I do not know how to tell the difference. If someone could please, PLEASE, email me and point me in the right direction, I will be very grateful!
email: BlckPhoenix1@hotmail.com
Jul 22, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I read on Amazon that the american edition leaves out at least a few lines concerning Lyra’s sexuality. I had never heard this before. I’m definitely going to check out the British version now. These are relatively easy to acquire on eBay.
Here’s the Amazon discussion link:
http://www.amazon.com/Censored-editions-/forum/Fx1V66E06AE9MDS/Tx6WDWE879TIA8/1?_encoding=UTF8&asin=0345448898
Jul 22, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Thank you very much.
I did in fact find the difference between the UK version and the US printed copy.
The only real difference is only a few sentences in the Marzipan chapter of the Amber Spyglass.
US version:
“–and I fell in love with him just for that, for the gentle way he touched my lips with the marzipan.”
As Mary said that, Lyra felt something strange happen to her body. She felt as if she had been handed the key to a great house she hadn’t known was there, a house that was somehow inside her, and as she turned the key, she felt the other doors opening keep in the darkness, and lights coming on. She sat trembling as Mary went on:”
UK Version:
When she hears it, Lyra “felt something strange happen to her body. She felt a stirring at the roots of her hair: she found herself breathing faster.”
Though that is just what I’ve been able to find, reading this review: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/religious-movies/2
I will surely be looking to buy the hard-backed series, since all I have are the paper-backed. And I will be picking up the UK versions as well, starting with The Northern Lights. I’m anxious to find if there are any other differences.
Thanks for the amazon link. With-out it, I wouldn’t have been able to branch off and find the answer to share with you all.
Cheers!
Aug 12, 2008 at 9:23 am
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
Aug 20, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I loved the trilogy “His Dark Materiels” and I keep on reading the books over and over again beacause it so good, two children, a love story, an exiting adventure story, a story that I believe is true.
It did tend to leave you questioning at the end though.
I found out with a little reserching that Will and Lyra did manage to get back together when they were adults and so this is what I managed to find out……..
Lyra had almost moved moved on with her life but she kept on getting flash-backs of Will. Serafina Pekkala has noticed that and went out to find some way to get to Will’s world and the knife. So she found a way, found Will and mended the knife so he could go and see Lyra…. the only thing is he didn’t know where to start looking for her. Eventually Will found Lyra and they got back together……..But Lyra was pregnant and Will was hiding something too…he was engaged as a mater of fact, and when Lyra found out she was furious. She remembered that her parents were like that and she din’t want her baby to go through what she did and so she told Will that they should stay in their own worlds. They went thier separate ways. But it broke Lyra’s heart and Will’s too. So Will went to look for her and apoligise. So he did and they got banck together again.
Im sorry but I didn’t get to find out What the rest of the story was. AND I DID NOT MAKE It UP!
I loved those books and I thought They were splended, wonderful, fantastic, marvalous, brilliant maginifacent and remarkable.
I believe that when we die we shall go to the land of the dead and tell the harpies our stories and they shall lead us to the opening and we shall become particles and be part of the world! But until then I shall enjoy life to the fullest! And I shall be gratefull that I live today!
Aug 25, 2008 at 2:24 am
I read the trilogy and enjoyed it. I read them from a Christian perspective and enjoyed them as fictional novels. I am surprised at how many of you think that when we die we will go to the land of the dead and tell our stories to the harpies
The Bible clearly tells us that when we die, if we do not know Christ, we will spend an eternity in Hell with pain and suffering. God died and rose again in order to provide a way to heaven and it is only through Christ that we get to heaven.
I don’t believe we can gamble on our souls and hope that once dead we can tell a story and then float out to space. The afterlife is not something to be taken lightly and without Christ it will be nothing like these novels suggest!
Aug 25, 2008 at 2:50 am
I respect your perspective on the afterlife, but it is just that…one perspective. I know that for many Christians, the Bible is an infallible guide to life (and the afterlife). But, for me, it is just one among many creation mythologies created by humans over the history of our species. I think the important thing to remember is that everyone’s viewpoints on the afterlife are equally valid, since (except for vamps and the occasional zombie:)) none of us has actually been there to see it (if there is anything there to see). I love Pullman’s story, not only because I find his view of life after death effused with hope, but because he calls all people to live life to the fullest.
Aug 31, 2008 at 2:56 am
Food for thought:
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
C. S. Lewis
Sep 4, 2008 at 1:10 am
Hey everyone!
I just finished reading the trilogy and I loved it. Allthough like many of you I couldn’t digest the fact that Will and Lyra could no longer be together. It was just too cruel. You could see from the very begging that they would fall in love, and then when you learn it is so important, I was so happy that it all made sense…But the ending made me feel, I don’t know how to describe it, unbalanced maybe? I do hope they get to see each other in the future. It’s not fair that they had to do all that hard work and then not see each other again
As an Atheist, which is just another point of view, I really loved the physics aspect of the book. And how they all had the same discoveries, but with different names.
Ahhh I loved all of it…just don’t feel like it is truely finished, which I know it’s not…but I can’t wait!
Sorry for the ramblings
Nov 12, 2008 at 1:09 am
I absolutely LOVED the books. But I can’t believe he had to separate Will and Lyra! I’m so angry since they loved each other so much! But I guess that there has to be some tragedy or else, the books wouldn’t be as good.
I agree, he left the reader with a bunch of questions, that I wish would’ve been answered. But again, those questions only enhance the story.
Gabrielle says about another story. Do any of you know what else will happen, what it’s called, and when the book will be published? Thanx.
I was just wondering, what was the temptation? They were all talking about how Lyra would be Eve and Dr. Malone the serpent, but what was Lyra tempted to do? Live with Will? But Dr. Malone didn’t tempt her to do that…
Apr 24, 2009 at 3:00 am
[...] role of Lyra in the debacle. I was strongly reminded of the series from Phillip Pullman, “His Dark Materials.” I’ll spare you my thoughtful analysis, but if you have read and considered those [...]
May 4, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Mary tempted Lyra to fall in love during the Marzipan scene as Mary describes her past experiences in romance. The alternative was not falling in love with Will, keeping herself “pure” I suppose, but ultimately leading to the end of all good things in the universe. This choice, especially the Church’s take on it, highlights how blind and naive a purist, stagnant religion can be, and why the Almighty, or more accurately, his ambitious Steward, Metatron, must be cast down.
I have actually visited the Bench in Oxford Botanic Gardens!
Its got their names carved into the arm. That was quite a special moment 
Jun 3, 2009 at 9:31 am
I do really love the book
the last of course
I feel little bit disappointed of their sad love ending
but thats great
thats incredible
that theres something much more precious than love itself… ^^
Jul 1, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Gabrielle, where did you find out what they did when they were adults and how they got back together? I have got to read that!