Lyra, the cocky and bratty protagonist of Northern Lights disappears almost entirely. The novels is such a tremendous let-down that it's hard to decide where to start a list of its failings. It's the ugly baby that came out of Pullman's imagination and his hatred of religion. The Amber Spyglass is no Return of The King. It was a transitional piece so some of these things might be excused, and I approached the final installment expecting a grand payoff. Most of what made Northern Lights wonderful was dropped - there was no world building in this volume, the characters seemed stalled and the book was a chore. The next one, The Subtle Knife was laborious indeed. It was suspenseful, the presented world was enchanting, and Northern Lights was pregnant with interesting ideas and concepts - that's why I chose to read all three. Pullman introducted us to a fantastic world of great scope. I really enjoyed Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass as it is titled in the US), the first volume of the trilogy. The Amber Spyglass is the final volume in His Dark Materials trilogy.
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