Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 3 - The Amber Spyglass' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

An excellent read and conclusion to Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series.

After the cliffhanger ending from the previous book, 'The Amber Spyglass' picks up the pieces with Mrs Coulter holed up in a cave 'looking after' a sedated Lyra, and Will, still smarting from the death of his father and the disappearance of Lyra, is now accompanied by a pair of angels in his search for her, and with the Subtle Knife still in his possession, Will must travel through other worlds in order to rescue Lyra before the Magisterium can get to her. 

As Pullman's trilogy has progressed, so the tone of the story has gotten that little bit darker with each subsequent book (Not least because we visit the land of the dead here, which also happened to be one of my favourite sequences in the book), but so much so, that 'The Amber Spyglass' feels so far removed and more sedate than the beginning of Lyra's journey in the more action packed and faster paced 'Northern Lights / The Golden Compass'. The pace here was a lot slower and as a result I felt the story was given more time to grow and flesh out the details more. As such, it felt like the story matured alongside Lyra as she became of age. The slower momentum of the story isn't a complaint, far from it, but just an observation, as it certainly drew me more into narrative and into the characters of Will and Lyra.

We also meet some familiar faces that we've gotten to know over the course of the trilogy, which was very welcome, as well as some new ones too. Pullman gives his characters very human qualities, not completely black and white, good or bad, but somewhere in between that it sometimes twists your expectations of what to expect from certain characters, adding many layers of depth to his characterizations. Even with Will and Lyra, the 'young and innocent' protagonists, they have to do what it takes to fulfil their quest, even if it means lying, threaten and even kill!

There is also more of Pullman's theological exploration, as Lord Asriel's war on the Magisterium and The Authority gathers pace to its conclusion. Although I lean towards the atheist aspect, and agree with Lord Asriel's point of view of enlightenment over blind obedience, he still comes across as a most unlikeable character, very cold and calculated, even towards his wife and daughter. Whereas my assumptions of Marisa Coulter were turned on it's head completely and I had more empathy for her by the end. A mother doing what she must to protect her daughter. 

And the ending is such a bittersweet one. After all that Lyra and Will have gone through, and with it being classed as a younger readers book, you might have at least expected some kind of happy ever after. Almost but not quite, as what we got was heartbreaking. I closed the book glassy eyed but still with a smile on my face, as two of my favourite book characters, Lyra Balacqua and Will Parry, came to the end of their quest on that park bench in Oxford's Botanical Gardens.

All credit to Philip Pullman for a wonderfully written journey, with such memorable characters. And with his new 'The Book Of Dust' trilogy, we get to see Lyra and revisit this world again. I can't wait.

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#ArtOfTheDay: 'The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain' by Robert M Ball

Cover art by Robert M Ball for the Scholastic Books edition of the Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 'The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain', written by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson.

Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 2 - The Subtle Knife' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

Re-reading the entire series before the new book (The Secret Commonwealth) and BBC - HBO series come out. Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series continues with book 2, 'The Subtle Knife', with Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon on the search for her father.

It very much feels like the middle book of a series, building upon what happened in 'Northern Lights' and still taking the series forward, which is does really well, but with a noticeable shift in tone too, a sense of darker maturity that almost feels separate from the previous book. Pullman explores the nature of religion here a bit more than what was hinted at in the first book, and doesn't hold back with not so much an attack on religion itself, but more on an exaggerated authority that does seem familiar. There wasn't as much of the action or fast pacing of the first book, as it seemed more of a case of setting up the pieces on the board and getting to where the story needed to be for the conclusion in the next book. But even with that, there was still enough goings on to propel the narrative and keep things interesting, which says a lot about Pullman's expertise at crafting a story.

As well as expanding the story beyond one setting and into travelling to different worlds, the story also moves away from the Lyra centric viewpoint of the first book (which probably also explains the shift in tone), with POVs most notably from Serafina Pekkala, Lee Scoresby, as well as Will Parry, a new protagonist from 'our' world, who we're introduced to straight away, who helps Lyra on her quest. Initially wary of each other when they first meet, they soon develop a friendship and soon their futures become entwined as the beginnings of a rebellion starts to take seed and bloom around them. The introduction of Will, does take away the narrative from Lyra in this book as it's mostly his arc throughout, so if you enjoyed Lyra from the first book and expected more of the same, you might be a bit disappointed with her lack of 'screen time'. We're also introduced to Dr Mary Malone, a scientist who helps Lyra, but it's only a cameo appearance of sorts as she will play a larger role in the next book. 

The book is a more slower paced adventure story full of danger, intrigue, a macguffin - the Subtle Knife of the title; a knife so sharp that it can cut through anything including slicing open portals in between worlds, memorable characters and brilliant world building. It has a bit of a cliffhanger ending but sets things up for the conclusion in the next book nicely, and I can't wait to read how the trilogy ends!

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Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 1 - Northern Lights' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

'Northern Lights' (aka 'The Golden Compass' in North America), book one of Philip Pullman's highly rated 'His Dark Materials' series, and I'm re-reading the entire series in anticipation of the new book release and before the new BBC / HBO TV series airs.

It's the story of Lyra Balacqua, a young girl who has been growing up in the care of the professors at Jordan College with her daemon Pantalaimon, a shape-shifting creature that is sort of spirit animal and the representation of a person's soul. They learn about 'Dust' and become involved in a plot with disappearing children and the Magisterium / Church, so set off to the frozen north on a rescue mission. Along the way, they meet the gyptians (a wandering band of gypsies), witches, a Texan balloonist and a kingdom of armoured polar bears, and discover a revelation or two about Lyra's parents and more.

As the main protagonist, Lyra is certainly feisty, questions everything and stands up for what she thinks is right, even in the face of danger, of which she has to confront time and time again on her travels north. But every time she does, she faces down her fears and comes through, adding strength to her character. I liked her character very much.

The other characters we meet that help Lyra; John Faa, Farder Coram, Iorek Byrnison and Serafina Pekkala are all very likeable as well and the antagonist Mrs Coulter, serves as excellent foil to the hardy Lyra.

The comments I've been seeing about this book, and series, is that it has very distinct views on religion and the church. Although for me, it's not too heavy handed for the main part of the book, although there are points on the Magisterium / Church having views on original sin and their secret agenda. But as I got to the end, the views got a bit more stronger and through Lord Asriel as he explains his motivations, more anti church. Not being religious myself though, it didn't bother me at all.

It's an engrossing and fast paced story in an alternate world full of wonderful characters and magic. I'd also recommend the audiobook, which was pretty good, and was narrated by the author, Philip Pullman and features a full cast performing the characters. I'm looking forward to continuing the story about Lyra and Pantalaimon's adventures in book 2, 'The Subtle Knife'.

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#CoolArt: 'Assassins Of Allansia' by Karl Kopinski

Cover art by Karl Kopinski for the limited edition hardcover edition of 'Assassins Of Allansia' by Ian Livingstone, book #72 in the Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook series, published September 2019 by Scholastic.

Book Review: 'Mortal Engines: Book 4 - A Darkling Plain' by Philip Reeve

cover art by Ian McQue

And so the 'Mortal Engines Quartet' by Philip Reeve comes to a close with 'A Darkling Plain', and what an ending it has. There is a lot going on here! Plenty of thrills, spills and suspense to keep you gripped in the story.

It is a time of peace, with the Green Storm and Municipal Darwinists of the cities having brokered a tentative truce. But with the codes from the tin book memorized, the Stalker Fang is intent on using them to reawaken ODIN, a super weapon still in orbit from the days of the 60 Minute War with the means to destroy humanity. But Hester, Stalker Shrike and the rest are all in pursuit in an effort to stop the fanatical reanimated Anna Fang from destroying all life.

Considering how much is going on, most of the main characters, the Natsworthy's - Tom, Hester and their daughter Wren, Theo Ngoni, Dr Zero - now Lady Naga, Wolf Kobold, Nimrod Pennyroyal, Fishcake, Stalkers Fang and Shrike, still get plenty of 'screen time', carrying the story along at a good pace without feeling too cluttered or as feeling like there was too much filler. All memorable and complex characters, each with their distinct personalities coming through, which added a sense of depth to the narrative.

The world building, as it has been throughout the series, is excellent once more. We get to visit brand new locations and old ones again too, all the while getting a sense of the tensions between the different factions and their fragile truce.

The story, and series, also comes full circle, kind of literally, and without giving too much away, concludes in an emotional and bittersweet but ultimately satisfying way. Not quite the 'happy ever after' you might expect for a conclusion to a series, but it worked well, and I finished the book with a smile on my face.

Once again, I listened to the audiobook edition. Narrated by the once again superb Barnaby Edwards, his performance seems to tease out the personalities of each character, adding an extra dimension to the storytelling and world of Mortal Engines. Never once throughout the series, did the narration become confusing or a chore to listen through, just an absolute delight. It is one of the best acted / narrated series I've had the pleasure to listen to, and heartily recommend the audiobook option.

'A Darkling Plain' is an excellent end to an excellent series and is definitely recommended, especially the wonderful audiobook editions, and especially if the recent movie makes you want to find out more about the world of 'Mortal Engines'. And if you do want more, luckily there is more. 'Night Flights', a prequel collection of short stories about Anna Fang, and the three book 'Fever Crumb' series set around the time of the creation of the first traction cities, all of which will be added to my TBR list as I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the steampunk / dystopian world of 'Mortal Engines'.

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.

Book Review: 'Mortal Engines: Book 1 - Mortal Engines' by Philip Reeve

Cover art by Ian McQue

Inspired to add to my reading list by the movie, which I enjoyed, and the rave reviews of the book series, 'Mortal Engines', book one of the 'Mortal Engines Quartet' of books by Philip Reeve, is set in a dystopian far future, where cities, now mobile, roam the 'hunting grounds' - vast open wastelands left decimated by a devastating 'Sixty Minute War', searching and devouring other cities and small towns for parts and workers to fuel and keep the huge traction cities running. London, where the majority of the story is set, is one of these huge traction cities. A city that is also divided into classes, with its poorer residents and workers at the bottom and the richer more powerful at the top of the tiered city.

And it's in London where we're introduced to the main cast of characters. Tom Natsworthy, a young and idealistic apprentice at the Guild of Historians, who remains loyal to the city. Hester Shaw, a teenage girl with an horrific scar over half her face, in London with a vow to kill Thaddeus Valentine, an historian at the city of London, who murdered her parents and inflicted the scar down her face. Katherine Valentine, adopted daughter of Thaddeus Valentine, who with the help of Bevis Pod, an engineer she befriends, seeks out the truth of her father's activities, uncovering details of a recovered machine called MEDUSA, found by Hester's mother and part of a computer from a super weapon that was used in the Sixty Minute War, and now part of Lord Mayor of London, Magnus Crome's plan to rebuild the superweapon to use against the Anti Traction League and destroy the shield wall of Batmunkh Gompa, that protects the League.

It's a very entertaining and engaging read. There's plenty of action and adventure; Tom and Hester are both thrown off the London and get mixed up with slave traders, pirates, the enigmatic Anna Fang and the Anti Traction League and more, and there's also lots of intrigue too as Katherine and Bevis investigate Thaddeus Valentine and the MEDUSA weapon. The characters are compelling too, finding myself getting drawn into their narratives as the story progresses.

I listened to the audiobook option, narrated by Barnaby Edwards, and if you can, definitely check that out. Barnaby's performance is really good. The different vocalisations and accents brought the characters to life, adding a sense of vivid realism and a different dimension to the story.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable story with a good cast of YA main characters that trundles along at a brisk pace with plenty going on, but not too much, to keep you invested. As I read the book after watching the movie, there are differences in storyline and in the fates of the characters, but it didn't detract from enjoying either of them, and would recommend both the book and the movie. Looking forward to the next instalment in the series, 'Predator's Gold'.

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.