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hueofgray's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thematically my favorite of all the greater his dark materials universe. But in execution this feels like Across the Spiderverse which is to say without proper conclusion. I’m fine waiting for a conclusion to a story. I’ll probably be doing so my whole life for certain stories. But when things are unfinished I can’t feel as if I can judge them fairly. A lot of things I don’t like about this book, I.E. the rushed ending and the Malcolm and Lyra love (ew), are things that I feel like they’ll be substantially paid off in the future. But as I don’t live in the future I’m left with a book that doesn’t have a proper conclusion and establishes the possibility of romance between a 20 year old and a 30 year old who changed her diapers. And well at this point I have enough faith in Phillip Pullman to believe this will be concluded well, I still just can’t pretend that they didn’t bother me as much as they did. And the problem with not concluding such important things is that this is gonna continue to gnaw at me and sour my opinions. But to be fair it’s important not just to dwell on the negative, this book is crazy good most of the time. It has this story that both is engaging on a simplistic level but when you focus deeply on it becomes much more interesting. And that just makes for a really engaging read that I ended up enjoying.
actuallyshan's review against another edition
2.0
I have never finished a book and felt so furious after reading it. It was a struggle to get through, the blurb and the beginning of the book had no real plot hold throughout the rest of the novel. I feel like Pullmans personal political views got in the way of a potentially better storyline.
The Amber Spyglass was a fantastic end to His Dark Materials, and as aware as I was that Lyra and Will wouldn't meet up in this book. I'm bitterly disappointed in her storyline as an adult. And bitterly disappointed in the second installment of The Book of Dust. I have no more words.
The Amber Spyglass was a fantastic end to His Dark Materials, and as aware as I was that Lyra and Will wouldn't meet up in this book. I'm bitterly disappointed in her storyline as an adult. And bitterly disappointed in the second installment of The Book of Dust. I have no more words.
neni's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
izzyniccraith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
forgottensecret's review against another edition
3.0
'Lyra's pen stopped moving; she pushed her chair back and stood up. Pantalaimon could see her reflection in the glass, suspended over the Oxford night. He could even make out her expression of mutinous unhappiness.'
Series that have made me in my youth: His Dark Materials, Harry Potter and Eragon. They offer chocolate boxes of nostalgia which can be tasted by casting the mind back. I really enjoyed La Belle Sauvage, it felt like I was ashore in fantasy, with the intimacy of being accompanied by a daemon and a reentry into that world. The Secret Commonwealth for me does not offer that same respite. Other reviewers have managed to pin down why: there are just too many elements, too many genres, too many things the book wants to be. We not only swerve from crime to derailment of friendship to myth, but it doesn't do so in a way that feels natural. It was this lack of consistency in tone, of meaning that made this journey with Lyra and Pan less enchanting. Not to forget that they are now separated, and Lyra is wholly changed from who she once was in HDM. I can understand that Pullman wants to engage with more mature themes, but I feel that their separation or her alteration could have been handled more believably or with less antagonism. We change as we grow, but I just felt the complete turnaround of Lyra by the reading of two philosophers shouldn't have negated all her past experience. Books can change us, but can they make us disbelieve our experience in such a negative way? The silverlining is that the 700+ page book hopefully sets up nicely the final in the trilogy. The jarring admission of Malcolm's love for Lyra was another thing that seemed to be missing any sort of nuance or progression. I'm not sure how I feel about that. In a way, I'm glad Pullman is trying new themes, going across new lands, but they should be infused with coherent concepts and believable storylines. We shall see how it plays out in the next book.
Series that have made me in my youth: His Dark Materials, Harry Potter and Eragon. They offer chocolate boxes of nostalgia which can be tasted by casting the mind back. I really enjoyed La Belle Sauvage, it felt like I was ashore in fantasy, with the intimacy of being accompanied by a daemon and a reentry into that world. The Secret Commonwealth for me does not offer that same respite. Other reviewers have managed to pin down why: there are just too many elements, too many genres, too many things the book wants to be. We not only swerve from crime to derailment of friendship to myth, but it doesn't do so in a way that feels natural. It was this lack of consistency in tone, of meaning that made this journey with Lyra and Pan less enchanting. Not to forget that they are now separated, and Lyra is wholly changed from who she once was in HDM. I can understand that Pullman wants to engage with more mature themes, but I feel that their separation or her alteration could have been handled more believably or with less antagonism. We change as we grow, but I just felt the complete turnaround of Lyra by the reading of two philosophers shouldn't have negated all her past experience. Books can change us, but can they make us disbelieve our experience in such a negative way? The silverlining is that the 700+ page book hopefully sets up nicely the final in the trilogy. The jarring admission of Malcolm's love for Lyra was another thing that seemed to be missing any sort of nuance or progression. I'm not sure how I feel about that. In a way, I'm glad Pullman is trying new themes, going across new lands, but they should be infused with coherent concepts and believable storylines. We shall see how it plays out in the next book.
scottjp's review against another edition
2.0
This was a rather unpleasant read. The magic seems to have gone not only from the story (Lyra has become a cold realist, aggravating her daemon who leaves her to search for her "stolen" imagination) but from Pullman's writing as well. I hope both are recovered for the conclusion.
rivzy's review against another edition
2.0
Have never been more disappointed by a book honestly. Was really excited to read this and it was just…bad? Half of it was like weird waxing philosophy that didn’t make a lot of sense — I always enjoyed the way the His Dark Materials books delved into critiques of religion and interesting philosophy but this did not have the same zing whatsoever. It was very bland and depressing. There was minimal plot. Also (spoiler sorry) the weird “in love” subplot between Lyra and Malcom makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and had me visibly cringing. We’re going to let a 30something man fall in love with a 20 year old? We’re ok with that now? No thank you.
ellie_cripps's review against another edition
1.0
Really struggling for redeeming features in this one. The new narrator characters feel all over the place, Lyra and Pan's fights and relationship are unsatisfying and don't make sense and the new concepts introduced are confusing and feel like an elaborate setup for the final book we're waiting for now.
Lyra remains as the narrator most of the time, but all of her worst traits have been amplified while she's lost what I used to find engaging and charming about her.
I just found it incredibly hard to care about this book and was tired of it long before it was over. And don't get me started on chapter 31, that one can burn.
I'll read the last one out of faith in Philip Pullman and the series, but damn I was disappointed.
Lyra remains as the narrator most of the time, but all of her worst traits have been amplified while she's lost what I used to find engaging and charming about her.
I just found it incredibly hard to care about this book and was tired of it long before it was over. And don't get me started on chapter 31, that one can burn.
I'll read the last one out of faith in Philip Pullman and the series, but damn I was disappointed.
sarz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
izzyfrizzybizzy's review against another edition
4.0
First read this book when I was 16, and completely didn’t get it. Thought it was boring, slow, confusing, and decidedly not fun following the fun adventurous tales of La Belle Sauvage.
Rereading this at Lyra’s age was a completely new experience, and really spoke to the feelings I have had for the past couple of years as a University student who is unhappy with herself and unsure why. There were some aspects I didn’t like, for example I don’t really understand the point of Olivier’s character, but hopefully it’ll become clear by the third book.
Rereading this at Lyra’s age was a completely new experience, and really spoke to the feelings I have had for the past couple of years as a University student who is unhappy with herself and unsure why. There were some aspects I didn’t like, for example I don’t really understand the point of Olivier’s character, but hopefully it’ll become clear by the third book.