The final part of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy is a very satisfying conclusion that ties up enough of loose ends without seeming to only concern itself with that. The way everything worked out was very appealing too - not sentimental, not overly-dramatic, but perfectly in order considering the two books that preceded it. ( )

Borrowed from public library. Well written story. Even if I thought the ending unjust ( )

This is my favorite book from the trilogy. Yes it has a slow start but it more than makes up for it in the end. I was literally at the edge of my seat with my nose practically touching the pages as I read. ( )

This book, unlike the other two, has a slow start. Of course, it's also considerably longer than the other two. Unfortunately, Lyra spends about the first third of the book unconscious! Will has some stuff to do while she's conked out, of course, but not exactly a whole lot-- and like in The Subtle Knife, all of the important things are being done by characters who are not our protagonists. But this one picks up once Lyra and Will are reunited and decide to journey to the Land of the Dead: they're once again active parts of the story, driving the narrative instead of reacting to it, and they're both on top form, especially Lyra, who is at her manipulative best. All of the material in the Land of the Dead is fabulous, at turns harrowing and joyful. Once they get out, then there's of course their time with Mary Malone among the mulefa, which is great in its own way. I think Mary Malone is the most interesting character in the trilogy who's not Lyra or Will, so it's nice to see her step into prominence here. All in all, it's another excellent installment in the His Dark Materials trilogy; the start is somewhat slow and disappointing, but once the story kicks into gear, it's on par with the excellent first book. And that ending! Oh, that ending! I don't think I have ever read a line more heartbreaking than this: "He kissed her again and again, and each kiss was nearer to the last one of all."

A slow start without any thread to remind me where the action had left off the previous book put me off for a while. I pushed through and eventually got into it. Sort of disappointed that the great confrontation I was expecting Lyra to have to face never manifested -- I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't all sorts of other characters throwing themselves in front of the children to take out their obstacles.things that still bother me, or at least make me ponder:* why Lyra? What marks her as special?* Why is the trilogy called His Dark Materials? Whose? ( )