Ah. Contains one of my favorite ending sentences of a novel, ever.His Dark Materials is one of those YA series that seems to grow up with the reader... each novel progressively darker and more nuanced. For example, Mrs. Coulter, who was such an unadulterated villain in the first book, is much more complex by the third. Layered characters with conflicting motives -- they're like crack to me.Also, I came to love the idea of Dust, which seemed little more than a plot device in the first novel, but by the end... what a beautiful idea.UPDATE: I just had a minor epiphany (minipiphany?) today at work: that getting my brain ready for subject analysis is very much like Lyra's state of mind when reading the alethiometer. Except that my alethiometer isn't inscribed with pictures, but MARC tags, each with ladders of meaning, defined by indicators, delimiters, subfields, and thesauri.Or maybe I just really need the long weekend. ( )

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."