The Amber Spyglass

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman.

Everything is fine, nothing is answered

This one just didn't do it for me, despite not being meaningfully different to the preceding two. Part of it was definitely a bit of ick from two characters I very much saw as kids (Lyra's ~12 in this book!) suddenly being very interested in romance. I mean it makes a lot of sense, most kids are at that age even without the extensive trauma-bonding, but much like their other authentically child-like reactions and decisions it's just not fun to read for me.

Something else which wasn't fun to read was the complete glossing over of all plot points the author had built up, chief among which being the flow of Dust.According to a helpful exposition angel it was caused by all the holes between worlds cut by the Subtle Knife (makes sense), but that does nothing to explain why Will and Lyra making out slowed the flow to a crawl... And if the flow slowed by so much from the abyss being closed, how come they can't open a portal from time to time to pop between worlds and visit each other? The whole star-crossed lovers ending just rubbed me the wrong way; felt like it was forced because that's what the author wanted rather than because it made sense in the world.

Other than that the book was good fun YA stuff, going to the world of the dead and freeing the ghosts was a fun plotline, especially when Lyra realised she can't just magically lie her way out of everything. The big battle between the Kingdom of Heaven and Republic of Heaven was very much glossed over but that's as expected; this series isn't really about fights or power scaling. Mrs Coulter & Asriel finally and somewhat abruptly remembered they were parents and did something to help Lyra, even if she'll never find out about it (and probably enjoy a better quality of life with both parents in The Abyss).

Overall I'm happy I read the series for nostalgia if nothing else, but the threads left hanging or tied off in an unsatisfying way leave a bad taste in my mouth. Will probably pick up his other series at some point, but not in any rush right now.