#v . the amber spyglass

[materardens]

@fclieadeuxx : forehead, sender presses their forehead against receiver's. for lyra.

it’s one of few tender things shes ever done. most young girls— ones who’d have grown in a house like hers— would have held their doll this way, arms awkwardly shouldered despite the earnest in their attempts of fulfilling a role, visions they’d seen and had burned into their gaze of their mothers. the nannies. the relatives who would visit to fawn over their newly welcomed infants.

marisa’s hands, once similarly untrained, are deft palms that grew to cross and soothe the woes of the impoverished faces of street children. urchins who gawk at her, bug - eyed in wonderment as though their hearts were starved of her warmth, as if she’d come from the pictures of a book they hadn’t read of the most beautiful golden sunset. they are hands made of tender flesh, bathed and polished and very cared for, until the backs have been kissed by both self - proclaimed holy men and heretics, adhering to formal courtesies and complimenting the gentle, striking scent of her perfume.

all of these things, much like the letters she writes, are never wielded with the genuine sentiment of those aspiring young girls. which might be— must be why, there’s something so peculiar about having them reunite with the only thing they’ve ever lovingly forged. that the same walls which beckon to the catalyst of lyra’s conception— warped as they were with time, and secrecy, and bored holes from the faiths above watching them just as they’d watched lyra’s parents prior— were the only thing keeping her safe.

lyra’s forehead is cold against hers, despite the stubborn spark of the small fire triumphing onward, and her nose is nipped a rosy pink by the icy wind whistling along.

how terribly heavy she is, in her arms when she cradles her.

she’s dressed with an attitude much like the fire, stubborn and unwilling to stray from its purpose beneath all of the imposed subtlety of her mother’s mentoring, something she doesn’t appear to have tucked away into her pockets, nor her dæmon. but her brow is gentle, soothed with marisa’s thumb until the line fades from its miniscule error, and suddenly she becomes as light as the peculiar little thing in her arms over a decade ago, deathly quiet in her arms too wide, whilst her forehead rests to hers in an unspoken atonement.

[aercnaut]

tag dump; verses

[aercnaut-deader-than-lee]

tag dump: verses

[glitchbirds]

started watching the his dark materials tv adaptation earlier this week- something that i had meant to do back in 2019 when it began and never quite got around to. started s3 yesterday so i should get the remaining 7 episodes under my belt within the next few days genuinely it is fascinating to watch an adaptation of a series that i read only once, when i was ten years old, but which left such a profound impression on me that i have consistently cycled back to it for years and years (esp when its such a complex, sprawling fantasy world-or several worlds, really- that its adapting)

as ive mentioned Several times over the years- maybe not on this particular account though-, i was gifted an omnibus copy of all three books in one by my older brother, either for christmas or my birthday i cant remember, sometime before the 2007 movie came out (meaning i had to have been 10 at the absolute oldest when i started reading them, though maybe 11 by the time i finished?). i also very clearly remember The Controversy surrounding them among christians, mainly because of a few comments by classmates but more importantly because my (fourth grade, iirc?) teacher pulled me out of class one day to tell me the book i was reading was sinful and atheist and against god and etc (which made me cry very hard </3 even though she told me i could still read it. this was back when my dad still took me to (catholic) church on a semi-regular basis to appease my grandmother as well as sunday school (run by my older cousins) and at least a year or so before i started to develop a modicum of critical thought towards deep south church teachings. i was petrified of the idea of going to hell and scared to do anything whatsoever to jeopardize my chances) (this did not stop me from reading the book however, because i enjoyed it too much. but i also have a clear memory of reading the book every chance i got w/o paying much attention to what was happening around me and one day realizing that i was reading it while at church service and mentally freaking out that i was doing something sacrilegious and trying to force myself to stop reading. i think i spent about 10 minutes bored out of my mind before i, internally apologetic, went back to reading) luckily my parents seemed unaware or unphased by the fearmongering- i assume my mother never noticed, or this was before she started to become insane from fox news poisoning; my dad i think brought it up briefly because of a flyer he saw but wasnt overly worried about it- because i saw the movie in theaters (i liked it ok; have never seen it since, i want to now though) and also acquired the ds game (tbh i enjoyed it despite it being tie-in garbage and me being v bad at video games as a kid; i never managed to beat it though) and later the wii game (bad </3 never got far into it)

Anywayyyy. again i have never since reread any of the books or read any of the other novellas and the like philip pullman has written set in the same world, though im itching to do that now; and ofc while ive skimmed through wiki articles and the like to refresh my memory on things, my memory of most of the plot points in the books are heavily based on My Perspective As A Ten Year Old Child. i remember the first book the best, a decent amount of subtle knife, and can only recall a few specifics of amber spyglass, and its only now while revisiting the world by watching the tv show that im getting a proper, more well-rounded view of the symbolism and messaging and Authorial Intent(tm) behind the series, because of course a lot of this shit flew right over my stupid little child brain as a kid. once i got to the third book i started to understand, vaguely, why my teacher didnt want me reading this book and why there was a backlash against the movie, but a lot of things that are obvious to me now (and would have been obvious if i read the series just a few years later, really) just did not compute for a 10 y/o. which ofc does not mean that i think its a Bad thing i read them that young but all of ^ that turns watching this series into a mix of "oh i remember that" "oh i know whats coming up" "oh my god i forgot that this is from HDM, this has influenced so many creative projects over the years w/o me even realizing it" "oh they skipped over it but i know in the books there was a scene here that i loved and that has stuck with me forever" "i dont remember this from the books but it extrapolates perfectly from what i remember about these characters" "oh my god was the symbolism here really that obvious and i still didnt pick up on it" etc etc etc ANYWAYYYY. my actual review of the tv series so far: -season 1 in particular is sorely lacking in how it portrays daemons and it made me increasingly sad. daemons were without a doubt my favorite thing from these books and one of my favorite things in a work of fantasy Ever to the point where over the years i have Repeatedly decided to sit down and spend a ridiculous amount of time painstakingly plotting out what daemon i think (x) character from (x) piece of media i enjoy, would have. many of which are still committed to memory. i fucking love daemons as a concept and i wish this shit was public domain so any piece of fiction i write could utilize them forever. i get budget issues exist or w/e but whyyyy would you adapt a series where every character in a world would have a cgi animal with them at all times if you couldnt actually show those cgi animals in more than a handful of scenes per episode and only for (some) major characters and only if they had a speaking role in that scene and also occasionally just have them teleport instead of showing them walking from one room to the next and also crowd shots are fucking barren. its like watching a live action pkmn tv show where pokemon are onscreen for a combined 5-10 minutes out of 60 minute episodes. s2 is a bit better about it but it also spends significantly more time in other worlds where daemons arent visible so ig its easier to budget in more daemons in scenes that take place in lyras world. no idea about s3 yet though ofc the mulefa are coming so We'll See how they handle the cg there

-i do think the cg animal animation looks good though. like its not "i believe there is an actual snow leopard in the room" photorealism but not only is that something i do not particularly care about, i think daemons looking a little unreal is actually perfect. they are physical manifestation of human souls and are in-universe immediately distinguishable from identical animals of the same species... it works

-s2 in general is a significant improvement on s1 not just in the daemons but in the overall pacing and character exploration imo; which is surprising considering its the season cut short from covid lockdown; and also a bit sad since, again, most of what i remember is from the first book and thus many of my fondest memories of the books were things that were either skimmed over in the first season or cut out entirely </3 ALAS.

-iorek and iofurs fight didnt go as hard as it shouldve </3 they didnt even show iorek ripping iofur's jaw off... he was killed in the blurry bg behind lyra. how are you gonna let the 2007 pg-13 movie kick more ass at talking armored polar bears fighting to the death

-am i crazy or is the alethiometer just not used much in the tv series compared to the book... maybe the movie+games clouded my memory, or maybe its the fact that in the show there's rarely any elaboration as to what the symbols could mean or which symbols lyra is using for her questions/what she's interpreting. almost every scene of it being used blurs together and i wouldnt be shocked if some show-only fans think its a stupid plot device with no rhyme or reason behind the symbols, when imo i think you can at least roughly intuit many of the meanings, though obviously not to the extent that a reader could interpret full accurate sentences

-some really really strong casting for like 99% of the roles in this show, i love most of the changes theyve made from the books wrt to casting decisions, my only significant gripe is of course. why did you have to do lee scorseby like that. i loved lee a lot. i remembered him so fondly. why'd you have to give lin manuel miranda that one. just absolutely devastating to me personally (though the choice to have andrew scott as will's father was v funny to me because lin manuel miranda and moriarty from bbc sherlock hanging out together for a huge chunk of s2 has to have appealed massively to a very particular subset of tumblrina)

-again i read these books when i was 10 so the concept of "characters can be bad people but also really well written and enjoyable to spectate" hadnt really settled in my mind yet so i really have no idea if this fully applies to the book version of her but oh my godddd i love mrs coulter in this series. yes she kidnaps children and rips their souls apart from them yes she drugs her own daughter and holds her captive yes she murders people indiscriminately without remorse etc. and she rules <3

-similarly the changes theyve made to the golden monkey are Fascinating...

-i loved lyra and pan with my whole heart when i was her age and it is really :,) to now be fully an adult and see her again. waughh. i love how almost everyone she meets loves her too (i will not stand for ppl watering it down to found family fanfiction tropes. but She Is So Loved.)

-i think its cool that boreal went from being a fairly minor character in the books to one of the main antagonists for a hot minute. he was fun :)

-i dont remember having strong feelings about mary malone as a kid but i really like her here. i havent gotten to this point in the show yet but im aware they tweaked her backstory to make her a lesbian as well, which is just delightful to me

-will's relationship w/ his mother and particularly the way the book describes her mental illness from will's perspective was so, So important to me as a kid and the thing i remembered best from subtle knife, and i wish the show had dwelled on it a liiiittle more? in particular, the bit where will thinks about when he first realized something was up and his mother wasnt just playing a "game" with him and was actually terrified of a nonexistent threat, when he was seven and they were shopping for groceries, and how he realized then and there that he needed to take care of her and protect her- that stuck w/ me very strongly as a kid and i wish the show had found a way for will to talk about it with lyra, there were a couple points where i thought he was going to bring it up. maybe this season??

fun fact i started writing this post at like 10 last night. i gotta put a stop this rn

[tailsrevane]

[book review] the amber spyglass by philip pullman (2000)

now this is more like it.

this story is bigger. the world feels massive and complicated. you don’t know what everyone’s going to do before they do it. i think what impresses me the most, and what is the most welcome change from its predecessor, is that it fucking takes its time. the book manages to convey the breathless pace of a final, desperate fight for survival & freedom without feeling like it’s in a hurry. it feels very in control, very measured, and like it gives everything that happens a real chance to breathe despite the fact that so much shit is happening.

i do think lord asriel & mrs. coulter’s redemption arcs are a little too easy. and i am giving serious side-eye to the fact that the book (justifiably) harshes on mrs. coulter quite a bit while basically never really grappling whatsoever with the fact that lord asriel killed a fucking child. like, it just literally never comes up. so that’s… awkward.

i think it’s fucking wild that catholics get so up in arms about these books considering how fucking nothing the allegorizing in them is. like, yeah, this one does specifically mention “the swiss guard” which is the most overt reference to the fact that the church in lyra’s world is clearly a vastly more powerful version of the catholic church that maintained the overt political authority they had in the middle ages rather than having to get by with being wealthy landowners like they are today. but just. idk man, it’s still so possible to imagine someone reading this without even noticing that it’s anti-church. so getting all upset about it & demanding boycotts just comes off as the most fragile shit ever imo.

on that note, the cosmology of this world is a bit lacking for my tastes. like, i ended up agreeing with what my partner said about the second book that just having the entire conflict be between spicy atheists & spicy christians, where even seemingly powerful outsiders like the witches ultimately end up deriving all their shit from the same boring source is just a bit disappointing.

i also completely agree with him that it’s pretty annoying that pullman just had to go with a downer ending. like, i admittedly did actually get pretty genuinely emotional when lyra & will realized they were going to have to be separated. it was very well-written, and in a limited amount of time (considering the sheer amount of other shit the book had to get through, seriously this thing was massive) the book did manage to make me care quite a bit about their relationship even though i knew where things were going from the vague memories of previous reading.

what really puts this book over the top for me, though, is mary’s story in the chapter “marzipan.”

you know when a story has That Scene? the one where you could pull it out of the larger story and, standing completely on its own, it would still be just absolutely stunningly good? and if you did pull it out of the larger body it was from, that larger body would just suddenly be drastically less special? i’m thinking of, like, valerie page’s diary in v for vendetta. this is that scene for me.

the way mary told her story just made me smile so much. it’s just… it’s so intimate, and it’s so tender. it really emphasizes the literal sweetness, the playfulness that comes along with love. it’s just some truly incredible writing, i’m really not sure what else to say.

and i guess that’s kind of what it comes down to with these books. like, there are plenty of things about them i don’t like. but they’re just so damn well-written. i think i’ve reached a point in my life where i’m comfortable saying that i’d rather spend my time reading things that more directly appeal to me, but i’m still glad i revisited these to see if they held up at all, and discovered that they mostly do.

a-rank

[jenelle-annalee]

Books Read in 2022

1. A Court of Silver Flames- Sarah J. Maas

2. Told After Supper- Jerome K. Jerome

3. The Crazy Ladies of Pearl Street- Trevanian

4. To Kill a Kingdom- Alexandra Christo

5. The Father Christmas Letter- J.R.R. Tolkien

6. The Book of Doing and Being- Barnett Bain

7. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August- Claire North

8. Northern Lights (Golden Compass)- Philip Pullman

9. The Subtle Knife- Phillip Pullman

10. The Amber Spyglass-Phillip Pullman

11. The Skincare Bible- Anjali Mahto

12. The Popular Culture Reader- John L. Nachbar Wright Jack, & Deborah Weiser

13. Another Roadside Attraction- Tom Robbins

14. Angels and Demons- Dan Brown

15. The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown

16. The Vintage Tea Cup Club- Vanessa Greene

17. A Woman of Independent Means- Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey

18. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart- Holly Ringland

19. Humankind: A Hopeful History- Rutger Bergman

20. Goddess- Kelly Gardi

21. Wild Animals I Have Known- Ernest Thompson Seton

22. Femme Fatale: Cinema’s Most Unforgettable Lethal Ladies- Dominique Manon and James Ursini

23. Crazy for the Storm- Norman Ollestad

24. The Power of Body Language: How to Succeed in Every Business and Social Encounter- Tonya Reiman

25. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken

26. Coffee, Tea, or Me? - "Trudy Baker" aka Donald Bain

27. Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman- Sam Wasson

28. Audrey: Her Story- Alexander Walker

29. The Complete Films of Audrey Hepburn - Jerry Vermiyle

30. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit, a Son Remembers- Sean Hepburn Ferrer

31. Gigi- Collette

32. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes- Anita Loos

33. Chalice- Robin McKinley

34. Dragon's Bane - Patricia Wrede

35. The Golem and the Jinni- Helene Wecker

36. The Prince and the Dressmaker- Jen Wang

37. The Path Made Clear- Oprah Winfrey

38. Lumberjanes- Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, and ND Stevenson

39. The Hidden Palace - Helene Wecker

40. Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World- Penelope Bagieu

41. Strange Practice- Vivian Shaw

42. Dreadful Company- Vivian Shaw

43. All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories Of Queer Teens Throughout The Ages- edited by Saundra Mitchell

44. The Library at Mount Char- Scott Hawkins

45. Grave Importance- Vivian Shaw

46. Verity- Colleen Hoover

47. Bravely- Maggie Stiefvater

48. 1602- Neil Gaiman

49. She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs- Sarah Smarsh

50. Gallant- V.E. Schwab

51. Lore Olympus Vol. 1- Rachel Smythe

52. I'll Have What She's Having: My Adventures in Celebrity Dieting- Rebecca Harrington

53. Lore Olympus Vol. 2- Rachel Smythe

54. Moon Cakes- Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu

55. The Tea Dragon Society- Katie O'Neill

56. The Tea Dragon Festival- Katie O'Neill

57. Travels with Foxfire: Stories of People, Passions, and Practices from Southern Appalachia- Foxfire Fund Inc.

58. My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh

59. Seance Tea Party- Reimenga Yee

60. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics- Dolly Parton and Robert K. Oermann

61. Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian

62. Tidesong- Wendy Xu

63. Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss

64. The Girl from the Sea- Molly Knox Ostertag

65. Lightfall: The Shadow of the Bird

66. Neon Gods- Katee Robert

67. The Lighthouse Witches- C. J. Cooke

68. Six Crimson Cranes- Elizabeth Lim

69. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life- Anne Bogel

70. The Secret History- Donna Tartt

71. The Near Witch- V. E. Schwab

72. The Good Demon- Jimmy Cajole

73. The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury

74. Nettle & Bone- T. Kingfisher

75. Dracula- Bram Stoker

76. My Best Friend's Exorcism- Grady Hendrix

77. Batman: The Ultimate Evil- Andrew Vachss

78. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments- Aimee Nezhukumatathil

79. Odd and the Frost Giants- Neil Gaiman

80. How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life- Signe Johansen

[ereborcore]

I really enjoyed your Feanorian uquiz! Would you mind telling me what books the talking animals quotes are from? And maybe if it's not too much, what the songs in the soundtrack question are from?

im glad you liked it! and yeah of course!!

quotes from talking animal question:

To come to the end of a time of anxiety and fear! To feel the cloud that hung over us lift and disperse—the cloud that dulled the heart and made happiness no more than a memory!

watership down, by richard adams. rabbits going silly mode

If they're gone, if they left without me, I won't stop. Did they call? (Stay quiet, stay still.) Listen. Is it them?

this is from the animals in that country, by laura jean mckay, one of my favourite books of all time, one of the most extraordinary perspectives on talking animals that exists. this line is spoken (?) by sue, a dingo.

Sometimes a tool may have other uses that you don’t know.

the amber spyglass, by philip pullman. iorek byrnison the armoured bear says this, talking about a knife that can cut windows between worlds.

The song sparrow will return and sing, the frogs will awake, the warm wind will blow again.

charlotte's web, by eb white. charlotte tells wilbur this before she dies, describing the future she's secured for him.

Overpowering fate.

the iliad, homer. achilles' horse xanthus says this to him, warning him that his death is drawing near.

When you’ve lived in a cage, you can’t bear not to run, even if what you’re running towards is an illusion.

mrs frisby and the rats of nimh, robert c o'brien. the old rat nicodemus says this when describing his time as a lab rat.

I have other work to do.

the last battle, cs lewis. aslan says this as the world of narnia is destroyed and he heads off to create the 'true' narnia.

I have no wish to take life, not even human life.

animal farm, by george orwell. this line is spoken by boxer the workhorse, who is reluctant to commit violence for the revolution.

songs from soundtrack question:

we are not checkmated is from the video game disco elysium.

if anything of us will remain, or in the original german, ob irgendwas von uns bleibt, is from the show dark.

lost love is from the video game gyossait.

into the abyss is from hbo's his dark materials.

S.T.A.Y. is from the film interstellar.

conversation, interrupted is from the video game firewatch.

flame of despair is from puella magi madoka magica the movie: rebellion.

shining lights, even in death is from the video game metal gear solid v: the phantom pain.

[weepylucifer]

Hhhh consider tho, marysa AU where they start dating and from day 1, Mary is just nice to the monkey, treating him with kindness, showering him with affection once she gets used to the whole daemon thing... and the monkey getting very attached to her bc he’s never been loved before not even by Marisa... until one day the monkey starts to talk

[viciousgold]

@silvertonguc​

It was very difficult to come to this decision. Allowing Lyra to wake up could go very badly, and making the decision to do so was something thought on for days now. She could very well run away again. But part of her knew this couldn’t go on forever. She couldn’t keep Lyra asleep and safe. Moving her would be so much harder if something happened, especially if she awoke and was uncooperative. She would just lose her anyway. This option had the best potential for Lyra remaining safe with her-- alive.

So with much reluctance, Marisa had elected to not give the girl her daily dose. Since she hadn’t, she knew that she would wake up soon. Perhaps she could explain things, maybe Lyra would listen. Marisa would have to explain at this point; she had no idea of how to, or even where to start. 

She didn’t even look like herself. It felt like it had been so long since she had any sort of her usual grandeur. Hair out of place, a bare face, simple clothing as well as, in general, looking so tired, almost haggard. Marisa almost looked like a different person. The last remaining things she had that were distinguishable were her sharp features, piercing eyes, and her golden-furred daemon. Lyra would know immediately who it was despite how different she looked. 

Suddenly from her seat outside of the cave, she glanced up to see Lyra emerge. Marisa had no idea of how the girl would react. She would fight tooth and nail each time she was being put back to sleep, but now she was facing Marisa who was currently allowing her to wake up. 

“Lyra,” she spoke immediately, gazing up at her. “Please.” There was urgency, a near hopeless tone to her voice. “Let’s talk. I know you don’t want to, but it’s important.”

[secondbetrayer]

‘i’m not going to hurt you.’ from marisa?

ways to say i love you | accepting 

waking up in a place different than the one you fell asleep in was jarring enough in itself and when lyra was awake enough to register not only her different surroundings but her mother’s presence too, her startled response was almost instantaneous. she moved away from mrs coulter in fear, pan in his wildcat form and baring his teeth at the golden monkey in warning, and when her mother spoke reassuring words, it did little to comfort the girl or her daemon.

“what are you doing?” lyra demanded. “who are you taking me to?” 

[glindaselphie]

I’ve just remembered Marisa basically has a flat out fist fight with a witch in the Amber Spyglass book and it’s v possible we will see Ruth bringing that to life and I’m 👀 👀 👀 👀

[agirlandabear]

Mystic Messenger Crossover AU: The Golden Compass

I’m working on a little thing, a crossover with The Golden Compass/His Dark Materials trilogy for one of the days of the au week to treat one of the prompts a bit different. Basically Mystic Messenger + daemons. I’d be in need of opinions regarding what sort of Daemon the characters would have.

MC’s is settled as a bear and that’s not changing. Name’s been decided too.

Saeran’s I was thinking could still be not settled/still shifting. Name’s already been decided, but you can propose a settled animal for him.

Jumin’s is Elizabeth 3rd (there are no pets in HDM, remember?)

Jaehee I was thinking a bloodhound (dogs are the daemons of diligent and hardworking people, and also some of the most common, but bloodhounds are loving, nurturing and hate cats great at chasing, following and tracking, they have one of the most sensible noses between canines which makes it hilarious when in my head Jaehee’s daemon is like MC is gay and into you take a fucking hint)

Zen: I was also thinking of a dog like a setter or an afghan, or maybe an arctic fox, or perhaps something more like an albino peacock or a snowy owl, rare and dashing and FURLESS (he’s allergic to fur, people, not cats)

Yoosung: a bird too, but something delicate like a humming bird. Tiny yet still badass. 

707: One of the few I’ve had the hardest time with. I was thinking of a cuckoo since they can adapt very well and convince other creatures they’re actually a dangerous animal and they abandon their young to be taken care of by someone else

V: I’m 99.999999% convinced V’s daemon is a red squirrel: one of the two species of mammals that has been documented practicing distraction displays. Killdeer is my second option, but I think there are enough birds in RFA

Rika: helpmeireallydon’twannagiveherasnakebutlowkeyireallywanna actually I’m thinking a dove. Holy animal of innocent appearance that actually can carry lots of diseases and spreads aggressively and like an epidemic, always in flocks.

Please give me a hand? Reblog too so someone else can give me their opinion. This could turn into a multichaptered story updated weekly!

[at-the-crossroad-of-worlds]

❥started: November 21st 2021

❥ended: December 1st 2021

❥title: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, 2000

❥pages: 519

❥genre: Fantasy fiction

❥rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❥opinion: The third and final instalment of the “His dark materials” trilogy, it’s a heartbreaking and well-thought out conclusion, one that will rival many, it’s simply, an amazing end of story. At first glance, I had thought that this would be a challenge for me considering it had 200 pages more than the average HDM novel. There were many times between chapters where I found myself taking “summary notes” for my sake, there was a lot of new terms to remember and plot. I found it quite nice, and creative of the author to introduce characters like: King Ogunwe, Lord Roke(he and Marisa make an amazing duo team!), Xaphania, Atal and Metatron.

I have to say, I did not recognize Pullman’s writing in the Amber spyglass, it can shift to be so light-hearted at times(ie. the Himalayas scene with Mrs. Coulter and Lyra.) then become so heavy. (ie. the botanic scene with Will and Lyra.)!

There are many points that I enjoyed in this story, that I will gladly name. I found Marisa’s character development very out of the blue but handled quite well. For the last two books, Mrs. Coulter had been nothing but a power-hungry, sadistic and kind of a control-freak antagonist towards our protagonist. If you told an HDM fan that’s only read the first book that she willingly kidnapped her own daughter to “keep her safe”, they’d roll their eyes at you for sure.

From all the times that we’ve seen her mother kidnap her throughout the novels, it never benefited Lyra in the slightest. It was because of her mother’s rather twisted-minded ways to keep her “safe”. Said ways consisting nothing but Lyra getting harmed by her, physically and psychologically.

Now what I like about this book is the apparent evidence of Marisa GENUINELY wanting to protect Lyra this time. She gave up everything — her life, in order to act like a domestic maiden(which is a shameful scenario for someone like her) to hide Lyra away in the Himalayas

Unlike in the two other books, it’s the very first time that we see Marisa actually crying out at her(okay..she was poisoned to be fair, so she was also in pain at the time). But we never saw her outright begging her daughter not to leave her. She acted upon something close to genuine motherly love for her daughter; she knew that if Lyra left, she’d be in danger again and Marisa couldn’t protect her. Mrs. Coulter shows to really care about her daughter in this book, and it was very shattering to read!

The cherry on top of this scene is how Lyra responded to that: she cries and she hesitates. It was if she did not want to leave her mother again, but she knew how much of a terrible person she was. She wanted to badly believe that Mrs. Coulter could redeem herself but she knew that if she did, she might end up get big hurt again by her mother. So she left. Now, after escaping the troops, she talks with Will and she vocalizes those said thoughts.

She wanted to give Marisa a chance, want to find a reason to think her mother is a caring person deep down. And Marisa giving that impression on her back in the caves(the fact that she cried out to Lyra)....shows a big deal of how much her character has developed.

Something that you might’ve seen talking about in the last novel was how displeased with Will’s character in the Subtle knife. I’m very glad that he’s gotten some character development in this one, in terms of interacting with Lyra and learning to interact with other people and reluctantly trusting them(ie. Iorek, Mary and Mrs. Coulter(?)).

Ah yes, I semi-expected this one considering how slow the development was it was in the previous book. Will, as a person, is very suspicious of people everyone due to how he’s been raised to protect his mother from the mysterious danger all his life. So, to be able to interact and learn to trust people like Balthamos, Iorek and Ama was very satisfying to see. I love that he’s trying to open up little by little and learn to make other friends/allies other than Lyra.

Not to mention, his relationship with Lyra in general vastly improved as the two began to learn each other, more as friends, and even lovers at the very end. I think it’s sweet that Will is showing his caring side around her, a side he’d only ever shown to his mother.

The last thing I’d like to mention before this gets too long are the different POVS throughout the story was very well executed. I’ll explain. It’s very clear that everyone was doing their own thing however their intentions linked up to join with the others’. For example, we have Asriel preparing his troops to rescue Lyra from Mrs. Coulter in the mountains. We have the Magisterium who wants to remove her from the cave, Will and Ama who wants to save her and finally, Mary, in another world, working her way to later on, meet up with Will and Lyra.

So there’s a big difference to atmosphere and environment since they’re all in different worlds — but the way Philip Pullman handled it, it was with excellent care.

❥quotes:

“Was that a fatal mistake? I didn’t consider her after that, not for a moment, but she is important, Stelmaria!”

“Because he’s Will.”

“But if it turns out that you and I both survive, then, you will always be a welcome and honoured visitor to Svalbard; and the same is true of Will.”

“If she tempted you, you would not resist. It was right to capture her, but wrong to invite her to this council.”

“You’re my death, en’t you?”

“As she lay in the fork of great branches, she felt a kind of bliss she had only felt once before; and that was not when she made her vows as a nun.”

“Corruption and envy and lust for power. Cruelty and coldness. A vicious, probing curiosity. Pure, poisonous, toxic malice. You have never from your earliest years shown a shred of compassion or sympathy or kindness without calculating how it would return to your advantage. You have tortured and killed without regret or hesitation; you have betrayed and intrigued and glorified in your treachery. You are a cesspit of moral filth.”

“Everything, every surface, every cubic centimetre of air, was permeated by the falling Dust, which gave a soft clarity to every tiny detail; and in the Dust light Lord Asriel saw that her face was wet with tears, and that she was gritting her teeth so as not to sob.”

“Dust is beautiful...I never knew.”

“Where did this love come from? I don’t know; it came came to me like a thief in the night and now I love her so much, my heart is bursting from it.”

“Tell them stories.”

“At midday. As long as I live, as long as I live...”

[mrscoultxr]

Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter fell in love in the 80′s || [ listen here ]

Based off of this post I made a while back:

The Amber Spyglass was published in 2000. Now, if we’re to assume that Will’s Oxford is current day Oxford, aka 2000, then Lyra’s world would be the same. Marisa Coulter is 35 in the Amber Spyglass. Which means she was born 1965. Which means she grew up in the 70′s. And fell in love with Lord Asriel roughly in the 80′s

And we all slept on this fact for how long???

i. jessie’s girl - rick springfield | ii. simply irresistible - robert palmer | iii. hungry eyes - eric carmen | iv. let’s dance - david bowie | v. take me home tonight - eddie money | vi. personal jesus - depeche mode | vii. sweet dreams (are made of this) - eurythmics | viii. crazy for you - madonna | ix. can’t fight this feeling - reo speedwagon | x. she drives me crazy - fine young cannibals | xi. eternal flame - the bangles | xii. your love - the outfield | xiii. nothing’s gonna stop us now - starship | xiv. tell it to my heart - taylor dayne | xv. don’t you want me - the human league | xvi. tainted love - soft cell | xvii. don’t dream it’s over - crowded house | xviii. everybody wants to rule the world - tears for fears | xix. missing you - john waite | xx. don’t you (forget about me) - simple minds

[triciaisonline]

listen, ive finished the series for maybe the fourth time now, so in the year 2020 --- can we finally put to bed the belief that 12 year old Lyra and 13 year old Will had s*x in the amber spyglass? like? It's a story of young love and the adam and eve story that it parallels is about knowledge and not about s*x, so stop using that as an excuse.

The mindset that fuels this belief that's been long debated is one that's fueled by a sexualization of youth; as well as a perversion of that comes at as a result of that in which we can no longer understand or relate to anything that isn't through an adult lens and idea of what love and intimacy is.

While the stories do have very clear implications of sexual events taking place (while not being too explicit) --- it's always extremely clear that's what's going on and its between adults. The scenes between Will and Lyra in their couple days in love are portrayed very differently.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, they are t w e l v e. Chill a bit.

I accept no debate on this.

edit: as others have added, INCLUDING NOW TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD... THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH LITERALLY HAS LYRA SAY ALL THEY DID WAS KISS. I hadnt finished the novel yet when I wrote this originally, but I have now. So stop being fucking gross about minors.

[listenallyehpeople]

Books I Read in 2020

I don't know if anyone's interested, but inspired by other blogs sharing their reading achievements from 2020, I decided to pick up the trend and tell you about mine. The books with only their backs visible hold the place of books I borrowed this year and no longer have at home.

Hermann Hesse: Demian (German version)

Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Adam Silvera: They Both Die at the End

Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere

Roald Dahl: James and the Giant Peach (for a English project)

J.R. Johansson: Paranoia

V. E. Schwab: Vengeful (the Sequel to Vicious)

Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451

Alexandra Bracken: Never Fade (the 2nd book in the The Darkest Minds-series)

Karen McManus: Two Can Keep a Secret

Stefan Merrill Block: The Story of Forgetting

Nick Hornby: A Long Way Down

Jack Kerouac: On the Road

Patrick Süskind: Das Parfum (German version of Perfume)

Lemony Snicket: The Wide Window

Cassandra Clare: City of Bones

Otfried Preußler: Krabat (German version)

Matt Haig: How to Stop Time - 6th place of my favourites this year, highly recommend

Thomas Glavinic: Der Kameramörder (German version)

Donna Tartt: The Secret History - 3rd place of my favourites, i'm ready for more Dark Academia, absolutely love the aesthetic

Sarah Pinborough: 13 Minutes

Thomas Glavinic: Wie man leben soll (German version)

George R.R. Martin: A Storm of Swords (ASoIaF book 3)

Shirley Jackson: The Haunting of Hill House

Brandon Sanderson: Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians

Brandon Sanderson: AVtEL The Scrivener's Bones

Philip Pullman: Northern Lights (first in His Dark Materials-trilogy) - the whole trilogy has a special place in my heart, hence 2nd Favourite Book of the year, i also love the cover

Brandon Sanderson: AVtEL The Knights of Crystallia

Brandon Sanderson: AVtEL The Shattered Lens

Brandon Sanderson: AVtEL The Dark Talent

Christina Henry: The Girl in Red

Linda Grant: The Clothes on Their Backs

Philip Pullman: The Subtle Knife (HDM book 2)

Maggie Stiefvater: Call down the Hawk

Kerri Maniscalco: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera: What If It's Us

Ciara Smyth: The Falling in Love Montage

Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife - an all-time-favourite and book 1 of the favourites of 2020, it broke my heart and i cried my eyes out and i don't think i'll ever recover; the movie also made me cry even though the book is a hundred times better

Ocean Vuong: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - 5th place of my favs, i fell in love with the writing and i'm planning on getting poetry books by the author

John Green: Looking for Alaska

Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung (German version of Metamorphosis, read it for German class)

Frau Meier: Biss Einer Weint (German Version, a parody of the Twilight-series)

Shlomo Graber: Der Junge, der nicht hassen wollte (German version, a man tells his story of surving three concentration camps, including Auschwitz)

Jennifer Niven: All the Bright Places - 4th favourite book of 2020, it was as heartbreaking as everyone foretold, and suffering from Bipolar Disorder myself, it hit home quite hard; heavy trigger warning, though

Bertolt Brecht: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan (German version, also read for German class)

Philip Pullman: The Amber Spyglass (HDM book 3) - i was so glad when i found out there are sequels to the trilogy, i thought this was the end

Maybe I'm also going to create a TBR-list for 2021. Happy New Reading Year, everyone! :)