The Amber Spyglass.

Pullman, Philip (author).

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The long-awaited conclusion to Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, has arrived, bringing with it a host of expectations. Pullman has set the bar almost impossibly high for The Amber Spyglass. Along with fulfilling the destiny of the brave and irascible Lyra Belaqua, whose story began in The Golden Compass (1996), and that of her stalwart, loving companion, Will Parry, Keeper of the Weapon, who was introduced in The Subtle Knife (1997), the book must tie up a thousand loose ends, some as thick as rope, others as ephemeral as gossamer. Sometimes the work is seamless; at other times, the labor shows. Like the Dust (shadows or quantum particles with the power to bring self-awareness) that is so vehemently fought over in all three volumes, this book is full of intention and promise, but the writing can be elusive, amorphous-as hard to hold onto as, well, dust.

What is only hinted at in the previous books--Lyra’s role as the new Eve--is fully realized here. The church hierarchy now understands that Lyra will be tempted; how she responds, the choices she makes, will affect not just her world but also the myriad worlds that overlap each other--worlds that Will is able to enter through windows he carves with his magic knife. So this book is the battlefield on which the war between evil, represented by the Church, and good, which is found in the consciousness of Dust and in people’s ability to think, plan, hope, and love for themselves, is to be fought.

Like overlapping worlds, the story’s many plot lines are complex and sometimes tangled. Suffice it to say that Dr. Mary Malone, the scientist Lyra met in The Subtle Knife and a seeker of Dust, is sent by that consciousness through one of Will’s windows to help the young people. She finds her way to a land where small-horned, elephant-like creatures called mulefa ride on wheels made of seed pods. But their Dust is leaving them, and it is Mary’s role to find out why. To do this, she fashions the amber spyglass, which allows her to see and eventually save their Dust. But Mary has another task. Unbeknownst to her, she is also to play the role of biblical serpent, the creature who will bring about the Fall.

The church hierarchy sets out to murder both Lyra and Mary, but other battles are being fought as well. When Lyra and Will are reunited, they are compelled to overcome death and must travel to a blank, hopeless Sheol to do so. Meanwhile, above ground, the Battle of Armageddon rages, as Lord Ariel, Mrs. Coulter, renegade angels, bears, witches, and God’s regent, the angel Metatron, fight for the soul of all worlds.

The witches and wizards in the Harry Potter books will seem like cartoon characters compared with those in Pullman’s religious pantheon. The first two books in the series exposed the Church as corrupt, bigoted, and evil. Now Pullman takes on Heaven itself. The Authority-who is alternatively identified as El, YHWH, and God--is not the creator, as his acolytes (including Mrs. Coulter) believe. He is the first angel, who convinced the rest he is the Source. Millennia ago, he passed his power on to the angel Metatron. Now, the Authority is a demented old spirit, hardly aware of who he is, much less of his world, and Metatron, a power-hungry ruler, more devil than angel, is determined to put an even tighter choke-hold on those who believe.

There is no room for compromise in Pullman’s world: the teachings of religion have kept people from knowing their true nature, abused their trust, tortured their souls. This is heady stuff for a children’s book, though that appellation is almost meaningless when it comes to The Amber Spyglass. Yes, young people will read it, but teenagers and adults, who can understand (or argue with) Pullman’s sometimes obscure theories, will find it the most rewarding. For some, wrestling with the book’s philosophical issues will be the most exciting part of the experience. Readers will need to do some thinking here, and for all the book’s diversions, delving into one’s own belief system can be the most intense of all explorations.

Nor does Pullman shy away from Lyra’s role as the new Eve. Mary does tempt Eve and Will with a story about her own burgeoning sexuality, and later, the two young people, by now in love, also make love (for Pullman’s views on this matter, see the interview opposite). There is nothing explicit here. It’s all stars and beating hearts, but it won’t be easy for some readers to forget that Lyra is still 12 and Will a bit older. It would be pointless to say that Pullman shouldn’t have taken the relationship this far; the whole series has been leading up to this moment, and it paves the way for an ending that is touching enough to bring tears.

The problem nonfantasy readers often have with the genre is getting straight the conventions of new worlds. This problem is compounded here, as Pullman invents multiple new worlds, each with its own structures. The details may make readers skip pages, and not because they can’t wait to see what happens next. Pullman also has gone overboard with the many battle scenes. There are so many clashes, skirmishes, and wars throughout the series that when Armageddon arrives, it lacks the power of a final struggle. What Pullman does do uncompromisingly well is delineate each of his characters. Everyone--people, witches, mulefa--is drawn with exceptional nuance and understanding. He is particularly adept at layering his characters and allowing readers to watch them change. Lyra, Will, even Mrs. Coulter and Lord Astriel have been altered by their adventures, yearnings, and trials. It is fascinating to watch their growth.

Those who have waited so long to find out what happens in The Amber Spyglass may have mixed emotions about the book. There is room for delight, puzzlement, and in some cases, anger. Stylistically, the book is too full; a trilogy seems one book too short for all that needs to be accomplished to finish the series. But in the end, there must also be admiration for Pullman’s high-wire writing. Each book bursts with life, dares to take chances. His Dark Materials has taken readers on a wild, magnificent ride that, in its totality, represents an astounding achievement.