I have decided that this book is so totally awesome that it needs an entry entirely to itself.

(it should be self-evident that this contains drastic amounts of spoilers, if anyone reading this plans to read the book but hasn't yet)

Seriously, The Amber Spyglass has just about every single thing I love in it. Evolutionary biology, mythology, gay guys, witches, familiars, forest scenes, mystical places (namely the rainbow valley), and – and and and – as many women as men in positions of authority! Probably the only thing missing from my list of favorite things is some linguistics.

I just love everything about it. It works itself out so perfectly, too. I wouldn't have had Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter die any other way, and Pantalaimon and Kirjava's final forms are so cool and fitting for them. And then ... Lyra and Will. Saddest young love story ever. And yet it's so fitting and works so well.

That's another thing I love about all three books, they're not just fantasy trips – they actually have well-thought-out plots and such deep and complex characters. Mrs. Coulter. Mrs. Coulter! She was -amazing- in The Amber Spyglass! Utterly impossible to tell her motivations until the very end. It's so suspenseful.

And I must throw in a word about Mary Malone. She's so lovable.

Oh, this isn't the place to discuss the religious aspects, but I do have to say that if you're Catholic it -totally- makes sense that you might be slightly miffed about the series as a whole. Like, when I was reading The Subtle Knife and got to the revelation of Lord Asriel's plans, I thought "WOAH OKAY now I understand why the Catholics are up in arms over this." So yeah. Displeasure over that is rather justified.

But anyway, I love all three books so much. I could go on raving about all the parts I like for ages, since I like almost everything in all three. They're very very high on my list of favorite books of all time. They're -such- beautiful stories.

~ ToM