The Amber Spyglass
Pullman, Philip
From Nothing Like a Good Book, Miller Place, NY, U.S.A.
AbeBooks Seller Since April 30, 2001
From Nothing Like a Good Book, Miller Place, NY, U.S.A.
AbeBooks Seller Since April 30, 2001
About this Item
True first edition. Unread. This U.S. edition precedes the UK by about three weeks. In a clear protective Brodart mylar cover. This is the scarce third novel in Phillip Pullman's acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy that began with the Golden Compass. As war rages, Lyra and Will must journet to the dank world where no living person has ever returned. The astonishing conclusion to one of the best fantasy series, period. Light wear to tail of spine and one corner, small circular impression to front wrapper, otherwise a beautiful unread copy. Light creasing to top edge of front flap, small closed tear/crease to edge of circular cot-out on front flap. Seller Inventory # 1002135
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Amber Spyglass
Publisher: Knopf, Westminister, Maryland, U.S.A.
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Fine
Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
Edition: First Edition, First Printing.
About this title
A complex web of thoughts was weaving itself in the bear king's mind, with more strands in it than hunger and satisfaction. There was the memory of the little girl Lyra, whom he had named Silvertongue, and whom he had last seen crossing the fragile snow bridge across a crevasse in his own island of Svalbard. Then there was the agitation among the witches, the rumors of pacts and alliances and war; and then there was the surpassingly strange fact of this new world itself, and the witch's insistence that there were many more such worlds, and that the fate of them all hung somehow on the fate of the child.Meanwhile, two factions of the Church are vying to reach Lyra first. One is even prepared to give a priest "preemptive absolution" should he succeed in committing mortal sin. For these tyrants, killing this girl is no less than "a sacred task."
In the final installment of his trilogy, Philip Pullman has set himself the highest hurdles. He must match its predecessors in terms of sheer action and originality and resolve the enigmas he already created. The good news is that there is no critical bad news--not that The Amber Spyglass doesn't contain standoffs and close calls galore. (Who would have it otherwise?) But Pullman brings his audacious revision of Paradise Lost to a conclusion that is both serene and devastating. In prose that is transparent yet lyrical and 3-D, the author weaves in and out of his principals' thoughts. He also offers up several additional worlds. In one, Dr. Mary Malone is welcomed into an apparently simple society. The environment of the mulefa (again, we'll reveal nothing more) makes them rich in consciousness while their lives possess a slow and stately rhythm. These strange creatures can, however, be very fast on their feet (or on other things entirely) when necessary. Alas, they are on the verge of dying as Dust streams out of their idyllic landscape. Will the Oxford dark-matter researcher see her way to saving them, or does this require our young heroes? And while Mary is puzzling out a cure, Will and Lyra undertake a pilgrimage to a realm devoid of all light and hope, after having been forced into the cruelest of sacrifices--or betrayals.
Throughout his galvanizing epic, Pullman sustains scenes of fierce beauty and tenderness. He also allows us a moment or two of comic respite. At one point, for instance, Lyra's mother bullies a series of ecclesiastical underlings: "The man bowed helplessly and led her away. The guard behind her blew out his cheeks with relief." Needless to say, Mrs. Coulter is as intoxicating and fluid as ever. And can it be that we will come to admire her as she plays out her desperate endgame? In this respect, as in many others, The Amber Spyglass is truly a book of revelations, moving from darkness visible to radiant truth. --Kerry Fried
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Store Description
TERMS OF SALE:
We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, PayPal, American Express, checks drawn on a U.S. bank in USD, Money Orders and Traveler Checks. Please make checks payable to: Charles Spataro
SHIPPING:
I will ship orders paid by cashiers check/money order within 48 hours. Orders paid with PayPal shipped within 48 hours of receipt of confirmatim. Orders paid with personal check will be held for 10 days before shipping. Within the USA the shipping and handling charge is $4.00 for media rate (o...
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
Payment Methods
accepted by seller
Check Money Order PayPal