The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heart-stopping end, marking the final volume of His Dark Materials as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, come a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spymaster to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. So, too, come startling revelations: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live — and who will die — for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that — in its shocking outcome — will uncover the secret of Dust. Philip Pullman deftly brings the cliff-hangers and mysteries of His Dark Materials to an earthshattering conclusion — and confirms his fantasy trilogy as an undoubted and enduring classic.

"[S]atisfies deeply: full of grand set pieces, resplendent language, and glorious storytelling....[A] brilliant and vivid canvas....There are roaring battles and moments of great tenderness; there are unforgettable scenes....Readers will be chastened — and warmed — and sorry to see the last page." Kirkus Reviews

"Absorbing....Like Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling, [Pullman] invents a world filled with strange divinations and wordplays." Newsweek

"Impossible to put down, so firmly and relentlessly does Pullman draw you into his tale....[A] gripping saga pitting the magnetic young Lyra Belacqua and her friend Will Parry against the forces of both Heaven and Hell." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Pullman places himself in a tradition of serious symbol makers....[W]hile Pullman may have become caught up in adult theology — and while he has won more grown-up readers with each Dark Materials book — he keeps the swooping plots and passionate characters that make his earlier books so appealing to young readers....[The Amber Spyglass] is nearly as satisfying as the first two [books in the trilogy]....Pullman has mustered a spectacular array of forces in a three-sided battle for control over the universe of universes....He shuts doors and ties up loose ends in a way that feels, for the first time, slightly artificial. Still, that's a very minor flaw in what stands with The Lord of the Rings as one of the most resonant fantasies of our time." Polly Shulman, Salon.com

"Philip Pullman is a writer I very much admire. I think he can write most adult authors off the page....I think he's amazing." J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series

"In concluding the spellbinding His Dark Materials trilogy, Pullman produces what may well be the most controversial children's book of recent years....Stirring and highly provocative." Publishers Weekly

"The book rollicks and careers with the narrative gale force we've come to expect. Philip Pullman achieves effects that rival the best accomplishments of the earlier books. In any given chapter Pullman offers more sensuous description and narrative brio than are found in most entire novels." Horn Book (starred review)

A graduate of Oxford University and a former teacher at Westminster College, Philip Pullman has written novels, plays, and picture books for readers of all ages. He lives with his family in England.