The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Well, at least this one was more entertaining. If only it hadn't been so dragged out. There was probably a good 100 pages that didn't need to be here. So much journeying without getting anywhere. To give the novel some positive feedback, it is one of the first books I remember reading that had a truly unique creature. Unfortunately, this read through of an old classic has not stood the test of time otherwise. 

This is a rather odd love story--and a tragedy. Ancient Greeks would be proud of this one. Our protagonists are having a coming-of-age story amidst some seriously treacherous villains. They are forged in the fires of absolute hell, which may have been the point with some of the religious undertones Pullman is trying to place in the story. But then there are those moments of quantum physics that crop up. It's just weird and disjointed.

After all the tension and searching to discover what exactly Dust is, we do. Or not. I'm not really sure that the story answers the existence of Dust except on the most basic principle, and even then I'm still not sure. We spent chapters delving into the land of the dead, but one paragraph on what makes the series tick.

I'll be honest. By the time I got to writing this review, I actually forgot most of what happened in the story--again--because I lost interest before I even made it to the end. My impression is very different this time, this series is not worth the hype that I gave it as a child. I'm not sure why I remember the hype; it must have been the nostalgia talking. But in this era of my life, I won't remember this series because I tend not to remember prose that is all fluff.