This isn't the worst trilogy I've ever read, but it's in the top three. Full disclosure: I continued reading only because HBO did such a good job of improving on the characters and story coherence, it helped me invest. I also hoped that there would be a remarkable ending that would make all the humdrum plot and pencil-sketch characters worthwhile.

Nope.

So here are the top three things you need to know before (wasting your time) reading these books:

If you're reading for controversy, it finally shows up in this installment. I was VERY disappointed to discover that it took the form of antisemitism: I spoil nothing of the story (which is telling) when I say that it starts off by using all the sacred Hebrew names for God - some words that Hasidic Jews consider too holy even to speak - to describe the supposed force for [evil?] in this universe of universes. It also desecrates Jewish historical narrative by including a person of note from their holy text and traditions and posing him for some kind sexual power perversion.

My conclusion: It's one thing to critique religion in general or to flaunt your own version of various church atrocities, but using specifics of Judaism as a scapegoat for weak philosophical rants crosses a line in my book. That will have to serve as my trigger warning for the series. Further, the philosophical, thematic, and moral underpinnings are so weak and incoherent, it's more offensive than the ramshackle depiction of a religious regime in the series.

The only positive thing I can report: This installment was more interesting than its predecessor. There is a moment of unique mythology worthy of epic fantasy ... but it was short-lived and had no real bearing on the outcome. It definitely could not pull the narrative out of its quagmire of anti-climactic story promises and annoyingly trite characters.

And that is the final critique of note: The main characters care so little about anything, it is difficult as a reader to care, either. This makes the big reveal at the end of the book feel almost ... creepy? Pointless? This ultimate failure in character development and depth is a pity because this installment introduced and tied up some plot points with real potential.

Overall, I actually regret reading these books. But now I know. Even HBO can't redeem this mess, so I won't waste my time there, either.

The Amber Spyglass - Likewise Book Reviews

10 Reviews