Welcome to Litsy!

I am distraught. This did not work. The book is, quite simply, uncooked. Needed several more revisions with a strong editor. I don't think this book falling flat damages the His Dark Materials legacy, but I do think as HDM lives on The Book of Dust is likely to go largely unread.

I have waited eagerly for this book for a long time and have mixed feelings about the ending. I think it's a very intriguing and enticing series but feel that Pullman has changed his style a bit in this last one. Now he's rather more direct with his social commentary, and I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the way he wrapped up the numerous character arcs and other ideas if this really is the end. I still have questions! ⬇️

My last book of 2025 and I loved it. It's long and I let myself take my time, rather than rushing to the end. I think there's still a companion novella (or two?) that I haven't read, but I can see myself rereading this series many times. There's a lot of discourse lately about the "dumbing down" of media, and this felt like the exact opposite.

There was a big enough gap between the second book and this one that I wondered if it was ever coming.

I love this series. This one is long, and some of the political parts felt too long, but I was glad to see more of Lyra and Pantalaimon. I thought it wrapped up pretty well.

Really enjoyed it.

My brain is still swimming with all the thoughts and ideas and confusion in this book…Philip Pullman is such an intense, evocative writer, and this book is no exception. Following Lyra and Pan as they explore the meaning and the limits of human consciousness is a worthwhile journey for all who ponder existence. I still have questions but maybe that‘s the point, maybe we need to keep questioning and wondering and imagining to keep being human.

“Imagination…is a way of seeing…everything and everyone in a light of gold…correspondences and analogies and echoes and resemblances, so that nothing existed without a thousand connections to the world…”

Complete!
I'm going to have to reread the second trilogy over to really get it. But I'm very happy with love interest for Lyra, let's leave it at that

Thirty years after reading the first, the last one. Going in….last ones are scary, what if I don‘t like it, what if I don‘t like the ending 🤞🏻 🤞🏻

Pausing all my other reads now that this has arrived 😁

Sorry everyone else! The end to my childhood epic fantasy has arrived!

Ahhhh!
@AnnCrystal

Unacceptable! Why don't I pay for shipping!!!

2 more weeks! I can't wait!
I'm also scared it's going to be devastating