RC Part 6 - The Amber Spyglass
Categories: uncategorized
Date: 01 February 2008 14:51:27
I have just finished reading The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. It is the final part of the trilogy His Dark Materials and ended as the series started, with one small girl called Lyra. I found this final book much harder to get into, it seemed to be me much faster-paced and it draws on some of the themes from both of the previous books. It culminates in a great battle, followed by the personal sacrifices made by the two children Lyra and Will. I thought it was beautifully written; dramatic, exciting and emotional at the same time. Brilliant!
The trilogy itself has caused real controversy amongst more conservative Christians, saying that it is anti-God and anti-church. To be honest I can't see what all the fuss is about. IT'S A NOVEL!!! Anyway, it seems to me that it isn't anti-God at all but more anti-established religion which uses and abuses power to it's own ends. I guess that partly because of my recent journey there are some things which really resonated with me. For example, one of the characters used to be a nun before becoming disillusioned and leaving the church. She was asked by Will, if she misses God and she replies, “Yes, terribly. And I still do. And what I miss most is the sense of being connected to the whole of the universe. I used to feel I was connected to God like that, and because he was there, I was connected to the whole of his creation. But, if he's not there, then...” When I left the church that is how I felt, not that I missed the institution, but I missed the feeling of connectedness. Maybe I am starting to rebuild that, but it is on different terms, with different viewpoints and with different people.