{"id":466,"date":"2011-08-04T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2011-08-04T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=466"},"modified":"2011-08-03T16:54:29","modified_gmt":"2011-08-03T23:54:29","slug":"mark-reads-the-amber-spyglass-chapter-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/08\/mark-reads-the-amber-spyglass-chapter-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Amber Spyglass’: Chapter 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fourteenth chapter of The Amber Spyglass<\/em>, Will and Lyra make their way to Iorek Byrnison, who has reservations about helping Will with his problem. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Amber Spyglass<\/em>.<\/p>\n

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: KNOW WHAT IT IS<\/strong><\/p>\n

I honestly don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know where things can go from here. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shake the feeling that something is wrong<\/em> with the fact that Father Gomez still<\/em> hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t made an appearance, and now it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not showing up any time soon, even though he’s pursuing Mary. Plus, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m slightly distracted by how well some of this is going for Will and Lyra. They wake to discover that the Church has retreated and Mrs. Coulter has been captured. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re safe, as far as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m concerned. For now<\/em>. The alethiometer even confirms that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no danger in the valley. So they leave the parallel world to return to Lyra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, and begin to travel to find Iorek. I enjoyed the fact that despite the imminent safety of their travels, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re forced to walk through the remnants of the battle zone from the day before. The wreckage of gyrocopters and zeppelins, charred corpses, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153soot-black strips of cloth,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d–they all litter the ground on the way out of the valley. This battle was all fought over Lyra. That has to be a weird thing to experience, by the way, and I was surprised Pullman didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say anything about it. I suppose there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no time to really reflect on these things, though, because shit is getting so goddamn real.<\/em> It feels like all of the worlds are starting to fall apart.<\/p>\n

Plus, Lyra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exhaustion is getting the better of her. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s excited to see Iorek, but the time she spent sleeping weakened her muscles and ruined her endurance. It bothers Lyra because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so used to be in charge and physically ready to do things like this. Her years at Jordan College essentially prepared her for this, but her mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions have left her feeling useless.<\/p>\n

While taking a break so Lyra can rest, Pullman actually takes the time to show us the lodestone operator, which had only been mentioned before. Lyra, her curiosity getting the better of her, asks how it works, and Chevalier Tialys drops some heavy quantum physics on us. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not entirely positive I understand how quantum entanglement actually<\/em> works, though I did well in AP Physics in high school. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m more interested in the fact that this actually correlates to something mentioned in the last chapter. Tialys had said something similar had happened in his world, making the Gallivespians \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rebels,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and this is why they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d sought out Lord Asriel. What I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m wondering is if this also<\/em> has to do with the Gallivespians\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 pursuit of knowledge. If their form of communication utilizes a form of experimental physics, surely they had some type of science that brought them to that point, yes? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to see the Authority\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s influence in all<\/em> worlds, and this will explain how Lord Asriel was able to assemble so many forces at his fortress.<\/p>\n

My favorite moment of this chapter (and hell, one of the top ones for the whole book so far) is the glorious and emotional reunion between Iorek Byrnison and Lyra. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never really stopped to think that Lyra hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen him since they parted ways at the ice bridge back in The Golden Compass<\/em>. That book seems so long ago. I think I was most touched by Iorek allowing Lyra to be physically affectionate with him. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the ice bears are particularly affectionate creatures, at least based on what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen.<\/p>\n

And then Lyra asks about Lee Scoresby. GREAT. GREAT<\/em>. Obviously, Lyra is destroyed by the knowledge, but even she can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even conceive of the great Texan being dead. (Neither can I. PLEASE LET LYRA FIND HIM IN THE WORLD OF THE DEAD.)<\/p>\n

\n
Lyra was weeping freely, and Will didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what to say, for it was his father whom this unknown man had died to save; and Lyra and the bear had both known and loved Lee Scoresby, and he had not.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Oh, damn it, THIS IS TOO SAD. Will he ever reveal this to Lyra? Probably not, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing.<\/p>\n
As they all settle in Iorek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cave and begin to cook meat, Iorek wonders what Lyra is going to do next. When Will starts to explain that he needs Iorek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s help, he stops and calls out to the Gallivespians, demanding they stop spying on them and just listen to the conversation \u00e2\u20ac\u0153honestly.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually a fascinating scene because, as Lady Salmakia will soon explain, the idea of spying is ingrained in the lives of Gallivespians. So, to a point, I understand Chevalier Tialys\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s utter fury and contempt for Will for saying this, and I get why they continue to spy. But I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hilarious that Will was able to quickly pick up on what it is they do, and use it to (once again) gain the upper hand of the situation. Seriously, Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s getting rather good at this.<\/p>\n
Iorek then examines Will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s broken knife and confirms that he can<\/em> do it; Lyra is quick to pick up on the fact that Iorek won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say if he will<\/em> do it.<\/p>\n
\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like that knife,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Iorek said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I fear what it can do. I have never known anything so dangerous. The most deadly fighting machines are little toys compared to that knife; the harm it can do is unlimited. It would have been infinitely better if it had never been made.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But with it–\u00e2\u20ac\u009d began Will.<\/p>\n
Iorek didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let him finish, but went on, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153With it you can do strange things. What you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know is what the knife does on its own. Your intentions may be good. The knife has intentions, too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Well, shit. I never even considered this. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure Iorek means the knife is a sentient thing, but we know the knife is meant to harm the Authority. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if it was designed that way, or if its meaning came to be over time. Will truly isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/em> sure what the knife is supposed to do, nor everything it can<\/em> do.<\/p>\n
Good ol\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Lyra to the rescue. She reasons–rather brilliantly, I might add–that even if there are negative intentions associated with the creation of the knife, not<\/em> using it will only guarantee the suffering and misery in the world. At the very least, Will has pure, good intentions for the knife, and surely he could saw things in the right direction, which is much better than doing nothing at all. Lyra makes an offer: She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ask the alethiometer so they can make an informed decision instead of a guess.<\/p>\n
Iorek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s answer to this has my favorite sentence in the whole book (so far):<\/p>\n
\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But full knowledge is better than half-knowledge.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it the truth, Iorek. So he agrees, and Lyra begins to read the alethiometer. Which acts confused<\/em>. Ok, so we know Lyra is actually speaking to the rebel angels, right? WHY WOULD THEY BE CONFUSED ABOUT THIS? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand this at all. I get that the moral balance of the knife is precarious, but what else about this is so uncertain?<\/p>\n
We learn what that is when Will and Lyra slip away from the others to search for fuel:<\/p>\n
\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It said some things I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand then and I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand now. It said the knife would be the death of Dust, and then it said it was the only way to keep Dust alive. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand it, Will. But it said again it was dangerous, it kept saying that. It said if we–you know–what I thought–\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If we go to the world of the dead–\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah–if we do that–it said we might never come back, Will. We might not survive.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON<\/strong>. I am so completely lost at this point. I mean, how can the knife kill the angels but keep them alive? What?<\/em> And what is so terrible about the world of the dead? Even worse, the alethiometer gave Lyra a sense of emptiness and blankness when she asked what would happen if they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/em> go to the world of the dead.<\/p>\n
Seriously, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get it. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel any shame in stating that, but it must be said. I am thoroughly confused about all of this.<\/p>\n
What I do know for certain is that the trip to the world of the dead is necessary for this story, and that Will needs<\/em> that knife to be repaired. The end of chapter fourteen is when both Will and Lyra are the most vulnerable they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever been with each other, the point where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s painfully obvious that they are just children in a fucked up situation. Will openly admits that he is afraid of never seeing his mother again. And he remembers a time when she did<\/em> protect him, and he feels it is an almost a duty to return to her.<\/p>\n
My heart, though, goes out to Lyra more than anyone, as she, too, opens up to Will, admitting that she grew up without any real parents, without any real affection or love from someone like that, and that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of the reason why she was so sure her mother was actually<\/em> caring for her and not lying.<\/p>\n
I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what to think, but maybe there is<\/em> some redemption for Mrs. Coulter and the end of this journey. Maybe.<\/p>\n
———-<\/p>\n
Make sure to check in on BridgeToTheStar’s contest for Mark Reads<\/a>, where you can win a signed copy of The Amber Spyglass<\/em>. They are also hosting this week’s spoiler thread for chapters 11-15<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the fourteenth chapter of The Amber Spyglass, Will and Lyra make their way to Iorek Byrnison, who has reservations about helping Will with his problem. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Amber Spyglass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,79],"tags":[23,81,62,80],"class_list":["post-466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-dark-materials","category-the-amber-spyglass","tag-mark-reads","tag-mark-reads-the-amber-spyglass","tag-philip-pullman","tag-the-amber-spyglass-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}