The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman

Everything comes to an end, and that's basically what this book is about, the end of the trilogy of His Dark Materials.
Mrs. Coulter [Lyra's mother] has defied the Church and taken her daughter, Lyra, to a remote cave where she keeps the girl imprisoned in a drug-induced sleep. Will, still in the world of Cittagazze, enlists the help of two rebel angels, Baruch and Balthamos [who are deeply inlove with each other], to rescue Lyra. But they are not the only ones after her, also the Church and Lord Asriel's army are after them.
When Will attempts to attack Mrs. Coulter [who resembled of his mother] the Knife broke in pieces. Because that's almost the only thing that the Knife can't cut trough, love.
That's when they start their journey into the land of the dead, where they learn about death, their deaths. Here Pullman introduces a concept I found really intresting. It's like Dead is sort of a counter part of Angels, when you're born you're born with your death. Who will be with you until your time comes. Very intresting indeed.
Once in the land of the dead they have to leave behind a part of their souls, Lyra her dæmon and Will... finds out that he also have a dæmon, because he feels the same heartaching pain that Lyra, when leaving them behind. So they set out to the land of death. And this is very similar to greek mithology, because you need to cross a lake in a boat rowed by an aged boatman.
There they freed the souls of dead people by opening a window out of that world into another, where ghost disolve into nature. Here's another idea I liked, the idea of Carpe Diem, live the moment. Because the ghost' state that there's nothing after life, the world where they are at is empty, there's nothing to feel, but regret and loneliness. And after they cross to the other world they disolve, they become part of everything in the world.
Anyway, I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that God as it was, was like an aged angel, that could only mumble, and groan, and when he got in touch with the air [because he was kept in a crystal litter] vanished... And the Regent just wanted to taste the pleassures of life, of flesh.
Just then, Lyra's parents kill the Regent, he's lulled by Mrs. Coulter's charms to the land of dead, where there's a great abyss in wich the three of them are to fall and fall for eternity.
And Will and Lyra are safe in another world where they get their dæmon's back. And realize that they're inlove with one another. But they must part, each to his/her own world. And the Knife must be broken. But they agree to go to a certain tree that's in both worlds once a year, for as long as they shall live so they can be closer to one another.
That was really sad, I couldn't help weeping while reading that.
I must say that this trilogy was one of the best I ever read. I enjoyed reading the books and I like the subtle ideas that are treated through the books. Ideas such as, global warming, the church, life and death, love [also gay love, in the case of Baruch and Balthamos], self-discovery, friendship among others.

Bookmarks:
"And barely ten minutes later the soft sound of wingbeats came to their ears, and Balthamos stood up eagerly. The next moment, the two angels were embarcing, and Will, gazing into the flames, saw their mutual affection. More than affection: they loved each other with a passion."

" 'My father has just died, that's why. He would have told me all he knew, if he hadn't been killed. You say it's a world -do you mean a world like this one, another universe?'
Balthamos looked at Baruch, who shrugged.
'And what happens in the world of the dead?' Will went on.
'It's imposible to say,' said Baruch. 'Everything about it is secret. Even the churches don't know; they tell their belivers that they'll live in Heaven, but that's a lie. If people really knew...' "

" [...] 'A long way from here in both worlds . You flew quickly'
'It is the oonly gift I have,' said Baruch, 'except the love of Balthamos, whom I shall never see again.' [...] "

" [...] When she saw how they worked, not on their own but two by two, working their trunks together to tie a knot, she realized why they'd been so astonished by her hands, because of course she could tie knots on her own. At first she felt that this gave her an advantage -she needed no one else- and then she realized how it cut her off from others. Perhaps all human beings were like that. [...] "

" 'The only way you'll cross the lake and go to the land of the dead,' he said, [...] 'is with your own deaths. You must call up your own deaths. I have heard of people like you, who keep their deaths at bay. You don't like them, and out of courtesy they stay out of sight. But they're not far off. Whenever you turn your head, your deaths dodge behind you. Whenever you look, they hide. They hide in a tea cup. Or in a dewdrop. Or in a breath of wind. Not like me and old Magda here,' he said, and he pinched her withered cheek, and she pushed his hand away.
'We live togheter in kindness and frienship. That's the answer, that's it, that's what you've got to do, say welcome, make friends, be kind, invite your deaths to come close to you, and see what you can get them to agree to.' "

" ' Well, where is God,' said Mrs. Coulter, 'if he's alive? And why doesn't he speak anymore? At the begginig of the world, God walked in the Garden and spoke with Adam and Eve. Then he began to withdraw, and he forbade Moses to look at his face. Later, in the time of Daniel, he was aged -he was the Ancient of Days. Where is he now? Is he still alive, at some inconceivable age, decrepit and demented, unable to think or act or speak and unable to die, a rotten hulk? And if that's is his condition, wouldn't it be the most merciful thing, the truest proof of our love for God, to seek him out and give him the gift of death?' "

From 0-5, 5.~