The Subtle Knife
Ratings669
Average rating4.1
I much preferred this on a second re-read! I first read this quite a few years ago and must have missed the undertones and subtle points of the story. I very much like Will as a character and enjoy his contrast and connection with Lyra. I can barely remember reading the final book so looking forward to getting to that one soon.
This is the 2nd book in the His dark materials series. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one.
I will say a few things however, this book really has the feeling of a set up book for the final book in the series the amber spyglass, with the majority of the plot/story taking place around the sublte knife but not actually involving the knife itself if that makes any sense.
We do get more of the set up for the anti-theist or reglion angle of the story, which I personally am enjoying myself (granted some acknowledged bias due to personal expierence i admit)
over all 3.5/5 for me
Originally posted at www.youtube.com.
A sequel that for sure ramped up the tension!
They bring in travelling between worlds as a frequent feature in this book, which is a delicate balance to strike without being excessive but I think Pullman pulled it off. Once again fascinating to see how a couple of pre-teens approach something as intense as a multi-dimensional quest. They bring in more religious elements in this book, including having...God himself become the main antagonist? I'm currently neutral on that decision though I am curious as to how they're going to pull it off.
Teared up just like I did last time when Lee died. You did good my man, rest easy.
Locked in for book three!
Make sure you have time to immediately start the third book, cuz this one ends on a cliffhanger
In this book we were introduced a new character, Will that very different from Lyra. He was forced to grow up faster that other kids because of his situation. Where Lyra was mischievous and impulsive at times, Will was levelheaded and calm. And Lyra saw Iorik Byrnison within Will that made her trust him wholeheartedly.
I was very surprised how attached I was to Will's character.
Human vs Authority. Kinda mind blowing.
Darker than the first (which is impressive). Overall, not as good, there was definitely more of a feeling of hopelessness.
Much like the first book, I read this despite Lyra's character. It was enjoyable enough for me to continue the series, but not so much that I'd want to read it again or recommend it to anyone.
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Subtle Knife
Lyra has stumbled into a new world. One filled with monsters and terror. But she and Pan are not alone. A boy named Will hides in this strange dark world called Cittagazze. Guided by the alethiometer, Lyra must help Will find his father and abandon her search for dust. All the while Asriel gathers his troops and prepares for war. Together the children will travel between worlds and discover the one tool that may turn the tides of war.
The Subtle Knife has an entirely different feel than the previous novel. The pacing is faster as it draws away from philosophy and focuses on war. For those who follow organized religion, this one might be offensive. The atrocities that can arise through organized religion are the center of the upcoming war. The witches will speak of horrors done to children and fellow witches all under the mantle of God. Pullman uses real-world examples to emphasize these stories and make them undeniable.
Lyra does seem to take a step back in this novel. While she does still have some key chapters, Will predominantly takes the stage. He is a conflicted boy who the reader can easily feel a connection to. Everything he does is to protect his mother who suffers from mental illness. He sees how the world views his mother and how people try to hurt or take advantage of her. Growing up without a father, Will has been the only protection for her.
His Dark Materials is by no means a light and easy read. The darker themes and hardships the characters must face are not for someone looking for a feel-good fantasy novel. The Subtle Knife dives further into the sins that humans commit and the evil that can lurk deep inside a person, no matter what world they are from.
Although not my favorite this book had its moments of intrigue and kept me reading endlessly as I yearned to learn more. My only issue with the book is how Lyra the main protagonist in the first book is cast aside in favour of Will. I'm hoping that this is intentional to build Will's character up as he and Lyra will have an important part to play in the last book.
A reread for me.
Enjoyed it as much as I did as a child, if not more, though I forgot how grim this one was.
Oh my, oh my! What an enthralling second book and such an intense climax! Everything is there, sensical development of the storylines that started with the first book,solid rhythm that accelerate at all the right moments, superb characters and even relatable depth in the story.
Easiest 5 star since Clash of Kings.
The Golden Compass ???????????????The Subtle Knife ???????????????
The second book in His Dark Materials was a romp through multiple worlds, and delivers some interesting plot developments along the way. I found the plot to be less interesting than the first book as I am not particularly interested in the witches and a bigger portion of the plot follows their story. I liked the new characters who were introduced and am still looking forward to finishing this series. I may try the third book on audiobook to see if it keeps my interest more.
Baca buku ini spt de javu nonton serial fringe, walau fringe alternate universe nya cuma 1, sedang buku ini banyak other universe. Kalau buku 1 blm ngerti apa maksud his dark materials, di buku 2 udh mulai ngerti, ternyata his nya capital h i s. Krn backgroundku fisika ngerti2 dikitlah, kalau bingung buka lagi halaman sblmnya dibaca lagi bbrp kali hehehe, hasilnya selesai bacanya lama krn pakai mikir...
Executive Summary: I liked this better than the first one, but I still don't seem to love this series like so many others.
Audiobook: The audio book was fantastic again. Not only the story narration but all of the voice readers make this a great choice in audio.
Full Review
So this book adds a second protagonist named Will whose seemingly from our world. I find him more likable than most of the other characters, including Lyra, but that's not saying very much. I just don't like most of the characters. I still also don't get how this is a book for children. It seems to value lying and murder among other questionable attributes. It's one thing not to pull punches with children, but this is something else.
Maybe I'm just too old or cynical. I also could have done without the mini-rant about religion. It just seemed unnecessary. I get that some of the characters are anti-religion. The rant really took me out of the story and I feel like it could have been left out without losing anything.
That aside, I found this one better than the first. I liked the stuff with multiple worlds a lot. Also, while the subtle knife seems like yet another plot device (may as well be a sonic screwdriver), it does add an interesting element to the story. When combined with the Alethiometer, it helps to add to the sense of fantasy to what could almost be a science fiction novel otherwise.
I wish I enjoyed this series more than I do. I was hoping this would be in the realm of Harry Potter. A lot of people seem to really enjoy this series. I just think it's OK. I liked it enough to pick up the final book to see how it all ends, but I'm not optimistic I'll be blown away.
Really enjoyed it, though not as good as the first one. I liked meeting Will, I think he's a great character, but I thought the story dragged sometimes when we were with Lee Scoresby and Serafina Pekkala.
Too many people died for it to be satisfactory, but I still really enjoyed it and where the story's going
2002 - First read
2008 - 4 stars
2015 - 4.5 stars
I know a lot of people like the second one better, but the first is still my favourite!
The book doesn't quite suffer from being boring because now all the initial action happened in the first book, but events must be set up for the third book so nothing happens here. However, it does seem like Lyra was dumbed down because she makes some decisions that I don't think she would have made. I never understood why she actually bothers to get in the car with Sir Charles, who randomly spoke to her at the museum. Yes, I get it she was running from the “police” and may have thought she wanted to get away but she wasn't that trusting of people in The Golden Compass. That's another thing; there are two guys specifically after Will and the letters from his father, and then they just kind of vanish after they almost catch Lyra at Oxford. It seems like they were working for Mrs. Coulter or Sir Charles, so I would have expected to see them show up in one of the other worlds. Also how does Mrs. Coulter suddenly have such a command of the specters that she can make them do things that they never did before? They did not take to the air until “she made them forget they were bound to the earth” and now they can conveniently attack the witches? That seems to be lazy way of creating a new problem for characters who didn't have to face the a problem before.
Pullman also seems to like killing characters once their “task” is done, and it feels a bit unnecessary. Scoresby leads Grumman to a mountain to meet with the knife bearer, now let's kill him. Grumman meets Will and helps him, oops, time to die now. At least the death of Sir Charles actually fits the plot and most of the character motivations.
Here's hoping the third book is better.