Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1998 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
At the end of The Northern Lights, Lyra Silvertongue watched in fear and fascination as her father, Lord Asriel, created a bridge between worlds. Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon are now lost in an alternate universe where they meet Will Parry, a fugitive from a third universe. Will has found a small window between Cittagazze--where children roam unchecked, but invisible Specters suck the spirit out of adults--and his Oxford, which, with its Burger Kings and cars, is frighteningly different from the Oxford Lyra knows. Will's father, an explorer, disappeared years ago, but some odd characters have started asking questions about him. Will has managed to accidentally kill one of them and is wanted by the police. Armed with the Subtle Knife, a tool that cuts any material (including that which separates universes) and Lyra's alethiometer, the children set out to find John Parry, with adults of various stripes in desperate pursuit.

Lyra's finest qualities are her courage and her quick mind. She finds she must use them constantly--not to put too fine a point on it, she must lie and steal to keep herself and Will out of danger. However, she must also know when to tell the truth and when to trust. She does not yet know--though her friends the witches do, and so does the reader--what a huge part she will have in the upcoming battle between Good and Evil. (Age 9 and over) - -Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

What the?
As I toyed with what I should rate this, I hovered over the 1 and the 2 button. Why am I being so harsh. Let me tell you a story.

I've been looking for interesting books to read and have found many of them over the past year. At the beginning of my hunt, someone mentioned Pullman. Eventually I finished all of my other books and got curious about his books. Northern Lights wasn't there. This one was.

So I start reading and I can't help thinking there's nothing interesting in this book. The characters, the plot, all seem contrived and even off-putting. I figure it's just me being pesky. So I continue reading. And if possible, it gets even worse. Eventually I just stopped reading (about 100 or so pages in) as I couldn't stand it any longer. This is the first book I've done that with in a good while (the last one being written by Tess Gerritsen).

To round up, I found nothing redeeming or interesting about this book. Hence why my mouse clicked on the 1 rather than the 2.

Brilliant
A worthy follow up to Northern Lights, just as imaginative and page turning. The characters and plot only thicken.

Leaving Lyra behind
I don't know really where to begin, as I know that I am about to write a negative review about a book that is loved by so many. I have found both the Subtle Knife and its predecessor, Northern Lights, to be terribly hard going at times. Northern Lights took three chapters to get me even vaguely hooked, while the Subtle Knife almost lost me half way through.

It is hard to put my finger on what I don't like. The characters for one, are difficult to identify with. Lyra is wonderful in the first book, you care what happens to her. In the Subtle Knife she is a little girl, not a heroine, and it is Will who you find yourself rooting for. Other than that, the periphery characters are uninspiring or too confusing to be memorable, Mrs Coulter for example is now able to control 'Spectres', and the whole Grumman as a Shaman episode - these things are not explained properly - a 13-16 year old may not want further explanation but an adult certainly does.

Some of the writing is excellent, the battle scene involving Lee Scoresby did make me gasp aloud, but to hear Pullman repeatedly compared to Tolkein is laughable. Pullman's world does not lack a vivid imagination (Oxford's alter ego in the first book is a particular triumph) but he is clearly writing for a younger audience, so of course lacks Tolkein's depth. It is easier to compare him to CS Lewis, as they were writing for a similar age group. That is where the comparison ends, the Chronicles of Narnia eclipse His Dark Materials on every level, the characters, the worlds, the battles, the heroism.

I will read the final book, but only out of duty, as I left Lyra behind at the end of Northern Lights, and I don't think I am going to care what happens to Will for much longer.