The Subtle Knife

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.

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.

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.

General Observations:

1) Will is a bad-ass.
2) Lord Boreal is a slimy little git.
3) Great payoff moment when you realize who Will's father actually is. One of those: Ohhhhhh, no WAY! moments.

I actually liked [The Subtle Knife:] more than [The Golden Compass:].

[The Amber Spyglass:] and I are having a standoff right now. I want to read it, but I should pack. If I read it, it'll be over! There's nothing like reading a good book for the first time.

Thanks for the recommendations!

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one, probably because it moved into the “real” world more than I would like. Once Will moved into the other worlds, I was much more engaged, but I still wanted more time with Lyra. Still, it is obvious why this series is do successful. Great action, powerful questions, and twist after twist.

I loved this one way more than the previous, but there was something that didn't amuse me. The relationship between Lyra and Will, how submissive she is toward him most of the time and it didn't really make sense to me, since she had such a lead role on Northern Lights, it didn't make sense to me how she was acting. I didn't feel that she was acting that way because of how her relationship with Roger was and she was trying to maintain her promise to never betray again. But when Roger was mentioned it was such a brief mention and so meaningless, it seemed like, that I couldn't connect the two things. Other than that, I loved this one, the mysteries and secrets we unfold are exquisite.

The action definitely picks up in part 2 of the Dark Materials, as Lyra and Pan find a boy named Will who comes from another version of Earth where people don't have daemon companions. Together, Will and Lyra learn how to move between different dimensions, and eventually find the Subtle Knife, a tool so finely crafted that it can cut through anything, including the barriers between worlds and even through the substance of God itself. As Lyra's father is attempting to wage war on God (because he finds the concept immoral), this is a very important weapon.[return]It's a very bold story to tell, and definitely not the type of thing you normally see in children's literature. The story moves along at a fast clip, as well, that prevents the story from getting too ‘heady'.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.