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The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2)
The Subtle Knife - His Dark Materials, Book 2
Author: Philip Pullman
Now in a deluxe Knopf Paperback edition, here is the second book in Philip Pullman's critically acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy chronicling the otherworldly adventures of Lyra and her newfound friend, Will. This breathtaking sequel to Pullman's highly acclaimed The Golden Compass will leave readers eager for the third and final volume of His Dark...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780375802119
ISBN-10: 0375802118
Publication Date: 11/2/1999
Pages: 352
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 78

4 stars, based on 78 ratings
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

saydimae avatar reviewed The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) on
Helpful Score: 2
This is the British edition. Great series!!!!
KitchenWitch avatar reviewed The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I just finished the last of Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials books. I have to say all three were spellbinding and I ate them up.

The Subtle Knife is my favorite by far. If you are Lyra's fan you will love this book as I do. It is more of an in-depth look at our fair young heroine. This book brings in a new character as well. You wont want to put this book down. The vivid imagination from the author paints a scene that will keep the pages turning unnoticed as the movie plays in your head.
tannermreed avatar reviewed The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) on
Helpful Score: 1
It was an alright book compared to The Golden Compass. The Golden Compass had such a high action pace compared to The Subtle Knife. I liked it, but since it was more "laid back", it took me forever to finish it. I'm a kind of reader where if it starts to bore me or it has not much action for so many pages(especially if you compare to the first book), my reading slows down.

However, if you are someone who likes to finish series, don't skip this book! Still a great read!

Also yes, the series leads to the end about killing God and all. I've read Philip Pullman was an atheist because he had religion pressed on him as a child. Really I think that if you don't want to read the last book because of the whole "killing God" thing. Then you probably shouldn't read the series at all. Not trying to be foul or anything, but I know a lot of Christians who read The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, and are afraid to finish the series. If you are one of those kinds of people, you probably should look into the book series before reading/finishing.
CheriePie avatar reviewed The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) on + 149 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
In many ways, I liked this book even better than the first one, Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass). I liked how they moved between 3 different worlds, and how there were many different subplots going on. There was one thing I didn't like however, and that was the cliffhanger ending which left me feeling I wanted to read the next book immediately, even though I don't have it in my possession at the moment.

So I'm looking forward to the third and final book in this trilogy, The Amber Spyglass so I can find out what happens to Lyra and Will.
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trevor avatar reviewed The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) on + 38 more book reviews
The follow-up to The Golden Compass, this book starts what seems like a new story. The dots get connected later, but I felt like some of the good things from the first book got drowned out in a miasma of weird occurrences that all have some heavy, implied importance. It is still worth reading, but not as good as the first book.
reviewed The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) on
This CD contains multiple voice actors/actresses. I thought most of them were pretty good.

I did not care for the book itself. While I realize that good characters should change as time passes, just like people, I was bothered by the changes in Lyra. She just didn't seem like herself. Will, the main character for this book, didn't interest me all that much either. In fact, I can't say I cared or was even interested in ANY of the characters.

I continued reading this book, thinking it might get more interesting. The plot points were not compelling to me.

I realize this is a middle book, so it may get how this all fits together until the last book, but I'm not all that compelled to finish the series.

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Series
People/Characters
Lyra (Primary Character)
Will (Primary Character)

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