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The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials) by: Philip Pullman

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Rating: - Great start, flowing middle and cliff-hanging end

I bought all three of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy in a box set and read Northern Lights in about 2 days after becoming addicted to what could only be described as an inspiring, compulsive tale written in a brilliant and unpatronising fashion. Well with such an accolade the expectation in the remaining two parts of the set was tremendous and after a short gap reading another novel (Pride and Prejudice - talk about variation!), I plunged headlong into The Subtle Knife.

The story was undoubtedly darker and more heart wrenching than the first in the series with dramatic, sinister and charming plots throughout. The novel is a finely choreographed piece that conjoins the fairy-tale simplicity of the first book with what I can only hope is the climactic tussle of good against evil in the third. And it does it with beautiful style as the stakes clearly rise at every juncture and each nail-biting twist unfolds with enthralling literary genius.

The characters in unsurprising similarity with the first novel continue to develop and the warmth of the love between the main characters is almost tangible. Conversely, as the book progresses, your determination to defeat the evilness of Mrs Coulter, the spectres, Sir Charles and "the authority" grows, as Lyra's and Will's does, with every page turned. A few characters in the novel one could almost predict would be living under a pseudonym, although I had such lack of foresight that I incorrectly guessing two of them: thus leading to a remarkably loud jangling when the penny finally dropped. The book's orchestration is perfectly poised and its path is intricately and precisely weaved into a flawless narration combining sharp, fast-moving action with delicately subtle commentary.

Underpinning the trilogy is the far reaching conflict between the authority, centralised around the church of the Magisterium and its main protagonist, Mrs Coulter; and the free world, embodied by Lyra with her Truth device, Will with his knife and the industriously energetic Lord Asriel who exists only in name in this book. The book contrasts Lyra's universe which is run by a clerical bureaucracy dominated by the church and the nonchalant, free 20th century reminiscent of our own. But both are nicely interplayed with a third world that exemplifies the effect of turning a formerly paradisiacal interpretation of existence into a living misery. And the effect of the intertwined worlds is as splendid as its meticulous description is perfect.

The courage, bravery and determination of Lyra and Will even in the face of seemingly daunting tasks reflects the ultimate achievement that so many people desire. Pullman gives the characters a reality in an almost science fiction setting that transcends the likely age of its readers. As such, the book will find popularity with readers of all generations hoping for either youthful inspiration or mature wishfulness. The interactions of the adult characters give a complexity to the sub-plots that one almost feels that Pullman is attempting to nurture and educate children by transposing quests they face in day-to-day activities into the book. And it does it extremely well. The beleaguered aeronaut searching for his saviour, Will's battle for the knife, Lyra's fighting conscience between lying and truthfulness are all examples of this.

The end is a wholly unsatisfactory series of cliff-hangers that at the time of release must have driven Pullman fans wild with annoyance at not being able to continue the journey of Lyra and Will. I, on the other hand, had the luxury of putting The Subtle Knife back in the box and pulling out the next in the trilogy. The final chapter of The Subtle Knife leaves so many brilliantly poised story lines open that you will be running to the bookstore, or Amazon, I suppose, for the next instalment.

Spellbinding, fulfilling, rewarding and entertaining.

Rating: - a keen cut

Following on from Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife continues Lyra's journey through other worlds catching up with lost acquaintances.

Philip Pullman plays all his trump cards to deliver a thrill a minute ride darting between the world we know to one stalked by adult-sapping Spectres, leaving their prey zombified, and children running wild. A piece of wish fulfilment come Lord of the Flies for the younger reader. There's a new companion for Lyra; the tough cookie Will who has just killed a man and is on the run whilst searching for his errant explorer father.

The Subtle Knife, like Northern Lights, is full to the rim with imagination, fantastic fantasy and daring do. The pace has been ratcheted up a notch with several plot lines knitted together seamlessly by the seemingly effortless narrative skill of Pullman.

There is a catch. As with Northern Lights, here is a book, for all its fun and adventure, that is aimed squarely at a young audience. Its narrative is to the point, there are plenty of hand rails and there's not much lurking beneath the surface. With an important distinction that here is a story for children rather than a kids' book. There are some adult overtones, indeed more to entice the older reader than the first book. Pullman again pulls no punches in his unerring and not unreasonable attack on the Church. Not satisfied with that, he pursues a damming summation of God being responsible for all the wrongs in history. Doubtless it will upset some; good, why shouldn't we grow up with these questions? But for believers and non-believers it still comes across as a naïve take. Grand themes, simplistically translated.

The Subtle Knife thrives on the destiny of its characters. If you can take the never ending happenstance excused as destiny, you will not be disappointed. There are some upsetting deaths, some violence, some science, even a semi-disguised sexual innuendo - the latter pointing again to a book for children with a nod to the older. Ultimately there is not enough to make this a truly rewarding read of adult fiction.

The criticism is intended for those that have high expectations that some reviews may lead you to. Intellectual? Well no. A romping adventure, yes. Pullman has created a phenomena that is unsurpassed by any children's fiction to date. His message is often not that subtle but it is clever.

There'll be generations growing up who cling to his hypotheses in questioning all they see.

Pullman's mission is accomplished.

Rating: - A tale to transport you to a world of danger and enchantment

Following her adventures in Northern Lights, the first book of His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra has passed over the bridge between worlds, built (or rather caused) by her father, Lord Asriel, using the burst of energy released when he severed Lyra's closest friend, Roger, from his daemon - killing the boy in the process. She trudges through fog and confusion for days. Then the fog clears and she finds what seems to be an empty town, Cittagazze. There she meets a boy called Will, when they surprise each other and have a brief, dramatic fight before becoming close allies. Will has escaped into Cittagazze from the Oxford of our universe, where he was pursued by sinister forces. Both of these young people have a destiny that is hidden from them and they are bound together in common purpose. The world they meet in is plagued by spectres that prey on adults and there are gangs of desperate orphan children, struggling to survive and becoming primitive and violent. Lyra's greatest treasure is stolen and Will helps her to recover it with the help of an even greater treasure. Where ever they go they find deadly dangers, but some of Lyra's friends and protectors have followed her into the world of the spectres and lost children: the balloonist and the witches. She'll need them because her darkest Nemesis has also tracked her - her mother, the ruthless Mrs Coulter.

Philip Pullman creates characters you can care about and (sadly) he's not afraid to kill them. The heroes have nicely rounded personalities with depth and the sort of mixed emotions most normal people might be able to identify with and understand. Even the villains have some depth. Lyra's parents appear to be almost entirely without mercy or kindness, but glimmers of a more complicated personality twinkle through. The books are full of twists and turns and surprises. I read the three books a couple of years ago, and I'm now listening to the audio books (what a delight) - just come to the end of The Subtle Knife and it's like a new story to me all over again. So many small details that I'd forgotten, to savour anew. If you can't go out and have an adventure, stay home and read or listen to this, because it's the next best thing!

Rating: - GR8!

The Subtle Knife is definatly one of the best books i have read or even tried to read. The only one that beats it is The Amber Spyglass the next one in the series. It is about Will and Lyra from two totally different worlds who become best friends despite all the odds. It has given me a totally new otulook on everything but especially myself. You can not know this feeling unless you read the books for yourself and you have not lived until you do. So don't be ashamed to cry, go out and buy the whole trilogy and read them as slowly as possible to savour every moment, once you have read them there is no turning back... except to the start again...xxx

Rating: - Can it get better than this?

I put reading this, the second in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy off for a few weeks after reading The Northern Lights, as I didn't want to overdose on it. I wanted it to be fresh when I started, that excitement about entering a new world once more. I also wanted to be ready and commited to reading it - something I feel is important with this author.

Philip Pullman didn't let me down in the least. If anything he exceeded my expectations. I really don't think he has peaked yet.

The pace seems even quicker than the previous novel, with excitement on every page. More and more questions are answered from the first book, which really draws the reader into Lyra and Will's world(s).

With the intoduction of William Parry, Lyra finds a new friend and confidant who is every bit her equal. Their individual quests, seperate and inextricably linked.

This trully is a masterclass in children's fiction. I thoroughly believe that these novels will be around for decades and decades to come, to the delight of children and adults of future generations.

An absolute gem!

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