The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials 2) by Philip Pullman

Welcome to the beta version of Shelfari’s new Book Detail pages!

These pages are editable by the community, so please contribute! Click here to learn more about this feature. We’d love to hear your feedback.

see page historyNotify me when this page changes.

Description

Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted underworld—Cittàgazze, where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky. But she is not without allies: 12-year-old Will Parry, fleeing for his life after taking another’s, has also stumbled into this... read more

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis

show spoilers

Show ridiculously simplified synopsis (warning: may contain spoilers)

Summary

The story begins with twelve-year-old Will Parry killing a man. In his efforts to escape the police, he discovers a portal that leads to Cittàgazze, a city in another world. The city looks recently deserted, and Will chooses a house to find food. It is here that he meets 12-year-old Lyra... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Cast of Characters

Will Parry: Add a description of this character.
Lyra Belacqua
Pantalaimon: Lyra's daemon
Serafina Pekkala: a witch
Stanislaus Grumman: an explorer
Dr. Mary Malone
Sir Charles Latrom
Lord Boreal
Lee Scoresby
Balthamos
Baruch

Popular Covers

see all covers »

Choose your book’s cover

Memorable Quotes

List your favorite quotations from this book.

First Sentence

Will tugged at his mother's hand and said, "Come on, come on..."

1. The Cat and The Hornbeam Trees Page 1
2. Among the Witches Page 29
3. A Children's World Page 55
4. Trepanning Page 71
5. Airmail Paper Page 102
6. Lighted Fliers Page 116
7. The Rolls-Royce Page 144
8. The Tower of the Angels Page 166
9. Theft Page 190
10.The Shaman Page 207
11. The Belvedere Page 222
12. Screen Language Page 237
13. AEsahaettr Page 255
14. Alamo Gulch Page 278
15. Bloodmoss Page 306