The Subtle Knife (1997) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“I really liked these books because they are full of action and excitement. They also have a bit of romance which is a requirement for good adventure stories. Philipp Pullman was able to create an adventure trilogy completely out pod the ordinary which is rare. Perfectly structured. One last word: breathtaking.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Wow! I thought "The Golden Compass" was great, but this book surpasses that! There was a lot going on, right from the start. It was incredibly hard to put this book down, and if I had started it on the weekend, I'm sure I would have finished it in one day. The addition of the character Will Parry, and his meeting up with Lyra, added a lot to the book. I'll be able to get my hands on "The Amber Spyglass", which is the third book of the trilogy, later today, and I can't wait. The fact that tomorrow is Sunday, and I'm a bit under the weather, means I might just spend the day reading. ;-)
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• Rated 5 stars

“And the plot thickens.......this was an interesting followup to the first book in the series - the world we were introduced to in the Golden Compass has now collided with the 'real' world, we're introduced to new beings (including angels, which I'm still not sure what I think of), and more clarity is provided on Lord Asriel's plans, as well as the importance of Lyra. I was a little less than thrilled with the direction Lyra's character was taken in (she actually irritated me at parts), but the introduction to Will made up for that. As usual, I don't like to include spoilers in my reviews, but I will say that the both the clarity to the main theme and the 'cliffhanger' completely got me. Can't wait to dive into the third book!”

• Rated 4 stars

“I'll save most of my thoughts for the third book, when I'll comment on bigger themes. That being said, this is a phenomenal middle chapter of a trilogy and to watch the way Pullman unfolds the story and develops his characters is enthralling. Also, though, there are a number of alarming elements in the story, and I'm not just thinking of his clear anti-Judeo-Christian agenda. I'm thinking more of Lyra's mild but present subservience to Will, which is against character and undermines one of the main drives of Pullman's story. Also, as with the first, and I know with the last as well, the elements of young child sexual development are occasional here and unsettling, though not as much as they are in the third book. Also, I have to mention that the last stand shootout and then death of one of the characters in this book has stuck with me fairly vividly since I read it five years ago, and rereading it I can see why—it is a wonderfully realized scene, heartbreaking and heroic, and for whatever my opinion is worth it's really one of the most affecting heroic death scenes I've read. ”

• Rated 0 stars

“Audible”

• Rated 3 stars

“In this second book of the series, the stage is expanded to include several worlds, including one very like our own. I enjoyed the concept of Dust as dark matter and also as conscious (throwing some quantum mechanics into books for kids, who knew?). This book expands our perspective into that of several characters other than Lyra and introduces a new menace in the form of the Spectres, creatures who eat the souls of adults. It also sets the stage for a major war between Heaven and Earth. Interesting, and I like the new major character, Will, more than I liked Lyra.”

• Rated 4 stars

“The sequel to The Golden Compass, this book introduces us to Will who is on the run and discovers a window in thin air that transports him to a parallel world where he meets Lyra. Meanwhile, the witches and Lord Asriel are teaming together to defeat the Magisterium. The subtle knife is found and Will becomes its user and guardian, allowing him and Lyra to slip between worlds as they run to keep it from sinister hands. ”

• Rated 0 stars

“4th grade”

• Rated 5 stars

“C'est vraiment bon Jaime le livre beaucoup et je veux lire la livre suivent ”

• Rated 5 stars

“A real page turner. The way the author seems to be able to weave a story that is both profound and entrancing. The change of the tone of the story is also subtle as such.”