Review: #631
Title: The Subtle Knife
Series: His Dark Materials - 2nd book
Author: Philip Pullman
Read Before: yes
Comments: A fantastic follow up to Northern Lights, although it felt it was heading towards a different angle during the beginning. After you finish it, you come to realize how much large the author has expanded its world, and how different the plot direction is, but both of them are good things. We are introduced to a new character, Will, who ends up becoming the bearer of the Subtle Knife, something that is so sharp, it can cut through anything including the universe itself. Lyra soon returns as a main character and unfortunately, The Subtle Knife does at times feel like a midquel, where its sole purpose is to set up the last in the trilogy so it doesn’t feel like it has a proper solid plot on its own. Nevertheless, the author introduces so many new elements into the story that it totally captures your attention. From new unusual beings such as Spectres which can eat the soul of a person to the notion of multiple universes, The Subtle Knife never ceases to amaze. There were a few shocking events that you would have never expected to happen and subtle connections that were a byproduct of what happened in Northern Lights. The author took a big risk at involving a bit of religion into its conflict but The Subtle Knife does everything so perfectly that you can’t wait to find out what’s next.
Rating: 8/10