Title: The Subtle Knife

Author: Philip Pullman

Series: His Dark Materials #2

Genre: Fantasy Steampunk (YA)

Pages: 368 Pages (Hard cover)

Original Publication Date: 1997

Overall Rating:
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Summary from Shelfari

Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted world–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 strange new realm. On a perilous journey from world to world, Lyra and Will discover an object of devastating power. And with every step, they move closer to an even greater threat–and the shattering truth of their own destiny.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading The Subtle Knife just as much as I enjoyed reading The Golden Compass.

In The Subtle Knife, Lyra finds herself in a new world and befriends Will, a boy from another world. Lyra, still determined to find the meaning of Dust, and Will, looking for his father who disappeared 12 years ago, learn to trust and help each other in their missions.

During the course of their journey, they find the Subtle Knife or Æsahættr. The knife looks very ordinary, but it has two sides; one which can cut through any known matter and one which can cut into different worlds. The knife is part of Lyra’s and Will’s destiny, but as of yet, we don’t know what their destiny is.

I’ve been bothered by the “hate” e-mails I’ve received over the past month about The Golden Compass movie. The fact that some people don’t want to read the books or go see the movie isn’t what bothers me. What bothers me is that people are spreading propaganda for something they know nothing about. They simply take the word of their friend or an article they read and send mass e-mails about the books’ “evilness.” I think people are too easily swayed and lead blindly by the media or their peers instead of finding out for themselves how they feel about something.

I can understand not reading or watching something because of an opinion you’ve heard or read. In fact, I haven’t read or watched The Da Vinci Code out of respect of Corey’s opinion regarding the storyline. However, I don’t think it’s right for me to tell someone else not to read or watch The Da Vinci Code because I know nothing about it. The same goes for The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.

With the above said, after reading The Subtle Knife, I can understand how some people feel the books are anti-God. However, I don’t think they are and I don’t think I will even after reading The Amber Spyglass. They’re simply fantasy books. Fantasy books, from what I’ve read, usually have some parallels to real life. So, I think the books should just be taken at face value as fantasy books. And, one of the things I like about the books is that they challenge my views and help re-affirm my own beliefs.