Rating: Summary: Absolutely fantastic! I can't wait for the next book! Review: Amazing work once more! Pullman has written a lavishly detailed story, with a twist in the plot at every corner. The ending was the most ironic one I have ever read! It left me hanging off my seat, waiting nervously for the final installment of the trilogy, where we will learn the fate of Lyra, Pantalaimon, and Will. This book is for anyone from the ages of 8 and up, and I recommend it strongly. I can't wait for the next book!
Rating: Summary: Great Book! However.... Review: This book is great! It has an interesting plot, great characterisation and can appeal to many readers with its fun yet interesting plot. However, it is made painfully clear that this is a middle-volume. Many questions are left unanswered, which makes it a bit of an unsatisfying read. It cannot stand on its own as a book, rather than part of a trilogy, and this is a bit disappointing. However, it is well-written, bringing back favorite characters and introducing new ones, while asking complicated theological questions. All I have to say is: Bring on The Amber Spyglass!
Rating: Summary: Subtle Knife Review: Pullman is a master of his craft. The Subtle Knife tells a story of intense suspense and complexity forcing one to realise it's a great pity adolescent fiction tends to get lost in the shuffle. Pullman belongs in the same box as Tolkein and to a lesser extent CS Lewis. Whilst the content is indisputably theological and philosophical he never lets this get in the way of a page turning adventure. Moreover, he never panders to a younger mind creating a reading experience of numerous levels and subtleties. Lyra and Will are compelling lead characters and are surrounded by a plethora of worthy secondary ones from Seraphina the Witch and Lee the Texan to John Parry and Lord Asriel. Couldnt put it down, can't recommend it more highly.
Rating: Summary: Suffers from middle-volume syndrome Review: Although it kept me reading, The Subtle Knife didn't have quite the impact that The Golden Compass had. Parts of the book were brilliant--Lee Scoresby was an interesting, complex character--but on the whole, it felt as if Pullman was marshalling characters and plot developments to get ready for the "good stuff" in the third book.Although I find the theological basis of this book more than a little troubling, I will reserve judgement until the third book. Asriel, like Milton's Satan, *seems* be to be portrayed as a heroic figure, but that could change.
Rating: Summary: All you 3-starrers are wrong, this book was wonderful! Review: Wow. Pullman has done it again. I thought it was a great sequal to The Golden Compass. For those of you thought Lyra wasn't strong enough in this book, she was just fine. Will was very important in the story. Oh, and the issue on God and Lord Asriel, well I don't really care. Those people who do are missing the point. It's not about God, it's about trying to tell a story about two worlds that are joined together and and lets your imagination run wild. You don't have to be a literature expert to know a good book when you see one. This is it. I'm totally ready for the next book, The Amber Spyglass.
Rating: Summary: The Plot Thickens Review: Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Philip Pullman's sequel to "The Golden Compass" arrived in bookstores. For those left breathless by the original book of His Dark Materials, you won't be disappointed. For those who have yet to experience Book 1, I highly recommend it. In "The Subtle Knife" Philip Pullman continues to create that universe full of wonder and enchantment, while also bringing its characters into our own world. Pullman has the ability to make parallel universes seem perfectly normal to the reader, as if such a place might truly exist. The plot snowballs at a break-neck pace, leaving the reader little time to catch their breath. It is, therefore, a novel which is able to keep the attention of younger readers. However, as I've stated in my recent review of "The Golden Compass," it is by no means a "kiddie book." Indeed, adults can appreciate Pullman's creation as well. To tell you the truth, reading "The Subtle Knife" left me with many unanswered questions. The plot is complex and the clever lack of in-depth information leaves the reader wondering what Philip Pullman is up to. I only have but a vague idea of who is "bad" and who is "good." I don't find this to detract from the novel, however. Rather, I am anxiously anticipating the series' conclusion, "The Amber Spyglass," due in hardcover September of 2000. If you have not yet experienced "The Golden Compass," you should. If you do, this review will be pointless, as you will not be able to pull yourself away from the series. Even those who usually dislike fantasy are entranced by Pullman's novel, and I'm willing to bet you will also.
Rating: Summary: An involving audio presentation. Review: Philip Pullman's Subtle Knife presents Book Two of 'His Dark Materials', with a full cast narrative style adding even more vigor and excitement to the story of Lyra, who finds herself in a haunted world packed with dangers. An involving audio presentation.
Rating: Summary: Hooked on Pullman Review: Pullman starts his story off with action and it never stops coming. I recomend this book to anyone who likes a story they just can't put down. I love the way the author use unique characters and settings to bring the plot alive. I can't get enough of His Dark materials and anxiously await the conclusion of the trilogy.
Rating: Summary: I would rate a million stars if i could! Review: This book is a absoulutly wonderful book, I am 12 years old, and I loved this book! However I suggest to read the golden compass first. The subtle Knife is a book that keeps you on your toes as William and Lyra travel to different worlds.
Rating: Summary: A definite page-turner! Review: The Subtle Knife is amazing. Pullman tells the story travelling through three worlds . . making this an immensely suspenseful and intriging book. It's nothing like those light-hearted, no point stories with superficial characters and plots. However, I suggest you read the first book of the trilogy, The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights), first and only read that until the third book is out . . . or else you'll be left at the end of The Subtle Knife (like me) in disbelief that there are no more pages to read on!
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