Rating: 
Summary: The best!
Review: I think that this has been the best book out of the three. So far I have read the first book, the second, and now I am on the third. This was a great book. It is about two kids, Will and Lyra (the heroin from the first book). They stumble upon the subtle knife in the world of Cittàgazze when they walk through different windows leading to the same world. This world is run by children after the grown-ups flee from the specters. Will and Lyra loose her alethiometer, a truth teller, but gain the subtle knife. They use this to get back the alethiometer, from a man in Will's world. When Will finally meets his father, a witch shows up and.... If you want to know the rest of the book, you will have to read it. I suggest starting at book one, The Golden Compass. I believe that the most interesting aspect of Will is his courage. This aspect strongly shows itself when Will loses two of his fingers in the fight for the subtle knife. He does not cry or hide, but face his problem with confidence and somewhat pride.
I would highly recommend this book to other teenagers because it lets your imagination run wild, picturing the places and worlds that all of the characters visit. Furthermore, this book captures your heart and runs away with it, making you want to read the book, and never put it down. The reader gets caught up in the action and ends up loving the book and wanting to find out what happens in the last book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass. This has been one of the best books that I have ever read and I really wish that you would read it too.
Rating: 
Summary: His Dark Materials Book Number 2
Review: The Subtle Knife is the sequel to The Golden Compass. It is about a boy named Will, and a girl named Lyra who go on a wild adventure. Will finds an opening to a different world and goes through, all the while looking for his lost father. He meets Lyra, a scrawny little girl who is looking for Dust particles. Together, they loose Lyra's alethiometer, or truth teller, gain the subtle knife, Will looses two fingers, Will finds his father, but something terrible happens to him shortly there after. If you want to find out exactly what the subtle knife is and how this story ends, you will have to read the book for yourself. By the way, the trilogy is The Amber Spyglass so I suggest that you start at the beginning so that you get the full picture.
I would definitely recommend this novel for many reasons. First of all, it has very good descriptions, and many times when I was reading it I could just see myself in the book. Second of all, the characters were very well developed. Sometimes I could even tell what they were going to say before they said it. Third of all, the plot was very elaborate. The book was a bit confusing at first, but once you got into it, it was really easy to understand. And fourth of all, it wasn't one of those books where the first half was boring and then it got exciting. This book was exciting from the very first chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Great sequel to The Golden Compass
Review: It was a great book, but I still like the first one better. I would give the first one five stars.
Rating:
Summary: I hate catch-phrases, but I must say "The plot thickens"
Review: First, a note to conservative parents. This is not for your children. The main characters go on for a fight against the Church, and even further at the end, so if you think any kind of media might loosen your iron-fist grip over your child's thoughts and ideas, DO NOT BY THIS BOOK.Ok, it was nice to get that outta my chest. I read the Golden Compass under a friend's recommendation. It was an excellent book, the ending was fantastic, near the last 60 pages, adrenaline was pumping into my veins so much I had to go out for a run after I finished the book. But trust me when I say this. The Subtle Knife is better than Golden Compass. MUCH MUCH better. The book starts to get too-addictive-to-be-considered-legal halfway through, when Will gets the Subtle Knife. Lyra and her Golden Compass (*I'm too lazy to spell it's real name*) take a step back in this book, and the new character, Will, unlikable at first, becomes the main character near the middle of the book. It would seem like a sexist move by Pullman. Maybe it was, I don't know, but it didn't seem to have any implicit message to it. Lyra is still a very important character in this sequel. The plot in the first book pales in comparison to the one present here. It makes Golden compass look like a 300 page long delay for the real plot that starts here. (Don't get me wrong, I still love Golden Compass with a mad passion) If you liked the Golden compass, buy this book. If you were ever close to being entertained in one slight moment at the previous book, you will love the Subtle Knife. Put this book on the Number 1 spot of your Wish list. Buy it as soon as you can.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing after "The Golden Compass."
Review: I found this book the most disappointing of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. After Lyra is introduced as such a strong girl character in the first book, it feels as though she loses some of her power in "The Subtle Knife." Will takes over, and I'm not impressed.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first!
Review: This one continues the story of Lyra. She stumbles into the world of Cittagazze, where soul-eating Specters roam the street.The Specters don't attack childern, just adults. There she meets Will, a boy from our Oxford. Will obtains the subtle knife, a knife that can cut holes into other worlds. Lyra goes into Will's world and meets Mary Malone. Lyra helps Mary Malone continue her research on Dust. Mrs. Coulter hunts down Lyra and...well I can't tell you. This book was very good and better than the first.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first...
Review: Briefly: I wasn't "blown away" by The Golden Compass but since I bought both the first and second book simultaneously I figured that I might as well give the second book a shot and I was surprised to find the story much more coherent and sinister than the first. Without having read the third I am very curious to find out how events resolve themselves. Frankly, I'm rooting on Will to put God out of his misery (and end ours as well). We'll see...
Rating:
Summary: Sorry but I must march to a different drummer.
Review: I read the first book and thought it was fair. I waded through this one becoming more and more irritated with the plot, the names of the characters, the lack of direction, the cover of the book, my friend that recommended I read it in the first place. His Dark Materials? I fear I will never find out His identity since I have no intention of tormenting myself with Book Three. Mr Pullman is often compared to JR Tolkien, JK Rowling, Ursula K leGuin, amongst others. Perhaps if he equipped himself with a few initials to his name . . .
Rating:
Summary: how can you bear to even drop it???
Review: This is probably one of the best books I've ever read. It's cover makes it look like it's for little kids but it's not.
I started reading it and I could not move or put it down. It just grabbed me. I've been begging my mom to take me to the library to get the third one. It's an exciting story that makes you want to read on and it never gets boring so if you can't find any good books to read, try this one. I don't read much but now I know there are things out there once you find them. It's a good starter for a reluctant person.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read all three of these novels. The writer is highly skilled with words and certainly has some interesting ideas. However, his motives for writing these books seemed, to me, quite transparent. I've never liked books with an obvious agenda, and these are no exception. Pullman's apparent mission is to vilify religion in general (with the possible exception of Wicca) and the Christian church in particular. The whole "evil priesthood" scene all over again. Yawn. The salvation of Pullman's fantasy world lies in a young woman having ... relations with her lover. In other words, in the book's view, eating the apple. This metaphor displays a lamentable lack in understanding as to the true concept of original sin, which concept has nothing to do with sex. It's a common misinterpretation, but an author of Pullman's stature, writing a book series like this one, should know better. Pullman works hard to give his book a tragic ending, but it left me way short on tears. Not that I can't be moved by the separation of lovers, but one sees this coming for miles and miles, and the reasons for the enforced misery are quite weak. I very much enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series, both for my daughter and for myself, though it does also have some serious logical weaknesses. Nevertheless, the weaknesses are much less obvious than in The Dark Materials series, and the stories, though rich in moral content, lack the odor of the vendetta so prevalent in Dark Materials. Unless you like reading books with a bone to pick, give this one a miss. You'll spend your time much more pleasantly elsewhere.
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