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Summary: love it
Review: great ,unbelievable,outstanding,enchanting,amazing.
i would call the harry potter books for the older kids
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Summary: Great!
Review: This is a great book.I started out buying this book for on the plane,but I never expected it to be so good.I can't wait to buy the other books and to find out where Lyra comes from and what adventure Will and his friends wil have!
recomended,look at the other reviews, almost everyone says how great it is.
Try it.
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Summary: Great adult read
Review: I am a 46 year old businessman and found this series to be a blast. It is much better than 99.9% of the adult reads you will find in the adult fantasy section of your local mega book store. The writing is superb, the writers imagination is something to wonder at, and the story is much more fun than Harry Potter or the latest "Lord of the Rings" wanna be trash. Don't pass it up because it is supposed to be for "young readers".
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Summary: All time favorites! Must become a classic! Info please!
Review: This book, and all books in Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS will become instant classics! The adventures and strong emotions, the realistic characters and the strong beliefs and depth discoveries make this book one of my all time favorites! Will and Lyra travel far and wide, entering different worlds and find many friends, and dangerous enemies on their perilous journeys! But something confuses me, I understand this should just be a review, but in the first book, GOLDEN COMPASS, I had read that there were to be SEVEN or so books planned on Lyra, I'm not sure I am correct, but if someone could email me at miguel@surferz.net and give me any information on whether there are other books on Lyra coming out, and perhaps when, or if i heard wrongly, i would deeply appreciate it. THANK YOU! and enjoy HIS DARK MATERIALS
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Summary: Great Book
Review: I thought the book The Subtle Knife was one of the best books i've read in long time. Im a fan of fantasy book like this. The book kept my nose in for hours everytime i picked it up. I cpuldnt get past the battle where Will got the knife. I read it over and over. All in all this was the best book ive ever read. it even one ups harry potter
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Summary: Better than "The Golden Compass"!
Review: I loved " The Golden Compass" and this book surpassed it. Will has just killed a man on accident and is on the run. His mother is a little crazy, his father gone on an expediton when Will was a babe and never returned. Will's mother is with a friend, and Will is on his own. A cat shows him a spot that looks different and as he enters it he finds himself in another world. Lyra has left her world and is in Cittagazze. There she meets Will. They team up and find out that this town is run by kids. The adults are all in hiding from the Spectors. The kids aren't effected by the Spectors, they can't even see them. Mrs. Coulter is out looking for Lyra, Lyra's father is preparing for a gigantic battle. Together Will and Lyra battle many things and get more than what they bargained for, espeacially Will. I loved this book.It was wonderful. I highly recomend it.
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Summary: Compelling Novel
Review: The Subtle Knife and the entire "His Dark Materials" collection are complex and interesting, that keep the reader always wanting more!
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Summary: My favorite chapter of any book I have read is in this book
Review: The Subtle Knife serves the His Dark Materials trilogy as The Empire Strikes Back serves the original Star Wars Trilogy. It simply explains things, holds things together, and creates problems to be solved in the third installment. It begins in our world, with a murder, then moves on to a new world where we are introduced to the Specters, Angels, and more Dust. The awesome commands held by Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter make them seem so incredibly cool, regardless of whether or not we are rooting for them in the story. We find out who Stanislaus Grumman is, and Lyra is still in pursuit of her destiny, which she still doesn't know. Her mission to help her new friend Will find his father is very dramatic and costly. The Subtle knife itself is awesome, and has great powers. Lee Scoresby is back, helping a new, old, friend (sorry if that is confusing) to help Lyra. My favorite chapter of any book that I have ever read is chapter 14 of this book. It would take up too much room to use all of the adjectives one could use to describe this chapter, so i'll just say it is brilliantly written. The last chapter goes a little fast, but not too fast and unlike book one this book does not end with a beginning, but rather a pick-up, meaning you will want to pick up the next book right away to find out what happens. I know I do.
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Summary: Ok, now I get it!!!
Review: I was slow on the uptake with this series I am afraid. The first book, The Golden Compass, was a little bit plodding...but now that I read the second part of this fantasy/sci fi series, it makes considerably more sense. I am sure those readers who read more of this particular genre may be more prepared for what Pullman was trying to do in the first book. This book practically whizzed by at nonstop pace for me. So much became clearer that I did not appreciate in the first book. I kind of like that ability to distract the reader in one book, only to fully develop characters and plot information in the next book in such a manner as to totally involve the reader. This is a rare ability in any writer, but Pullman obviously has great talent in this area. Again, though these books may be intended for both an adolescent and adult audience...some of the writing is over my head occasionally and I have 2 degrees in Neuroscience (one from medical school). As the mother of 2 adults and 1 adolescent, I think my children in their twenties could appreciate the very carefully woven stories of multiple worlds, theology, and science, whereas the adolescents which I usually come in contact with through teaching and my current puberty-laden challenge might find the series tough going. This is one of those books and series that parents should read first...after all we are supposed to be involved and interested in our teenager's lives (that includes knowing what they are reading, watching, and listening too--at least for hearing people!) The exquisite formation of characters of different worlds and species (both human and spectral), and theories/reasoning involving such complex subjects like mental illness, man's inhumanity to both children and animals, and the possibility of other worlds besides our own by Pullman is probably the best thing he does. The books may be viewed as pure entertainment (and good entertainment at that), but the concepts he delves into raise interesting questions for those who think about it more deeply. These are great summer books for taking to the beach and getting away from the usual everyday world, but I can also see curling up on a fall morning when the rain is coming down and losing myself in this myth. I can also see reading (or signing) chapters to older students, and discussing why and how Pullman makes this story come together and work at capturing our imaginations with a combination of fantasy and science (once more proving that science does not have to mean dull repitition or rote-learning!) Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh
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Summary: Pullman proves that sequels can be great!!
Review: "A literary roller coaster ride you won't want to miss." - The Boston Globe. This enchanting story is certainly a roller coaster ride with its sudden revelations and surprises. In this powerful second installment of the His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy, Phillip Pullman continues the story of Lyra Silvertongue's quest to find the origins of Dust. Dust is the name for the mysterious elemental particles that are drawn to human consciousness and are able to respond to it. The first chapter contains heart-pounding action, gorgeous imagery, and gains the readers' affections as they meet 12-year-old Will, who is trying to protect his emotionally disturbed mother and to locate his lost father, an explorer who vanished years before. Instead, Will finds a window into another world, where Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, have also found themselves. That world contains the resting place of the subtle knife, which can cut through any material, even the space between worlds. The knife wounds Will, severing his left ring finger and pinky, but he is bound to it by a destiny neither he nor Lyra yet understands. The witches of Lyra's world, the scientists of Will's, the passionately evil Mrs. Coulter (Lyra's mother), and Lyra's friend Lee Scoresby all seek the source of the chaos in the worlds. Angels that bless and evil Specters that feed on the curiosity of adults appear, as well as glimpses of the past and future; the plot is presented in a rush of wonderful detail that will move and entrance readers of all ages. After devouring the first and second installments of this beautifully written trilogy, only one question remains in the readers' minds: What new surprises and dangers does Pullman have in store for Lyra and her companions in his next novel, The Amber Spyglass? Lyra and Will, along with the original cast of characters from the Golden Compass make this book yet another must-read. However, if you are considering getting this book and you have not yet read The Golden Compass, get that one first, because you can't fully appreciate or even fully understand The Subtle Knife until you read Golden Compass -- a landmark in the world of fantasy novels. P.S. -- This book is said to be the rival to the Harry Potter books -- it's that good! I have debated with myself many times and still can't resolve which series I like better.
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