I don't think this book is as good as the Golden Compass. However, I still think this book is worthwile reading. The Subtle Knife is really like the rollercoster, always going back and forth. Good and evil. In this book all the clues left in the Golden Compass start to form an suspense filled adventure which is an must read. [Series: His Dark Materials #2]

posted May 9, 2006 at 11:08AM

The sequel, shorter and faster. By the way some people say this series is counter religious but I think its a big metaphor.

posted May 23, 2008 at 4:52PM

A strong sequel, _The Subtle Knife_ sets into motion the deicidal plot of the series. I cannot believe these books have not aroused a more fervent reaction from churches, particularly the Catholic church, which Pullman targets as an oppressive institution bent on destroying joy and obscuring truth in people’s lives. My main issue with _His Dark Materials_ is that the antagonistic force is the Church, which draws authority from God, but the latter is the object of the protagonists’ martial efforts. Though it may be argued that obliterating the source of authority undermines and subsequently destroys the organization, it seems that the death of God would not prevent the Church from continuing to preach its cosmological perversions or exercising its dominance over the denizens of Lyra’s--or any other--world. Despite this nonsequitous argument, the book provokes and questions in an imaginative manner that appeals to readers. However, apparently for some readers, the fantastical sugar has overpowered Pullman’s brutal antitheistic thesis.

posted May 28, 2009 at 5:13PM

Amazing triology, read from the start and you will end up in a fantasy and exiting world. The movie has not done justice to the story.

posted Jul 28, 2011 at 12:50PM

The second book in His Dark Materials Trilogy. I liked this book much better then the first book, although I had several complaints. One was that the characters had no depth, and many of the non-main characters blended together. The storyline was alright-and this book didn’t seem as much anti-Christian as the previous one-, but it lacked interesting points and left many questions unanswered. Altogether, it wasn’t a bad book, but not close to one of the best I’ve read.

posted Jan 20, 2012 at 10:55AM

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