But it maintains the high standard set by The Golden Compass: its plot every bit as involving and moving, its prose as supple, its characterizations as deft.' - Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle 'As the middle book of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, The Subtle Knife necessarily lacks the novelty of its predecessor and leaves the plot dangling with an excruciating cliff-hanger.

'Nearly as good as its predecessor (.) Pullman strikes an excellent balance between imagination and verisimilitude, and his major characters are as interesting and human as anyone we would meet in a decent realistic novel.' - Rachel Pastan, Salon.

(.) The Subtle Knife nears magnificence in the loftiness of its moral design.' - Gregory Maguire, The New York Times Book Review It can slice through anything - spirit, matter and middle book syndrome. (.) Just when narrative sprawl is about to overwhelm, the 'subtle knife' of the book's title shows up.

' The Subtle Knife is really two books spliced together.

But something - the pleasure inherent, perhaps, in the narrative unfolding of a single consciousness - is lost in the transition from the first volume to second' - Michael Chabon, The New York Review of Books It is unflaggingly inventive, chilling and persuasive, has a number of gripping action sequences, and ends with a thrilling zeppelin battle in the Himalayas.

' The Subtle Knife, with its shifting points of view and its frequent presentation of adult perspectives on Lyra and Will, has much more the flavor of a thriller.

It will outlast any Booker contender with ease.' - Amanda Craig, New Statesman

'This is quite simply the best book I have read this year.

This second novel ends with an even less satisfying cliffhanger than did the first, blatantly marking time as the middle book of a trilogy.' - Charles de Lint, Fantasy & Science Fiction (.) Then there's the problem of closure, of which there isn't any. But his characterization remains basic at best with only the two main protagonists showing any real life. Pullman is obviously a fine writer and he's extremely inventive with his concepts and backgrounds, and the various creatures populating it.

' The Subtle Knife is as entertaining a read as the first novel, but it also has the same problems.Northern Lights (US title: The Golden Compass)ī : some good adventures, but very much a bridge between parts one and three of the trilogy The Subtle Knife is the second volume of the His Dark Materials - trilogy.General information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author Trying to meet all your book preview and review needs.

The subtle knife book review