|
|
|
Average Customer Review
Share your thoughts with other customers
|
|
|
The most helpful favourable review
The most helpful critical review
74 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
Better Than Harry Potter? Yes!
Let's just get this clear - I will read anything. I am never not in the middle of reading a book. Whenever I know I'm nearly at the end of one book, I go out and buy another. I can't stand not having a book to read. Let's get another thing clear - I'm only thirteen, so adults reading this might not want to read my opinion - that's fine by me. Ok. I have all the Harry...
Published on 9 Jun 2001
|
› See more 5 star, 4 star reviews |
 |
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Leaving Lyra behind
I don't know really where to begin, as I know that I am about to write a negative review about a book that is loved by so many. I have found both the Subtle Knife and its predecessor, Northern Lights, to be terribly hard going at times. Northern Lights took three chapters to get me even vaguely hooked, while the Subtle Knife almost lost me half way through...
Published 21 months ago by E. Goodman
|
› See more 3 star, 2 star, 1 star reviews |
|
|
74 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
Better Than Harry Potter? Yes!, 9 Jun 2001
By A Customer
Let's just get this clear - I will read anything. I am never not in the middle of reading a book. Whenever I know I'm nearly at the end of one book, I go out and buy another. I can't stand not having a book to read. Let's get another thing clear - I'm only thirteen, so adults reading this might not want to read my opinion - that's fine by me. Ok.I have all the Harry Potter books, and my friend recommended Northern Lights to me because she said it was like a girl power equivalent to Harry Potter. I thought that sounded pretty cool, so I gave it a go. I realised that it is nothing like Harry Potter at all! Harry Potter is a *normal* boy in *our* world doing *normal* stuff with a twist of magic. The "His Dark Materials" trilogy is set mainly in *fantasy* worlds, but I suppose that you could say Lyra is kind of normal. Apart from the fact that she has a little Daemon called Pantalaimon. In fact, to her a daemon is normal - apparently seeing somebody without a daemon is like seeing somebody without a head - that's the kind of thing that makes this trilogy good. This particular book is better than Northern Lights, in my opinion. There's a boy and a girl (Lyra and Will). They both come from different worlds - but they're kind of like parallel universes - there is an Oxford in Lyra's world, but it has certain features that are different, such as the aforementioned daemons and a certain Jordan College, which is not at the *real* Oxford Uni. Then there's ANOTHER world which is totally different. Things called spectres haunt and drown the souls of the adults, but the kids are unaffected. How creepy? And you can hear angels - and there are witches... It's all very creepy, which is v. cool. I would recommend this to anybody who enjoyed Harry Potter, but thinks they are growing out of him. There are some really clever twists, and it deals with emotions and tragedy a lot more than Harry Potter does. I don't know why Philip Pullman isn't getting the coverage that J. K. Rowling is. In my opinion he's a much much better writer. It amazes me how he can know exactly how a little girl actually feels - and the books are so imaginative, you'd think he comes from Lyra's world! And one more thing - look out for some seriously wicked names - Lyra Belacqua (or Silvertongue as she has now been christened) is a lot more exciting than Harry Potter, or Cornelius Fudge. Ok, I hope you read it, cos I can't begin to tell you how good it is - you really need to see it to believe it!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
A superb read, 14 Feb 2007
I can say without any doubt, that Northern Lights, together with the other two books in the trilogy (The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass)are the best books I have ever read. (And I have read quite a lot!)
Each day, I couldn't wait to get on the tube and read the continuing adventure of Lyra et al.
It is enchanting from start to finish. And for my mind makes anything else you read afterwards seem highly inferior.
You are taken completely out of yourself. Yet you are also able to ponder the wider meanings of it all. And with so many twists and turns, Pullman as a writer is always several steps ahead of where you think things are going.
From the moment I finished the last page of the last book in the trilogy, (yesterday) I wanted to pick up Northern lights and read them all again. I cannot imagine anyone not liking these books. Even for those who have not read fantasy novels before. They are original, profound, gripping and simply breathtaking in places.
Frankly I envy anyone reading this trilogy for the first time!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Great start, flowing middle and cliff-hanging end, 2 Mar 2004
I bought all three of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy in a box set and read Northern Lights in about 2 days after becoming addicted to what could only be described as an inspiring, compulsive tale written in a brilliant and unpatronising fashion. Well with such an accolade the expectation in the remaining two parts of the set was tremendous and after a short gap reading another novel (Pride and Prejudice - talk about variation!), I plunged headlong into The Subtle Knife.The story was undoubtedly darker and more heart wrenching than the first in the series with dramatic, sinister and charming plots throughout. The novel is a finely choreographed piece that conjoins the fairy-tale simplicity of the first book with what I can only hope is the climactic tussle of good against evil in the third. And it does it with beautiful style as the stakes clearly rise at every juncture and each nail-biting twist unfolds with enthralling literary genius. The characters in unsurprising similarity with the first novel continue to develop and the warmth of the love between the main characters is almost tangible. Conversely, as the book progresses, your determination to defeat the evilness of Mrs Coulter, the spectres, Sir Charles and "the authority" grows, as Lyra's and Will's does, with every page turned. A few characters in the novel one could almost predict would be living under a pseudonym, although I had such lack of foresight that I incorrectly guessing two of them: thus leading to a remarkably loud jangling when the penny finally dropped. The book's orchestration is perfectly poised and its path is intricately and precisely weaved into a flawless narration combining sharp, fast-moving action with delicately subtle commentary. Underpinning the trilogy is the far reaching conflict between the authority, centralised around the church of the Magisterium and its main protagonist, Mrs Coulter; and the free world, embodied by Lyra with her Truth device, Will with his knife and the industriously energetic Lord Asriel who exists only in name in this book. The book contrasts Lyra's universe which is run by a clerical bureaucracy dominated by the church and the nonchalant, free 20th century reminiscent of our own. But both are nicely interplayed with a third world that exemplifies the effect of turning a formerly paradisiacal interpretation of existence into a living misery. And the effect of the intertwined worlds is as splendid as its meticulous description is perfect. The courage, bravery and determination of Lyra and Will even in the face of seemingly daunting tasks reflects the ultimate achievement that so many people desire. Pullman gives the characters a reality in an almost science fiction setting that transcends the likely age of its readers. As such, the book will find popularity with readers of all generations hoping for either youthful inspiration or mature wishfulness. The interactions of the adult characters give a complexity to the sub-plots that one almost feels that Pullman is attempting to nurture and educate children by transposing quests they face in day-to-day activities into the book. And it does it extremely well. The beleaguered aeronaut searching for his saviour, Will's battle for the knife, Lyra's fighting conscience between lying and truthfulness are all examples of this. The end is a wholly unsatisfactory series of cliff-hangers that at the time of release must have driven Pullman fans wild with annoyance at not being able to continue the journey of Lyra and Will. I, on the other hand, had the luxury of putting The Subtle Knife back in the box and pulling out the next in the trilogy. The final chapter of The Subtle Knife leaves so many brilliantly poised story lines open that you will be running to the bookstore, or Amazon, I suppose, for the next instalment. Spellbinding, fulfilling, rewarding and entertaining.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
I can't wait, 27 Aug 2000
By A Customer
I picked up Northern Lights (the first book of the trilogy) in a book shop about 7 or 8 months ago, and ever since then I have been hooked. I went on to read thism the Subtle Knife, and have been impatiantly awaiting the arrival of the Amber Spyglass for, oh it seems like years. The books are Harry Potter for older readers, with all of the mystery and adventure of JK Rowling - and a lot more of the same, as well as deceit, wickedness and a plot with no tangles in it - you never get caught up. I am fighting against myself over whether to buy the new book in hardback, so i can read it as quickly as possible, or whether to wait and have all three in a matching set. Arrggghh...decisions! I lent the first two books to loads of my friends and everyone I know loved them! So many people have read and re-read them that they are decidedly tattered and dog-eared - but i still can't stop reading them! Admittedly, Northern Lights is better than the Subtle Knife, because of the pure fantasy (whereas Subtle Knife is set partly in our own world, and partly in Lyra's and Cittagazze, Northern Lights is set entirely in Lyra's world - a distrted mirror view of our own) but both books leave you wanting more. Probably the best books for anyone of any agte from about 13.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Compelling Book II in 'His Dark Materials' Trilogy, 5 Jan 2001
By A Customer
Those of you who have read Phillip Pullman's triumph 'Northern Lights' will not be disappointed with it's sequel'The Subtle Knife'. Following on from where we left off, Lyra Silvertongue is now joined by Will, a young boy from our world. Together they enter an altogether new dimension, Cittagazze, only to find evil there in the form of the Spectres.... Once in posession of the Subtle Knife and with the witches to guide them, they realise that the fate of worlds is in their hands. Lyra's thirst for knowledge of 'Dust' and Will's quest to find his long lost father will soon have you gripped. We also see the return of Pantalaimon, Lee Scoresby, Mrs Coulter and Lord Asriel alongside new and exciting characters! Phillip Pullman's writing is complex and entralling, this novel had me continually guessing what could possibly happen next! Pullman paints landscapes with beautiful colours, rich in detail and shows immense imagination. His characters are fully rounded with complete personalities that never falter. Now Lyra and Will have realised that they hold destiny in their hands... This trilogy is concluded with 'The Amber Spyglass' in spectacular fashion!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Best of the series, 17 May 2008
This is the second book in the `His Dark Materials' trilogy and is the best.
Here is a synopsis of the story:
Will Parry is a 12 year old boy who is on the run for murder; his mother is not very well (mentally) and his father has been lost for a decade or so. On his quest to find his father, he meets Lyra (the main character or The Northern Lights - also part of the trilogy). Lyra is the owner of a truth teller, which is also known as the alethiometer. Along the way, Lyra has the alethiometer stolen and is sent on a quest to steal a weapon called the Subtle Knife from Cittàgazze if she wants it back.
Lyra and Will use the Subtle Knife to steal back the alethiometer, however upon returning to Cittàgazze, a world between Lyra's world and Will's world (Will's world is the same as our planet Earth), they find the local children - there are only children in this city as the Spectres took the adults souls (children cannot see the ghost type creatures) are out to kill them for taking the knife. The witches from Lyra's world eventually rescue them and they journey on together.
Lee Scoreby is also from the first book; he is trying to discover where Lyra has got to and on his way he meets Stanislaus Grumman. Scoresby believes Grumman may help him uncover Asriel's plans and help Lyra. When Scoresby finally finds him, Grumman asks the aeronaut, Mr Scoreby, to take him through the aurora into the other world so Grumman can guide the two to the bearer of the Subtle Knife.
Will, still bleeding from his wound after a fight for the knife, meets Stanislaus Grumman, who heals his fingers and instructs him to take the Subtle Knife to Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, to use as a weapon against The Authority (the Church).
This book is currently my all time favourite book. It is exciting, adventurous and something that is so brilliant from cover to cover that you can't put it down. That is what happened to me but unfortunately, tiredness took over me once or twice and I did put it down but I would read it for around 3 or 4 hours a night for about 3/ 4 days.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Sinister as you like, 7 Feb 2003
When the three parts of a trilogy form such a unity as in His Dark Materials it is perhaps a bit rash to compare them too closely but, like Star Wars, the middle is the best. Although perhaps lacking some of the darkness and sheer imaginative verve of the Amber Spyglass The Subtle Knife still delivers more overall. This is the most sinister book of the three and the most satisfying. The canvass is much more expansive then the Northern Lights but does not yet lose it self somewhat in the infinite splendour of the last book. This is also our first introduction to Will, who provides an excellent foil for Lyra and is a wholly darker and more complex character. It is through Will and his discovery of the eponymous knife that the plot takes shape and that all the ideas of the whole trilogy finally come to be hung. The fact that Pullman's big ideas are still subsumed and mysterious also sets this book above its successor. The section in the Torre degli Angeli is the most gloriously sinister of the trilogy. The hatred of the children Paulo and Angelica, though almost incidental to the plot, gives a real bite to the central section of the book that is more disturbing then the metaphysical terrors of the Amber Spyglass. Like Empire Strikes Back though the end is necessarily weak. I was lucky enough to have the next volume to hand and so could just plough straight on. Otherwise this leaves you hanging in mid air with many loose threads still flapping around. That said there is a denouement of sorts when Will finally meets his father, again just like Empire, but that doesn't go all together as expected.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Well, come on, part 2 yeah?, 22 Aug 2007
The first point I have to make about this book is that if after reading the fisrt part to the His Dark Materials trilogy you need any convincing to buy the second part then you've been skipping pages somewhere. After the first installment fans will be annoyed (read tantalised) by the introduction of the new character Will. Whilst burning to learn what's happening to Lyra you find yourself sucked into the world of this new character, our world. This starts the opening out of the entire story into multiple worlds. The introduction of the present day Oxford brings about a strange feeling of unfamiliarity (is that a word?) with our own world which strangely gives some kind of anchor for the rest of the series. This book is where the story changes from one girls fantasical journey to something else.
In this novel the conflict between good and evil, the role of friendship, belief and religious doctrine begin to come satisfylingly together to form not only thoughtful comment on the world as it is, but a bloody good story as well. The character of Will brings a silent strength to Lyra's gobby bravery. The duet is formed for the final book and after any initial apprehension about the new character, a few chapters will have you loving Will just as much as Lyra.
After reading The Subtle Knife you will see Northern Lights as a launching pad for something much more. Of course the starting novel of the trilogy is a great book in itself, but it quite properly saves its greatest ideas for subsequent volumes. The tension increases, the ideas grow and the new characters shine.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful reading adventure, 20 Oct 2006
First of all, I'd like to say -- I ADORE Philip Pullman!! He is one of the best authors, especially when it comes to children's books....
Lyra has crossed the bridge leading to another world. She comes to Citagazze, a strange place where 'Specters' keep the adult inhabitants in constant fear of having the pleasure of life and your soul "eaten"
It is also about Will, with his scared beloved mother, and about his father, who has disappeared. Strange men searches for a map Will knows about, but hasn't found yet (it is hidden in his house) But when he does, he must flee. He meets Lyra in Citagazze, and they become companions.
In this new adventure about Lyra, and about Will, and about Dust, many new -- and old -- characters are involved. It is about Lord Asriel's war against The Athority - God - and about Mrs Coulter's many sides. But mostly, about Lyra and her adventures. I promise, this book, the whole trilogy, is many times WORTH its awards. Undoubtadly, this is the best book ever written suited for children.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
This is just as good, if not better than Northern Lights!, 23 Sep 2001
By A Customer
When I finished the prequel to this book, I knew that I must get this. I hoped that this would be as good as "Northern Lights". I was not let down. The end of Northern Lights finished at a real cliff-hanger... The book begins with an unknown character to us, Will taking his mother to see a neibour. Will as you will notice lives in a very different world to Lyra's. One that I think we will all be familyar with. Soon Will climbs trough a magic window and is taken to a different world... Soon he meets up with Lyra Silvertounge a girl with a destiny. Lyra is amazed when she steps into the Oxford that she doesnt know, and is amazed by all the cars and lorrys. They are soon launched into a thrilling quest against good and evil, and discover the mystery of the legendery subtle life. Like its prequel this ends at a real cliff hanger, but to find out what that cliff hanger is..... You will have to read the book yourself. This is why I award this astonishing book 5 stars.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Amazon Home
