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    The Subtle Knife
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    The Subtle Knife
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    The Subtle Knife
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Subtle Knife

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    Narrated by Full Cast

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    ***** THE BOOK OF DUST, the long-awaited new novel from Philip Pullman set in the world of His Dark Materials, has been hailed by the New York Times as “A stunning achievement”*****

    The spellbinding sequel to The Golden Compass, the modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” and Newsweek hailed as a “Top 100 Book of All Time,” continues the epic adventure, catapulting readers between worlds, and toward a devastating discovery.

    Lost in a new world, Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.

    Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, their destinies are bound together…until they are split apart.

    A #1 New York Times Bestseller
    Published in 40 Countries

    “Just as quick-moving and unputdownable as The Golden Compass. . . . The mysteries deepen and the wonders grow even more extravagant.” —The Washington Post

    “Pullman’s imagination soars . . . A literary rollercoaster ride you won’t want to miss.”—The Boston Globe

    “The story gallops with ferocious momentum . . . Devilishly inventive.” —The New York Times Book Review
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 23, 2003
    ISBN9781400085682
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Subtle Knife

    4/5

    7,149 ratings268 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I really like these! Especially, of course, the abundance of animals/daemons (Will and his love of cats! So adorable!). Can't wait to read the third one. Wish I had known about these when they came out; I would've loved them when I was in my teens.

      I hear the movie of the first book sucks, so I won't be seeing it, but I think these books would make a really excellent Hayao Miyazaki anime. It's got the strong female protagonist, lots of cute animals, and just... the feel of a lot of his stories. Compare these books to, say, Nausicaa or Princess Mononoke.
    • 4/5
      The second part of His Dark Materials introduces multiple universes, and Will, a boy from our world. He enters an alternate universe by accident and meets Lyra, and on the run from various enemies, they discover that their fates are intertwined. Here, Pullman's inspiration "Paradise Lost" becomes more obvious as the worlds are preparing for a war either for or against 'The Authority'. It has lots of action and deaths of important characters. Looking forward to the final book to see how it is all resolved.
    • 5/5
      I think for me, this book was the best of the trilogy. It was more involved than the first part, which really was scene-setting, and introduced the characters of Will and Mary.This part of the story was fairly easy to follow, but I would imagine for a young adult it presented some fairly challenging reading at times. The writing was clear and concise and flowed nicely from the first part.
    • 4/5
      The second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, The Subtle Knife starts off on our world, with Will trying to find a place to keep his mother safe. Eventually Will meets up with Lyra, and learns that his destiny is linked with hers. They travel back and forth between his world and another parallel world, running from enemies everywhere. It ends in a cliffhanger, and I'm definitely interested in what happens to Will and Lyra. Knowing this has been marketed to a YA audience, I was a bit surprised with some of the disturbing imagery and plot turns.
    • 4/5
      In The Golden Compass Pullman introduced his readers to the possibility of more than one universe. He hinted there were actually three - the one we were in currently, a completely different universe and a third being a combination of the two. In The Subtle Knife we experience those different worlds first hand as Lyra and her new friend, Will Parry, move between them to escape their enemies. In The Golden Compass readers were also introduced to daemons. Now, we learn that people without daemons are without free will. They lack fear and imagination so they make perfect soldiers for the evil Mrs. Coulter. In addition to Mrs. Coulter, the otherworld of Cittagazze hides other enemies. Soul-eating Specters haunt the streets while children run wild without daemons or parents and rule Lord-of-the-Flies style. As Lyra and Will travel from world to world they discover the Subtle Knife, a blade that can cut through anything. It's power has yet to be fully understood
    • 4/5
      In book 2 His Dark Materials we meet 12 yr old Will who cares for his unwell mother and whose father,who was an explorer, disappeared when he was a baby. Now someone was after them, and when Will fears he may have killed the intruder he leaves his mother in the care of his teacher and goes in search of his father. While fleeing he stumbles across an opening into another universe and it is here he finds Lyra and is granted the gift of the subtle knife. Together they go looking for Wills father and Lyra's father Lord Asrial . They find they have a common link in the search for the meaning of Dust. More adventures while trying to stay away from people who are trying to harm them. Good reading.
    • 5/5
      I was surprised how Kassie kept interested. She thinks the knife itself is cool.
    • 5/5
      I'm rereading this amazing series and enjoying it more the second time around. Like the title, there are some subtle themes running through this series -- religion, good vs. evil and free choice. The audiobook is especially well done and very fun. Although there are so many amazing YA fantasy series, this one is special and should not be missed. Definitely one that will also appeal to adults.
    • 3/5
      Volume 2 of this series is a pleasant read. The writing is good, although the characters are a bit stilted and predictable. This volume, especially towards the ends, may begin to merit the claim that it's anti-Christian. I say "may" as it's still a fantasy novel, set in a fantasy universe, with some connection to a universe that may be our world. We'll have to see what happens in the final volume to really say.

      I'm very glad I'm listening to this, instead of reading it. I don't think it would really hold me attention if I couldn't do something else with my hands.

      The series is like a mirror twin of the Chronicles of Narnia, although I seem to recall Mr. Lewis's writing was a bit more engaging. I am interesting in the world building Mr. Pullman's done here, and exactly what he may end up saying about humanity and religion.

      And is it just me, or does Lee Scoresby seem a lot like Quincey Morris, from Dracula?
    • 4/5
      I finally decided that if I were going to read the rest of the trilogy, I should really do so before I forgot everything about the first book. (I am normally very resistant to series.) Only to be dropped right into a new world with new rules. It was a little frustrating for a bit, wanting a continuation of the first story, having nearly all the trappings of the first book stripped away and needing time to invest in the new characters and stories. For a while I didn't like this book nearly as much as the first one, but over time it won me over. I enjoyed getting to read more about the witches, and about Lee. The knife itself is fascinating.I think if I were rating this book as a stand-alone, the rating would be much lower, but it maintained enough momentum to plunge me right into the next one, which I did.
    • 2/5
      Not as good as he 1st one.
    • 4/5
      Still love this series!
    • 3/5
      Strange men have been harassing Will Parry's mother for years about his missing father, even going so far as to break into their house searching for documents! Will knows he must keep his mother safe entrusts her care with a friend. Then Will flees from the men and begins a frantic quest to find his father. Just as he's getting started Will stumbles through an unseen window and into another world inhabited only by wild children telling stories of "specters" that have chased away all the adults. It is here that Will meets a young girl named Lyra Silvertongue. Quickly it becomes apparent that her and Will's meeting is no accident and that both their fates will be tied to something called the Subtle Knife.The Subtle Knife is the second in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. It felt a little like starting over with a whole new protagonist and the story being told primarily from Will's point of view. Lyra and Pan are definitely important and have some great moments. This is just more Will's story than Lyra's. Similar to the first book it wasn't until about half way through again that I felt really engaged in their adventure.I ended up liking Will & Lyra as a team. Their introduction was funny and awkward, just as it should be. Once they grow to trust each other Will provides a good balance to Lyra and helps her character grow into a more mature direction. I found it interesting when Pan takes it upon himself to comfort Will in his time of need because will didn't have his own daemon even though this is something strictly not done. Makes me wish I had my own daemon even more.The religious overtones are starting to show and it sticks out badly from what is otherwise fast paced, if a bit dark, adventure. I'm still not sure I have made the correct connection between Dust, the specters and consciousness. Maybe I'm overthinking it? Hopefully it becomes clearer in the third book. It also felt kind of weird to suddenly throw angels into the mix along with the Adam/Eve myth and what appears to be a literal attack on The Authority (aka God). I'm definitely getting an idea as to why this series caused so much controversy. The book ends on quite a cliff hanger that is obviously a set up for the final book. I feel invested enough at this point that I want to see how it all ends.
    • 4/5
      The second installment in the His Dark Materials series, The Subtle Knife follows protagonist Lyra Silvertongue on her way to find out the truth about dust, a mysterious substance that seems to control many aspects of life in Lyra's world. Will Parry, a boy from another world, sets out to find his father. Then their paths cross and they discover that there are multiple worlds. Both know their way around Oxford, for example, but their versions of Oxford are somewhat different. To travel between the worlds, one has to find almost invisible doors in the air that serve as portals. In their quest, Lyra's alethiometer, a dust-powered instrument that tells her the truth about everything, is stolen. Confronting the thief, Lyra and Will are offered a deal to bring him the subtle knife, a knife that can cut through every material known to man. What is more, this knife can also be used to open doors into other worlds and the bearer of this knife has control over opening and closing those portals. In the meantime, Lord Asriel gathers troops to fight the authority. In the end, several plotlines converge and leave the reader with an outlook on what could happen in the third novel of the series.I liked The Subtle Knife better than The Golden Compass as it was more fast-paced and seemed to be more mature than the first novel in the series. I kept turning pages in order to see what would eventually happen to Lyra and her world, but in the end I was a little disappointed by the open ending that leaves the most interesting questions unanswered. On the whole, 3.5 stars.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy the continuation where the scale gets grander and the rhetoric is ramped up (maybe a little heavy at times).
    • 2/5
      All promises of the 1st book are ruined in the 2nd. The author have fallen for same flaws he thought of being fighting.
    • 3/5
      Easy to read.
    • 4/5
      The Subtle Knife was one of my favourite books as a teen (although I haven't read it in well over a decade) and it still largely stands the test of time. For a children's novel, it is hugely ambitious. It raises some deep theological concepts, ranging from the nature of innocence to the problems of organised religion to the perception of reality. It should possibly be noted that, despite the accessible way in which this novel is written, a lot of the subtext is likely to go whizzing over the head of younger readers.The story has escalated rapidly from Northern Lights, as Lyra unknowingly finds herself sandwiched between two factions - the Magisterium in their crusade against Dust, and Lord Asriel who has now set his sights on destroying the being that they worship (known as the Authority). The result is deeply original, yet still felt as though it was lacking something fundamental. I think the main problem is that Pullman's ideas are far too grand for this novel. The Subtle Knife is a bit of a smorgasbord - it contains a bit of everything but its scope is so broad that it lacks finer detail. We see glimpses of the bigger picture - of Lord Asriel's fortress and Mrs Coulter's ever growing greed - but there isn't enough room in the novel to really focus on any aspect.In this, The Subtle Knife is a bit of a middle-novel. It really exists to move the key characters into the places that they need to be for The Amber Spyglass. It's not a bad novel by any means - in fact, I think it's better paced than Northern Lights - however, the perspective does jump around a lot between important parties. It's not just Lyra's story anymore. Will, Mary Malone, Lee Scoresby and Serafina Pekkala also are the focus of chapters and so the 3rd person narrative flits between them and the various worlds that they travel to. The novel also ends on a very sudden cliffhanger, leaving it feeling incomplete as a whole.Yet where The Subtle Knife really grabbed me was its characters. I cared about all of them deeply and never wanted any of them to come to any harm (which is unfortunate, as Pullman has no trouble tearing out my heart and crushing it). Although Will and Lyra often seem older than pre-teens, they are still both really likeable protagonists and showed noticeable growth and maturity throughout the story. The twists and turns in their destiny are also compelling, drawing the reader in and leaving you wondering how things can possibly turn out okay in The Amber Spyglass.All in all, this is not a perfect read but is a strong sequel to Northern Lights. I really look forward to seeing how it all wraps up in the final book.
    • 3/5
      Lyra finds Will, a boy from our universe, in Cittàgazze, a universe ravaged by soul-sucking Specters. There's more mythic journey stuff — sacrifice, fighting and finally knowing one's father, and an epic gathering battle across universes.Most of The Subtle Knife operates at about the level of Dogma (the movie) — if you have the basic Biblical story in mind you can follow it. Toward the end, however, I start to feel as if my high school myth and bible class isn't quite enough preparation to understand all the references.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book even more than the first. The action is fast paced and you tend to find out more bits and pieces of the story instead of just vague foreshadowing. I also like the character of Will a lot and found him a necessary counterpart to Lyra. I wish he would have been introduced in the first book though I’m not sure how.
    • 4/5
      This series is definitely dark. There are a lot of dark themes weaved into the plot which twists and turns unrelentingly. I can see how the book is unsettling to some people, much more than The Golden Compass. I'm sure my imagination is only scratching the surface of where the next book will end up.
    • 5/5
      I loved the book, and for a full cast (of which I'm not at all fond), this is well made. I absolutely hated the OVER LOUD music they put between chapters, which always caught me by surprise and made my eardrums bleed.
    • 3/5
      The second volume of His Dark Materials, and continues the fun of the first volume.Designated by some as teen fiction, the key protagonists are 12 years old (or thereabouts). The book still works well for adult readers and I am enjoying the ride. One sub-plot is the fight against an evil establishment church - not something you would expect in a book for younger readers, but something that raises no problems for me.
    • 3/5
      Looses a bit of the charm from the original since it expands the story and takes us other places that I don't find so enchanting. Pullman's worldview also shines through a lot more which can get in your face at times but not enough to stop me from wondering what Lyra will get up to next. The end is a killer cliffhanger though, not as self contained as the original and it's practically forcing me to read the (hopefully) last book.
    • 4/5
      Didn't like it quite as much as the first. Felt like there was more philosophy and exposition. The book didn't move as quickly as the first book.
    • 4/5
      Read my full review here.

      In this installation of the series, Pullman takes us jumping from world to world, and this introduces new and exciting things. For example, we meet Dr. Mary Malone, a character who is dedicated to learning about Shadows - otherwise known as Dust. Also, Will is introduced. The book begins by following him and we get to see how traumatic his life has been. He has been caring for a mother that seems mentally unstable. He seems like a tormented person yet he’s cold when he meets Lyra. To him, she seems immature. Yet to the two children bond based on what they go through together. They become each other’s support, in a way.

      The narration of this novel follows a different character in each chapter. This gives readers a better sense of past and new characters. My favourite chapters to read are those that follow Lee Scoresby and, of course, Lyra and Pan. Those characters are extremely complex and well-written. Scoresby and Lyra have a special bond and that is more apparent in this installation. In this sense, I feel that Scoresby is a central character to Lyra. Lyra is, of course, still amazing. She may come across as immature at times but she can be extremely mature.

      Of course, there is a fair share of drama and tragedy within the novel. For instance, Lee Scoresby is killed. Now, this made me angry because Pullman just set him up as an important character, and then killed him off. I can’t see how this particular event will benefit the overall plot of the book series, so for now it doesn't sit right with me.

      Overall, The Subtle Knife>/i> was well-written. This novel was so easy to slip into. I kept wanting to read more chapters which is something a book should always make me feel.
    • 4/5
      Building upon Northern Lights, this novel successfully develops the story of Lyra, creating more complex fictional worlds and introducing interesting new characters, whilst maintaining the overall story arc.Difficult moral decisions are taken, there is violence, pain and death, which all work as integral to the story.It also becomes clear that the heroes are in a fight against organised religion, but this is subsumed within the storytelling.A good read.
    • 2/5
      Hopefully the third book reveals that all the 'chance' encounters and perfect timing are part of some sort of world spanning coincidence engine. I'm not sure the third book can bring this in for a landing.
    • 1/5
      I suffered my way through this trilogy as it was "The greatest thing" and concluded that it was only deemed such as the Literati never deign to read Sci-Fi and so thought he dreamt up all the stuff he just re-hashed.
    • 4/5
      Compulsively readable. I did it in one setting when I should have been doing my maths homework. I liked the way the witches make themselves invisible; similar to the method used by Pratchett's witches. You find out a lot more about what's going on. I'm looking forward to the final volume and hope it doesn't descend into silliness.