The Subtle Knife by Philip PullmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The barriers between realities are breaking down after the intense conclusion of Northern Nights. The Subtle Knife pays close attention to Will, a human boy from our own reality who meets Lyra in another altogether after finding a window in the fabric of space that he is able to cross. Their role in events to come is more important than anyone first thought, and their fates are joined as Lyra, led by the Alethiometer tries to find more about dust by visiting scientist Doctor Malone in our universe, she is instructed to help Will find his father, a polar explorer who went missing when Will was very young.
There are dark forces at work however, and Lyra has the Alethiometer stolen. The only way to retrieve it is to make a trade for the most powerful weapon in all realities. The Subtle Knife.
All the while, the characters Pullman has established so well in the first book are back navigating the confusing arrival of different realities, in an effort to do what they can to aid Lyra in her quest. The lines between good and evil are blurred, and the true enemy difficult to discern. We see little of Iorek, but The Witches and Lee Scorseby both carry out their own quests to aid Lyra in hers, and though the characters, enemies and plots do tend to cross over with much dramatic irony at times, I never felt confused when reading this second entry to the Dark Materials trilogy.
It's just as well told as the first - mythical beings, daemons and characters all described in beautiful detail. The tension that builds in circumstances climaxing in genuinely nail biting battles where the outcome never feels a given.
One again, we end on an epic cliff hanger and I really can't wait to get stuck into the third entry. I can't recommend this series more highly for fantasy fans young and old.
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