Reviews

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

hueofgray's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I think this book really suffers the dreaded middle book syndrome. It’s just so much less engaging as a whole. To clarify it’s  still a good book. It got me closer to tears than that last one if that’s worth anything. But it’s just comparatively less engaging than the last. Which is such a bummer as I remember this being my favourite. But bonus points though for introducing Will and Mary I really like those two.

pizzaslut's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

krichardson's review against another edition

2.0

In some ways this was better than the first one, but I think it made me realize what my problem was with the first one too. Will is a more interesting protagonist in my opinion because his voice is just a little bit older than Lyra's. Other than Will and Lyra, the characters seem to make arbitrary yet very firm decisions whether they're going to be entirely evil or entirely good. The good ones can have one conversation with a protagonist and suddenly decide they're willing to die for Will and/or Lyra. It creates several deus ex machina situations where someone powerful they just met saves the day in an unsatisfying manner. We also still have no understanding of the motivation of the evil ones. The addition of biblical lore missed the mark for me too, but that's just a personal preference.

swisswinnie's review against another edition

1.0

Really had to force myself to finish this. I felt like the whole book could've been summarized into one paragraph containing the relevant plot points.

Such a shame - the first book laid the foundation for such a fantastic story....

lucycoates13's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

faszkka's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

hendriati's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

the_red_one's review against another edition

adventurous sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

icelore's review against another edition

4.0

I have to admit, I liked this book much better then the first one. The plot line seemed to flow better, with much less jumping around. It was very engaging, and we really got a great feel for the overall story arc. Some characters I'm still questioning, but I believe that is the author's intent, but that adds to the momentum. Quite pleased, and I'm very happy that I have the third book available - talk about a cliff hanger!

antonella24's review against another edition

3.0

Ho fatto davvero fatica a leggere questo secondo capitolo della storia perché davvero noioso e prolisso nelle descrizioni di ambienti e fatti insignificanti. Non mi è piaciuto il ruolo assegnato a Lyra dall'autore infatti vedere una bambina furba, coraggiosa e intelligente sottomettersi a Will , il maschio alfa, è stato un pugno nello stomaco. Mi è piaciuto Will come personaggio un bambino costretto a crescere troppo in fretta a causa della malattia della madre e dell'assenza del padre ma non ho apprezzato il ruolo secondario assegnato a Lyra. Buona l'introduzione della lama sottile , dell'esistenza di altri mondi, degli spettri, di Cittagazze mancano invece molti personaggi che avevamo conosciuto nel primo libro. Facciamo la conoscenza di un nuovo personaggio la scienziata Mary Malone che studia anche lei la polvere e avra' un ruolo nel successivo romanzo. Mi hanno infastidito gli attacchi ingiustificati alla chiesa infatti, possibile che tutta la chiesa sia corrotta? Che fine hanno fatto i santi? Religiosi buoni come Don Bosco o Madre Teresa non esistono nell'universo creato da Pullman e persino l'Autorita' Dio è vista in maniera negativa. Un Dio assente indifferente all'uomo, negatore della libertà per asservire l'uomo. Lord Asriel vuole sfidare, combattere ed eliminare non solo la chiesa, ma addirittura l’Autorità. E nessuno dei suoi seguaci si pone una domanda, nessuno ha il minimo dubbio. Oltretutto perchè seguendo il filo logico di Pullman il Magisterium non perseguita le streghe o gli orsi ma solo Lyra e i suoi simili? Deludente questo capitolo.