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A review by stridette
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
2.0
Middle books in trilogies often feel incomplete, but I can't remember ever reading one that felt quite this abrupt. It ended on a natural cliffhanger-y note, but somehow I didn't see it coming and I was shocked when I realised that was it.
Which suggests that I was eager or even desperate for more. Which is, unfortunately, not true.
It's not like I disliked this book. I liked Will, I liked the Baby's First Dark Tower vibes, I liked that it built on the original book in a way that was clearly deliberate and planned, I liked the themes. I missed the world of the first book but I enjoyed seeing Lyra function in this one.
The problem was basically just the story.
I can absolutely see now why I had forgotten just about everything about this second book. It just wasn't interesting at any point. I think my favourite section might have been an unpopular one - in which Lyra learns about dark matter and the kids rescue the alethiometer - and I think I mostly liked it because of all the Lyra, whom I had missed. There was hardly another memorable moment for me in the whole book, except maybe the bizarre death towards the end, or the even more bizarre and weirdly gross scene of a daemon getting molested. Those kinds of things are honestly what Pullman does best, if you ask me. This book didn't have enough of his off-kilter, gory inappropriateness. It felt bland.
I remember a tiny bit more of the next book, so hopefully that means things will improve from here.
Which suggests that I was eager or even desperate for more. Which is, unfortunately, not true.
It's not like I disliked this book. I liked Will, I liked the Baby's First Dark Tower vibes, I liked that it built on the original book in a way that was clearly deliberate and planned, I liked the themes. I missed the world of the first book but I enjoyed seeing Lyra function in this one.
The problem was basically just the story.
I can absolutely see now why I had forgotten just about everything about this second book. It just wasn't interesting at any point. I think my favourite section might have been an unpopular one - in which Lyra learns about dark matter and the kids rescue the alethiometer - and I think I mostly liked it because of all the Lyra, whom I had missed. There was hardly another memorable moment for me in the whole book, except maybe the bizarre death towards the end, or the even more bizarre and weirdly gross scene of a daemon getting molested. Those kinds of things are honestly what Pullman does best, if you ask me. This book didn't have enough of his off-kilter, gory inappropriateness. It felt bland.
I remember a tiny bit more of the next book, so hopefully that means things will improve from here.