by The WandererAuthor: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk
Series: His Dark Materials Book Two
Pages: 341
Pages: 341
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(Contains spoilers for the Golden Compass).
His Dark Materials continues shortly after the concluding events of the Golden Compass. Like the Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife continues the overarching inverted Adam and Eve metaphor that dominated the plot of the first book.
New characters and new worlds dominate this sequel, all of them welcome additions that help to advance the story. Perhaps one of the greatest parts of the book is the knife the book is named after, which is probably one of the greatest magical items ever put into a fantasy book.
Despite the new characters and magical items The Subtle Knife functions like your typical part two in a trilogy: the plot thickens, the stakes are raised, and great evil meets the main characters. The Subtle Knife is a great sequel that keeps the momentum from The Golden Compass running, however it does not surpass the quality of the first book.
