Book # 62 His Dark Materials Book 2: The Subtle Knife

Progress Book # 18.66 of 100

At the end of The Golden Compass Lrya goes through the portal Lord Asriel has opened into different worlds.  This book opens to a different world that is basically like our world and a new character a little boy named Will.  We are introduced to Will as he is taking his mother to an old friend to hide her from some bad people looking for them.  Once that is done, Will returns to his home and gets his father’s journal.  His father disappeared shortly after Will was born and Will knows he has to figure out what happened so he can save his mother and escape from the men who are looking for him.  While on the run Will notices something strange in the air and discovers a portal to another world called Cittàgazze.  In Cittàgazze Will meets the wandering Lyra.  After an edgy meeting Will shows Lyra how to cook and they start to become friends.  Lyra’s alethiometer tells her she must help Will find his father and their adventure together begins.

Will brings Lyra back to his world where she meets a scholar Dr. Mary Malone and learns that in Will’s world people are studying dust too.  In Will’s world the alethiometer is stolen by Lord Boreal and held for ransom, he will only return the alethiometer if Will and Lyra steal a knife in Cittàgazze.  When they steal the knife Will becomes the next owner and looses two fingers.  They learn that this knife will open portals to other worlds and his severed hand can close the open portals.  With the knife Will and Lyra steal back the alethiometer and go back to Cittàgazze and their adventure continues.

While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t think it was as good as the first novel of the series.  The religious viewpoints become more dominate in this story.  At one point Dr. Mary learns that Lyra is the next Eve and the whole of humanity in all the different worlds will depend on her.  Dr. Mary herself will be the serpent tempting Lyra.  I enjoyed the adventure of the first book and felt that this one was missing a lot of action.  They kept moving back and forth between worlds, but it just seemed like a slower read.  I did enjoy seeing the return of cowboy Lee Scoresby and the witch Serafina and wished they were more in the book. 

I’ll give this book a B 87%