The Subtle Knife
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

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Random House Children's Books , 2001.
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Available from Libby/OverDrive

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Description

The questions, discussion topics, and author information that follow are intended to enhance your group's reading of The Subtle Knife . The Subtle Knife is Book Two of Philip Pullman's trilogy 'His Dark Materials'. In Book One, The Golden Compass, young Lyra Belacqua journeys through 'a universe like ours but different in many ways.' The most striking difference between Lyra's world and ours is the existence of daemons. These spirit-creatures, physical manifestations of the human soul, can change shape until their human companions reach adolescence. Then each daemon settles into the animal form that best reflects the inner nature of its human counterpart. In The Golden Compass, Lyra discovers that her mother, Mrs. Coulter, is conducting experiments in which children are severed from their daemons, turning them into emotionless, almost inhuman beings. Mrs. Coulter and her colleagues are doing this to learn more about a substance called 'Dust, ' which seems to accumulate on humans when they reach maturity. While many fear Dust, both Mrs. Coulter and Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, see it as the source of great power. The Golden Compass concludes with Lord Asriel harnessing the power of Dust to create an opening in the atmosphere of his world, forging a bridge to another universe. This he fearlessly crosses, leaving Mrs. Coulter behind. Lyra perceives that Dust is good and vows to discover its secrets with the help of her 'golden compass', or alethiometer, a truth-seeking device. And so Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, follow Lord Asriel into the other world. The Subtle Knife begins in our own world, where Will Parry, driven by curiosity about his mysterious, missing father and concern for his vulnerable, disturbed mother, accidentally kills an intruder. While fleeing, he finds a 'window' into a sunlit otherworld. What could be a better refuge than a hidden universe? But this universe is a strange, empty place: a city that seems to have been abandoned in such haste that food is left rotting on plates at a sidewalk cafe. The inhabitants of the city, Cittágazze, have fled from the invading Specters, ghostlike creatures that devour the souls of adults. But Specters are harmless and invisible to children, and soon Will meets another fugitive child in Cittágazze: Lyra. Although he does not know it, their lives are soon to become forever intertwined when Lyra's alethiometer gives her one simple command: Help Will find his father. The richly imagined world of Book One seems almost quiet and simple when compared to the turmoil of Book Two. Here 'Dust' is called 'dark matter' and has been joined by a myriad of other complex phenomena, including the Specters and bene elim (angels). One protagonist has been replaced by two, Lyra and Will. Most significant of all, Lyra's truth-giving compass seems to pale in comparison to the power of Will's new acquisition, the subtle knife, the Æsahættr, the knife that will cut ANYTHING. What can it mean to be the bearer of such an instrument?

More Details

Format
eBook, Kindle
Street Date
11/13/2001
Language
English
ISBN
9780440418610

Discover More

Also in this Series

  • The golden compass (His dark materials Volume 1) Cover
  • The subtle knife (His dark materials Volume 2) Cover
  • The amber spyglass (His dark materials Volume 3) Cover
  • Lyra's Oxford (His dark materials Volume ) Cover
  • Once upon a time in the North (His dark materials Volume Prequel) Cover
  • Serpentine (His dark materials Volume ) Cover
  • The Collectors (His dark materials Volume ) Cover

Other Editions and Formats

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
While their settings are quite different, both of these fantasy series will please fans of elaborate world-building, exciting action, and characters who are initially unaware of their true identities. -- Ellen Foreman
Though the Old Kingdom series has a more traditional high fantasy tone than His Dark Materials, both series will please readers looking for richly imaginative world-building, intriguing companions who take animal forms, and powerful heroines caught in complex conflicts. -- Rebecca Honeycutt
Resourceful, determined heroines on journeys to battle dangerous science secrets (Frances) and mysterious dust (Dark Materials) will engross readers drawn to fast-paced, suspenseful series with intriguing characters. Dark Materials is set in a fantastical world while Frances is an adventure. -- Kathy Stewart
In each of these complex, immersive trilogies, an unusual object kick-starts a quest through a steampunk-infused alternate version of our world. Both series star spirited, intrepid heroines. -- Rebecca Honeycutt
These series have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the theme "chosen one"; the genre "fantasy fiction"; and the subjects "quests" and "magic."
These series have the appeal factors richly detailed, world-building, and atmospheric, and they have the genres "fantasy fiction" and "classics"; and the subjects "quests," "magic," and "witches."
These series have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the genre "fantasy fiction"; and the subjects "quests," "magic," and "wizards."
These series have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the theme "to the rescue!"; the genre "fantasy fiction"; and the subjects "quests," "magic," and "witches."
These series have the appeal factors action-packed and richly detailed, and they have the theme "to the rescue!"; the genre "epic fantasy"; and the subjects "quests," "magic," and "kidnapping."
These series have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the themes "chosen one" and "dark lord"; the genres "fantasy fiction" and "classics"; and the subjects "quests," "magic," and "witches."
These series have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the genres "fantasy fiction" and "epic fantasy"; and the subject "magic."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the theme "quest for magical items"; the genres "steampunk" and "historical fantasy"; and the subjects "familiars (spirits)," "quests," and "twelve-year-old boys."
These books have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the theme "quest for magical items"; the genre "epic fantasy"; the subjects "quests," "preteen girls," and "imaginary creatures"; and characters that are "spirited characters."
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NoveList recommends "Mapmakers trilogy" for fans of "His dark materials". Check out the first book in the series.
The naming: the first book of Pellinor - Croggon, Alison
These books have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the themes "quest for magical items," "chosen one," and "dark lord"; the genre "epic fantasy"; and the subjects "quests" and "parallel universes."
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NoveList recommends "Ingo chronicles" for fans of "His dark materials". Check out the first book in the series.
These books have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the theme "quest for magical items"; and the subjects "familiars (spirits)," "twelve-year-old boys," and "child heroes."
These books have the themes "seeking lost parents," "quest for magical items," and "to the rescue!"; and the subjects "quests" and "witches."
NoveList recommends "Old Kingdom" for fans of "His dark materials". Check out the first book in the series.
The girl who circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making - Valente, Catherynne M.
These books have the theme "quest for magical items"; the genre "gateway fantasy"; and the subjects "quests," "parallel universes," and "preteen girls."
NoveList recommends "Frances and the monsters" for fans of "His dark materials". Check out the first book in the series.

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Both Rick Riordan and Philip Pullman write clever, engaging fantasy fiction for older kids. These authors weave humor and suspense into action-packed plots to create attention-grabbing stories. Many of the authors' books are informed by historical periods (Ancient Greece or Victorian England, respectively). -- NoveList Contributor
These authors' works have the genres "classics" and "humorous stories"; and the subjects "child kidnapping victims," "witches," and "orphans."
These authors' works have the appeal factors world-building, and they have the genres "steampunk" and "historical fantasy"; and the subjects "quests," "transformations (magic)," and "witches."
These authors' works have the genres "steampunk" and "historical fantasy"; and the subjects "quests" and "parallel universes."
These authors' works have the genre "fantasy fiction"; and the subjects "magic," "witches," and "orphans."
These authors' works have the genres "steampunk" and "historical fantasy"; and the subjects "witches," "parent-separated children," and "london, england history."
These authors' works have the genre "steampunk"; and the subjects "child kidnapping victims," "witches," and "orphans."
These authors' works have the genre "fantasy fiction"; and the subjects "magic," "witches," and "orphans."
These authors' works have the genres "steampunk" and "fairy tale and folklore-inspired fiction"; and the subjects "transformations (magic)," "witches," and "human experimentation in medicine."
These authors' works have the genre "gateway fantasy"; and the subjects "quests," "parallel universes," and "parent-separated children."
These authors' works have the appeal factors funny, and they have the genres "fantasy fiction" and "steampunk"; and the subjects "witches," "good and evil," and "shapeshifting."
These authors' works have the genres "steampunk" and "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "child kidnapping victims," "missing persons," and "kidnapping."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Gr. 7^-12. This resoundingly successful sequel to The Golden Compass, Booklist's Top of the List in Youth Fiction for 1996, continues the epic adventure, as young Will, who becomes a warrior and the bearer of the subtle knife, joins forces with Lyra. A Booklist Editors' Choice '97.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

More than fulfilling the promise of The Golden Compass, this second volume in the His Dark Materials trilogy starts off at a heart-thumping pace and never slows down. On the run after inadvertently killing one of the sinister men who have been stalking his emotionally disturbed mother, Will, 12, hitchhikes to Oxford to seek information about his father, an explorer who vanished in the Arctic over a decade ago. As Will searches for a place to sleep, he stumbles upon Cittàgazze‘a deserted city in another world‘accessible via a sort of magic gateway located (in one of the story's many witty mixes of the banal and the unearthly) near an ordinary traffic circle. Crossing into this peculiar place, Will encounters Lyra (heroine of the previous book), who has left her own world to find out what she can about the mysterious substance called Dust. Will and Lyra (and Lyra's daemon) join forces and travel between worlds, performing a mind-boggling multidimensional burglary, uncovering the ugly secrets of Cittàgazze and gaining hold of an ancient and powerful weapon (the "subtle knife" of the title). Adding to the suspense are subplots involving Lyra's former companion, the Texan balloonist Lee Scoresby; the evil but beautiful Mrs. Coulter; the fierce Northern witch clans; and the mysterious Dr. Stanislaus Grumman. As in Golden Compass, the Arctic settings prove a strikingly original fantasy terrain. And where the first book hinted at a defective cosmology, this work develops that theme in terms of Judeo-Christian theology. Squeamish readers should beware: the narrative touches on such grisly topics as trepanning and genital mutilation. Nevertheless, the grandly exuberant storytelling is sure to enthrall. Ages 10-up. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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School Library Journal Review

Gr 5 Up‘A direct continuation of the epic fantasy begun in The Golden Compass (Knopf, 1996). Will Parry must find his father, who disappeared while exploring the far North. Mysterious strangers are hounding his mother for information about him. After Will accidentally kills one of them, he runs away, right through a window into another world. There he meets Lyra Silvertongue and her daemon, Pantalaimon, as well as travelers from yet another world. Lyra and her truth-telling alethiometer are soon enlisted in Will's quest, even as Lyra continues to seek the true nature of the mysterious Dust that is causing upheavals in her world. A desperate battle with inhabitants of the intermediate world brings Will the subtle knife, a magical totem of his own, which will protect Will and Lyra while bringing them closer to the end of this part of their quest. The action takes place in Will's world (which is also our own), as well as on Lyra's and the intermediate world. As in the first book, the stakes are high and the action is rapid and occasionally violent. The philosophical nature of the quest becomes clearer as various characters explain the possible relationships among Dust, the bridges between worlds, angels, supreme beings, and cosmic forces. This may be treading on dangerous ground for traditional religious thinkers‘the essential nature of the supreme being is not necessarily positive‘but high-fantasy enthusiasts will find much to follow and reflect on here. The Subtle Knife ends with even more of a cliff-hanger than The Golden Compass, and fans will eagerly await book three for the final resolution.‘Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Horn Book Review

Fiction: O In this second book of the trilogy (following [cf2]The Golden Compass[cf1]), the adventures of Lyra Belacqua continue, with the introduction of young Will Parry as a major protagonist. Although this volume is very much a book between the first and third, each of the players in this vast game is clear and distinct, and there is no doubt that the work is stunningly ambitious, original, and fascinating. Horn Rating: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration. Reviewed by: aaf (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

The powerful second installment in the His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy, which began with The Golden Compass (1996), continues the chronicling of Lyra Silvertongue's quest to find the origins of Dust--the very stuff of the universe. The first chapter is vintage Pullman: gorgeous imagery, pulse-pounding action, the baiting of readers' affections as they meet Will, 12, who is trying to protect his emotionally fragile mother and to locate his lost father, an explorer who vanished years before. Instead, Will finds a window into another world, where Lyra and her daemon have also tumbled. That world holds the talisman of the subtle knife, which can cut through anything, even the space between worlds. It wounds Will, but he is bound to it by a destiny neither he nor Lyra (nor readers) yet understand. The witches of Lyra's world, the scientists of Will's, the passionately evil Mrs. Coulter (Lyra's mother), and Lyra's champion Lee Scoresby seek the source of the disorder in the worlds and shimmering spaces that connect them. Angels that bless and Specters that eat the wills of adults appear; tantalizing glimpses of the past and future abound; the whole is presented in a rush of sensuous detail that moves and entrances. Pullman has so intricately woven the textures of the two books that the outlines of the first are clearly recapitulated in the second, making it possible to read this one alone. But as it, too, ends in a tremendous cliffhanger, most readers will seek out the first volume while they eagerly await the third. (First printing of 75,000; author tour) (Fiction. 12+)

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews

/*Starred Review*/ Gr. 7^-12. The epic adventure continues as the plot thickens in the second riveting book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, which began with the much heralded The Golden Compass, Booklist's Top of the List in youth fiction for 1996. This time, the story begins in our world with Will, a boy who escapes his pursuers by going through a window into another world, a world plagued by soul-sucking specters, where he encounters Lyra and her demon, Pantalaimon. The two youngsters join forces, moving between worlds searching for the mysterious phenomenon called Dust and for Will's long-lost father. By losing two fingers in a battle with a madman, Will becomes a warrior and the bearer of the subtle knife, a weapon that, like Lyra's truth-telling alethiometer, is a talisman as well, and, like Lyra, Will proves to be a pivotal figure in the looming battle for the universe. Often the middle book in a trilogy is the weakest; such is not the case here despite some incidences of awkward explanations inserted as asides or as part of the narrative. It's the character development as well as the relentless pace on several fronts--that of Will, Lyra, the witches, Will's father, and others--and a couple of gruesome incidents that make this a resoundingly successful sequel. The cliff-hanger of an ending will leave readers desperate for the next installment. ((Reviewed July 1997)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

More than fulfilling the promise of The Golden Compass, this second volume in the His Dark Materials trilogy starts off at a heart-thumping pace and never slows down. On the run after inadvertently killing one of the sinister men who have been stalking his emotionally disturbed mother, Will, 12, hitchhikes to Oxford to seek information about his father, an explorer who vanished in the Arctic over a decade ago. As Will searches for a place to sleep, he stumbles upon Cittàgazze a deserted city in another world accessible via a sort of magic gateway located (in one of the story's many witty mixes of the banal and the unearthly) near an ordinary traffic circle. Crossing into this peculiar place, Will encounters Lyra (heroine of the previous book), who has left her own world to find out what she can about the mysterious substance called Dust. Will and Lyra (and Lyra's daemon) join forces and travel between worlds, performing a mind-boggling multidimensional burglary, uncovering the ugly secrets of Cittàgazze and gaining hold of an ancient and powerful weapon (the "subtle knife" of the title). Adding to the suspense are subplots involving Lyra's former companion, the Texan balloonist Lee Scoresby; the evil but beautiful Mrs. Coulter; the fierce Northern witch clans; and the mysterious Dr. Stanislaus Grumman. As in Golden Compass, the Arctic settings prove a strikingly original fantasy terrain. And where the first book hinted at a defective cosmology, this work develops that theme in terms of Judeo-Christian theology. Squeamish readers should beware: the narrative touches on such grisly topics as trepanning and genital mutilation. Nevertheless, the grandly exuberant storytelling is sure to enthrall. Ages 10-up. (July) Copyright 1998 Publishers Weekly Reviews

Copyright 1998 Publishers Weekly Reviews
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy now appears in sophisticated trade paperback editions, each title embossed within a runic emblem of antiqued gold. The backdrop of The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials, Book I sports a midnight blue map of the cosmos with the zodiacal ram at its center. The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass carry similarly intriguing cover art, and all three titles offer details not seen in the originals: in Compass and Knife, for example, Pullman's stamp-size b&w art introduces each chapter; Spyglass chapters open with literary quotes from Blake, the Bible, Dickinson and more. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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School Library Journal Reviews

A direct continuation of the epic fantasy begun in The Golden Compass (Knopf, 1996). Will Parry must find his father, who disappeared while exploring the far North. Mysterious strangers are hounding his mother for information about him. After Will accidentally kills one of them, he runs away, right through a window into another world. There he meets Lyra Silvertongue and her daemon, Pantalaimon, as well as travelers from yet another world. Lyra and her truth-telling alethiometer are soon enlisted in Will's quest, even as Lyra continues to seek the true nature of the mysterious Dust that is causing upheavals in her world. A desperate battle with inhabitants of the intermediate world brings Will the subtle knife, a magical totem of his own, which will protect Will and Lyra while bringing them closer to the end of this part of their quest. The action takes place in Will's world (which is also our own), as well as on Lyra's and the intermediate world. As in the first book, the stakes are high and the action is rapid and occasionally violent. The philosophical nature of the quest becomes clearer as various characters explain the possible relationships among Dust, the bridges between worlds, angels, supreme beings, and cosmic forces. This may be treading on the essential nature of the supreme being is not necessarily positive but high-fantasy enthusiasts will find much to follow and reflect on here. The Subtle Knife ends with even more of a cliff-hanger than The Golden Compass, and fans will eagerly Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA Copyright 1998 School Library Journal Reviews

Copyright 1998 School Library Journal Reviews
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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Pullman, P. (2001). The Subtle Knife . Random House Children's Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Pullman, Philip. 2001. The Subtle Knife. Random House Children's Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife Random House Children's Books, 2001.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Pullman, P. (2001). The subtle knife. Random House Children's Books.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife Random House Children's Books, 2001.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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