The Subtle Knife - His Dark Materials S. No.2 (Hardback)

Publisher and industry reviews

UK Kirkus review

As an author, Philip Pullman is as hard to classify as Tolkein or Pratchett; certainly not just for children, he isn't quite fantasy either. The Subtle Knife is the sequel to the award-winning Northern Lights. At the end of the first book, our heroine Lyra disappears over the bridge of energy created by her redoubtable father Lord Asriel. Now she emerges in a strange 'crossroads world' haunted by vampire-like spectres. In it she meets the boy who will be Adam to her Eve - 12-year-old Will, who has found a 'window' from his own territory, modern day Oxford. There are, it seems, innumerable parallel worlds, whose occupants make parallel mistakes in parallel times. Pullman is preoccupied by the way that creativity can be deadened and defeated by a child's transition into adulthood. He has a lot to say - his symbols and signposts are elegant, often almost invisible ones - but what dominates is the telling of the tale. Emotional and thought-provoking, this book is richly rewarding for the sophisticated reader. (12 yrs +) (Kirkus UK)