The Subtle Knife, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by Philip Pullman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Subtle Knife, Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition (His Dark Materials, Book 2)
Book Review: the knife, but not the pen...
Summary: 3 Stars
The book starts slow. Beginning with an abrupt change of setting and new character introduction, but even after the author reintroduces his characters from the previous book, it takes some time for the pace to pick up. After that, most of the book flows along well and interestingly even though punctuated by slower and sappily melodramatic passages.
The new character, Will, is a great introduction - a swell companion for Lyra - but we also meet a character, Dr. Malone, who the author insists on making a sort of heroine, Enlightenment Queen/scientist; though she is, regardless of what he writes, an absolute flake who only begins, in this book, to plague the reader with her presence. Most of the other characters, both new and older, are disappointingly dealt with.
As far as subtlety goes, the author is less and less subtle about his pedagogy. Not that his anti-deist (not merely anti-theist), etc. sentiments are necessarily invalid, but his prejudice in those directions is so aggressive, his thinly veiled jibes so laden with illiberal spleen, that it sort of ruins much of the pleasure of the story. This book is only the beginning of that though: the next book is chock-full.
Again, the open-endedness of this segment of the series and the poor quality of the following part prevent me from recommending it. I can't help but feel, anyway, that my own time and energies would have been better spent on any number of worthier books.
Book Review: GOOD READ
Summary: 4 Stars
I LIKED THIS BOOK ALOT. BEING THE SECOND IN THIS TRILAGY. IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING STORY. I'M GLAD I BOUGHT THIS BOOK AND THE TRILOGY TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION. I'VE READ THE WHOLE TRILOGY TWICE AND ENJOYED IT THE SECOND TIME AS MUCH AS THE FIRST. I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT. IF YOU LIKE THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS YOU'LL LIKE THESE. PHILLIP PULLMAN HAS A VERY INTERESTING WRITING STYLE. IT REALLY DRAWS YOU IN. THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMULARITYS TO THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS AND IF THESE BOOKS WEREN'T WRITTEN BEFORE HARRY POTTER CAME OUT I WOULD JUST SAY THAT HE STOLE ALOT OF IDEAS FROM THEM. LIKE MANY OTHER AUTHERS OUT THERE ARE TRYING TO DO JUST TO MAKE A BUCK THESE DAYS. IN THE END I WAS VERY HAPPY. AND I RECOMEND YOU TAKING A LOOK.Book Review: A thrilling but flawed trilogy
Summary: 4 Stars
I read the "Golden Compass" trilogy a few years back -- can't remember why -- and thought I'd dash off a word or two about it, what with the movie coming out soon and all. The books follow familiar kids/young adult fantasy tropes: the hero is an orphan (the feisty, indomitable Lyra Belaqua) whose real parents (not actually dead) are both powerful figures in the world outside. Lyra lives in an alternate-reality version of our world, a strange mix of the medieval and modern worlds, where the Church-led Inquisition has lasted for centuries, but science has continued apace, although led for the most part by the dictates of the somewhat sinister, repressive Church.
The first two books were riveting, mostly because the fiery young girl is such as appealing character and the fantasy elements are quite imaginative, however, the third volume is disappointing. To put it simply, the Golden Compass books are a thinly-disguised anti-Catholic screed, and though the first two books are quite entertaining, the third is a real drag. If you get pulled in by the story, you'll have to finish the series, just to see how it ends. Although I don't have any principled or prudish objections to Pullman's world view, I do think the narrative and the writing suffered greatly in the third book, where he pretty much just comes out and says what he feels about religion and the Church, much to the detriment of the writing. It's just not that much fun to read once the story becomes a political pamphlet; indeed, finishing the series was a bit of a chore. (Apparently the movie adaptation tones things down a lot -- won't parents be surprised when they get the books after having seen the film!) (Axton)
Book Review: Do not buy deluxe edition - poor quality edition
Summary: 3 Stars
If you are thinking of trading in your older version of this book for the so-called 'deluxe' version, save your hard earned money. As noted in other reviews, this publisher is following a trend I have seen more often and why I won't buy hardcovers at full price or at all.
It is printed on cheap paper for the same amount of money a nicer book would sell for. The cloth book marker doesn't make up for the fact that this version of the book is a rip off.
What gets to me is that the industry is trying to pull a fast one on the consumer. If they could lower their prices a little, to reflect their use of disposable materials, that would be more honest on their part.
But I guess that's what's at issue here. Buy with caution, because if you intend for these books to stay in your library a while, you may be disappointed.
Book Review: POORLY WRITTEN AND ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR CHILDREN
Summary: 1 Stars
Having enjoyed The Golden Compass to the point of calling it the single greatest adventure story I've ever read, I was severely disappointed by The Subtle Knife. While I am from the generation that was supposedly desensitized to violence, I found the depictions of violence and sexual innuendo to be in poor taste and unnecessary to the plot, which was almost nonexistent. This book is completely inappropriate for children (and some squeamish adults) and parents should be aware of the content before handing it to anyone under 17. The richness and wonder of the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy was not present here, and even favorite characters became annoying and one-dimensional. The entire book was just poorly written. I found myself reading the plot summary on Wikipedia just so I could avoid wasting any more time reading The Subtle Knife and move on to The Amber Spyglass. At this point, I do not trust Mr. Pullman with his own characters and am hopeful that Book 3 redeems him.