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published 1997; hardback 1997, Knopf
At the end of The Golden Compass, Lyra had stepped across the bridge in the Aurora and was heading off into a new world, following her father, Lord Asriel. The Subtle Knife begins with Will Parry, a 12-year-old boy from the universe that we inhabit. He kills a man defending his mother and his missing father's letters, which are important because of his father's explorations in the Arctic. Will then flees, and stumbles through a door between this world and another. It seems to be empty of anyone, but then he meets Lyra, who is shocked to see someone without a daemon.
I liked this story much more than the original because it uses a wider range of points of view. Lyra, Will, Lee Scoresby, and Serafina Pekkala the witch are all main characters here. The subtle knife of the title is a knife which Will and Lyra find in Cittàgazze (the world they have both entered), and of which Will becomes the bearer. It can cut holes between the worlds and defend adults from the Specters, which steal the souls of adults (though not children) and wander the streets of Cittàgazze.
In this book Lord Asriel's plans become clear, as do Lyra and Will's part in them, as well as (finally!) the nature of Dust. It's also revealed that some people have been traveling between the worlds for quite some time before Lord Asriel created the bridge; a man from Lyra's world is a knight in our universe, and the mysterious Stanislaus Grumman (who isn't dead) is actually a man from our universe. The book takes a much more religious theme than the last one; angels play a large part, and Lord Asriel's mission has to do with heaven and the Creator. I see the third book in His Dark Materials going even further in this direction, but this isn't a bad thing in any way.
There are more emotionally wrenching moments in this book, preparing the reader for a grand finale -- and the cliffhanger ending sets everything up perfectly!
Review by Catherine George
Reviewed January 25, 1998
ISBN 0-679-87925-0
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