The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife is the second book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Instead of picking up where The Golden Compass
left off, this book opens in an entirely different world and introduces
the character of Will Parry, who will eventually be the Adam to Lyra's
Eve.
In all honesty, I don't like this book as much as The Golden Compass. Instead of an exhilarating adventure story, Pullman starts to delve into his philosophy. It comes off as a bit preachy. Lord Asriel's ultimate goal is revealed: he's going to kill God. The problem is that most of the characters don't really question this. Mrs. Coulter, resident bad guy, is trying to stop Asriel and gain power for herself through the church/Magisterium. But nearly every other sympathetic character is in complete agreement that God needs to die.
Pullman reveals that, in his world, it was Lucifer and his rebel angels who tempted Eve with the apple, and that this was a good thing. This is a viewpoint I mostly agree with. I think knowledge is better than ignorance and curiosity is better than blind faith. But I also think Pullman's argument is a bit weakened by the fact that none of his characters disagree with him.
Ultimately, the plot threads in this book mostly serve to set up the third and final book. We end on another cliff hanger, with Will finding his father a second before he dies and Mrs. Coulter kidnapping Lyra. I haven't read the third book since I first read it years ago, so it will be interesting to see what I think of it this time around.
In all honesty, I don't like this book as much as The Golden Compass. Instead of an exhilarating adventure story, Pullman starts to delve into his philosophy. It comes off as a bit preachy. Lord Asriel's ultimate goal is revealed: he's going to kill God. The problem is that most of the characters don't really question this. Mrs. Coulter, resident bad guy, is trying to stop Asriel and gain power for herself through the church/Magisterium. But nearly every other sympathetic character is in complete agreement that God needs to die.
Pullman reveals that, in his world, it was Lucifer and his rebel angels who tempted Eve with the apple, and that this was a good thing. This is a viewpoint I mostly agree with. I think knowledge is better than ignorance and curiosity is better than blind faith. But I also think Pullman's argument is a bit weakened by the fact that none of his characters disagree with him.
Ultimately, the plot threads in this book mostly serve to set up the third and final book. We end on another cliff hanger, with Will finding his father a second before he dies and Mrs. Coulter kidnapping Lyra. I haven't read the third book since I first read it years ago, so it will be interesting to see what I think of it this time around.
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