The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, #2) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Feb 16, 2009 Kristen rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The first 2 books - they were ok. The third, what a let down. I feel that I have a knack for picking trilogies that start out very promising only to be utterly disappointed with the ending. The authors open hostility with the "magisterium" (it wasn't hard to see the the comparison to organized religion - especially on the Christian side) was almost amusing from an adult's perspective during the first 2 books. They had fantastical elements and yet I truly felt like the universe that Lyra was livi The first 2 books - they were ok. The third, what a let down. I feel that I have a knack for picking trilogies that start out very promising only to be utterly disappointed with the ending. The authors open hostility with the "magisterium" (it wasn't hard to see the the comparison to organized religion - especially on the Christian side) was almost amusing from an adult's perspective during the first 2 books. They had fantastical elements and yet I truly felt like the universe that Lyra was living in could have been an alternate universe for ours. The Ice Bears were a treat during the first book.

The first book was, despite the religious thing, fantastical and mythical and had an interesting plot. The second book left me confused and disturbed. Getting introduced to the boy's universe was uncomfortable to say the least. The creatures that were created - were way to dark and creepy for me. I am in a lot of ways glad they haven't (yet anyway) attempted to make the second book into a movie - because I don't see any way it could reasonably be turned into a family film. It was more horror book then YA/fantasy. And, I still, after finishing the third book, wasn't sure how that got resolved, or what their point in the whole story was. The knife and the idea of what it could do was almost a distraction. Honestly, I think a slightly different ending to book one should have been the end to the series. The author should have left well enough alone.

I read a review where there was a quote that stated: "Philip Pullman contends that 'There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book.' " I hate to disagree, but I think there are clearly some themes that should not be dealt with in a children's book, and Philip Pullman should have steered clear of some of the themes he tried to tackle. I don't know if they were too big for a children's book (and honestly, should have been dealt with in an adult book) or if they were just too big for Mr. Pullman himself. Either way, I felt he didn't know how to end the series without getting so religious, I might as well have pulled out a bible if I wanted that much religion.

As previously mentioned, I felt there was a lot of open hostility towards the church (and I am by no means a staunch church-go-er) during the first book (at least) so the turn around with how religious things got and how the message seemed to be that religion saves, caught me off guard.

And the notion that hitting puberty turns you evil - is just something that I feel has no place in a child's book. A similar review I read called this a children's book that is "Christian" the same way the Chronicles of Narnia are Christian - and I wish I would have seen that review before reading these. I remember loving Narnia when I was younger, and now, as an adult who loves YA/Fantasy books, I can only read certain portions of the Narnia series because others are by far to pro-religion for me. And so, while to moral of the 3rd book has something to do with the establishment of religion (honestly, I wasn't sure exactly what it was) - I should have read the first 2 and then just read the Wiki article to see how the third concluded the series. I would not recommend this SERIES to anyone who doesn't want an opinion (good or bad) about religion shoved down their throat. ...more

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May 01, 2009 Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Better than the first installment (which I disliked so much it's taken me over 2 years to get round to reading the second part).

This story starts with Will, a young boy in our own world, placing his Mother in hiding and then accidentally killing a man. While running away he finds a window into another world. Not the world that Lyra belongs to - but another that only seems to be inhabited by children.

Will soon finds Lyra though and the two strike up an uneasy friendship. Lyra's character changes ...more

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