Review: The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lyra finds herself meeting a boy who doesn't have a daemon in another world. It turns out that he is from another world as well. They go to his world to look for somebody who can provide answers for them. Lyra finds herself in a world similar to hers but without daemons. They work together to find answers and look for his father.

I really enjoyed re-reading this book. I know that presumably, it's a children's novel. I disagree with this assessment. I don't think anybody under 14 should read it really. I find that I'm enjoying and understanding the book a lot more now that I"m reading it as an adult rather than a teenager. I also feel like this book was more of a bridge between books one and three than a full part of the story. Well, I partially feel this way.

I don't think I need to say how much I adore the characters. It's amazing how important Lyra becomes to everybody. No questions asked. They meet her and spend any length of time with her and they are suddenly willing to give their life for her. I'm not saying this as a complaint. I'm just in awe of it. I feel like I identify with quite a few of the characters in this book.

I've read this entire trilogy before as a teenager. I loved it then. It stuck with me. I was so happy that they adapted it to the movie a couple years after I read it. I was disappointed by that, but that's another story. I've wanted to re-read the books after the movie came out, but never got around to it. The show they are putting out on November 4th has been the PERFECT excuse for that re-read!

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