The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife is the second volume of His Dark Materials by the British author Philip Pullman, published in English under that title. The story shifts its focus from Lyra in the first book, Northern Lights (The Golden Compass), to another young protagonist: Will, a boy who lives in a different Oxford. Fleeing pursuit and searching for his explorer father, who has been missing for years, he is guided by a mysterious cat through a hidden window into a strange and dangerous world. There, adults have been forcibly severed from their dæmons, their soul-companions, and specters roam at will. Will meets Lyra, who is continuing her own quest, and through a series of events comes into possession of a subtle knife that can cut through the boundaries between worlds, at the cost of two of his fingers. The knife is both a weapon and a passport, allowing the two to travel among multiple universes. An old prophecy speaks of this boy and girl, whose fate is entwined with a conspiracy that threatens the existence of the cosmos: they must unite witches, angels, and many other forces to uncover the secret of Dust and to stand against powerful religious and political powers. Within the shell of an adventure story, the author embeds reflections on consciousness, growth, freedom, and temptation, giving the book both the tense pacing of a young person's coming-of-age and a weight beyond that of ordinary children's fiction. This is the second volume of His Dark Materials and is best read in series order.