Philip Pullman: The Subtle Knife

This is the sequel to Northern Lights, part of a series planned from the start as a trilogy. There is a note at the beginning of Northern Lights which says that the first book is set in a world similar to but different from ours, the second one would be set in our world and the third book would move between the worlds. In fact, the action of The Subtle Knife moves between the world of the first book, our world and a third world which is different again. Therefore the outline of the trilogy is clearly evolving somewhat as the books take their final shape.

This may not sound like a very good idea, but I get the impression that the author is continuing to reflect on the possibilities the story offers. The result is that, although in the nature of things the sequel couldn't make quite as much impact as the first volume, it does more than just move the story forward. It does bring up new issues, bring unexpected twists to the plot and develop further depths to the characters — very much in the way that made the first volume so memorable.

One of the interesting questions remaining with me at the end of Northern Lights concerned the fact that Lyra would be going to our world, where people lack what for her would be a fundamental feature of humanity: the daemon. Also, how would people here react to her? This does feature in The Subtle Knife, but along with many other equally interesting issues. Is there anything in the science of our world corresponding to the "Dust" which played such a part in the first book? Are there any other characters, apart from Lyra, who have connections with both worlds? What accounts for the strange lack of adults among the population of the third world which appears in the story?

The main character to be introduced, who plays a roughly equal role along with Lyra in this second book, is boy called Will. Since he is from our world, his basic nature is already more familiar to us than was the case with Lyra (and her daemon) — and there was bound to be a risk that he would be less interesting for that reason. In fact, though, his situation is very unusual — as regards his mother, unanswered questions concerning his father, and the peculiar position he finds himself in almost from the start of the book. His character, as it develops through the story, is as unconventional as Lyra's, though in a different way.

All in all, it is a worthy successor to the first book.