His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife (Book 2) cover art

His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife (Book 2)

His Dark Materials, Book 2

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His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife (Book 2)

Written by: Philip Pullman
Narrated by: Philip Pullman, full cast
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About this listen

The spellbinding sequel to The Golden Compass, the modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an "All-Time Greatest Novel" and Newsweek hailed as a "Top 100 Book of All Time," continues the epic adventure, catapulting listeners between worlds, and toward a devastating discovery.

Lost in a new world, Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.

Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, their destinies are bound together...until they are split apart.

A #1
New York Times Bestseller
Published in 40 Countries


“Just as quick-moving and unputdownable as The Golden Compass. . . . The mysteries deepen and the wonders grow even more extravagant.” —The Washington Post

“Pullman’s imagination soars . . . A literary rollercoaster ride you won’t want to miss.”—The Boston Globe

“The story gallops with ferocious momentum . . . Devilishly inventive.” —The New York Times Book Review

Don't miss Philip Pullman's epic new trilogy set in the world of His Dark Materials!
** THE BOOK OF DUST **
La Belle Sauvage
The Secret Commonwealth

©1997 Philip Pullman
Fantasy & Magic Geography & Cultures Young Adult Fiction Classics Fantasy Magic Users
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What the critics say

"The superb production of this fascinating fantasy epic makes it a heart-thumping listening adventure." (AudioFile)

"More than fulfilling the promise of The Golden Compass, this second volume starts off at a heart-thumping pace and never slows down." (Publishers Weekly)

"A resoundingly successful sequel." (Booklist)

What listeners say about His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife (Book 2)

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing story but the music is a bit weird.

Pullman tackles some really heavy topics this one and still maintains a sense that more is going on than we see. I can't wait to listen to The Amber Spyglass and see where things go! I would say that this book, as with many second books in trilogies, takes a much darker tone than its predecessor.

Be prepared for multiple POVs in this one, with Lyra being one of a few main characters to follow. From what I've heard, this is a bit of an adjustment for many readers.

In Book 1, the music that played before each of the three acts of the book made sense and I appreciated it as kind of a bookmark between major segments. This audiobook plays music between each chapter and it can get a little old.

Other than the music, the performance is wonderful. I love that it is narrated by Pullman himself and the voice actors are fantastic. Starting Book 3 tonight!

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A very entertaining listening experience. I appreciate that the audio issues with the first book were fixed for this one. Much easier to listen to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fabulous Story , beautifully told

Philip Pullman could well be the Tolkien of Gen X . The story is a terrific adventure. The performance makes it even better. I will listen again at some point.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing! Enthralling

this story weaves a rich tapestry of fantasy and fascinating characters over an epic arc. you definitely should read this series.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

a good read

it's a good read and the story is amazing the proformanes can be a little shrill but it's not bad.

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great story telling

love the different actors voices, makes the story more realistic. very short book. kind of disappointed by how it was separated in multiple chapters instead of the regular 15.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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phenomenal!!

loved it!!! all the different voices made this story come to life. I recommend this for those fantasy lovers.

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Great story

Great book it was well written and had a great story but horrible music between chapters

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    4 out of 5 stars
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HORRIBLE MUSIC!

I really enjoyed the story, and the narrators did a wonderful job.
The only downfall really was the horrendous music between chapters, at times it was quite disturbing.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It Was Ok

It was not as good as the first one. It wasn't as exciting or suspenseful in my opinion.

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