Philip Pullman 'The Subtle Knife'

This is the second part of 'His Dark Materials'. It continues the story of Lyra and introduces a second major character in the form of Will a twelve year old charged with finding his lost father and guarding his paranoid mother.

If anything this is better than 'Northern Lights'; the story is deepening and becoming more and more interesting. I was struck by how well thought through the story is, and how lean is the story telling. There is no flab, everything seems to be introduced for a reason and ties in latter on. On several occasions I re-read sections until I was certain that I'd picked up the nuances. There is one surprising moment of the 'Ensign Red Shirt syndrome' when a character is introduced only to be killed off immediately after, but apart from that the writing is excellent. I look forward to reading the next part with impatience.

Scholastic, 341 pages