After reading this sequel to the Golden Compass (AKA Northern Lights) I can say that the His Dark Material Series has now grown immensely in scale and evolved to an adventure that puts the fate of life as a whole in the balance.
The story follows a new protagonist by the name of Will Parry, who is a boy around Lyra's age- albeit more mature- and his quest to find his father (John Parry) who disappeared when he was just a boy. From the very get go we are exposed the the child's maturity as he not only has the presence of mind to make sure his mentally ill mother is well taken care of. But he also does well in covering his tracks after accidentally murdering a man who was pursuing him and his family. Eventually Will meets up with the original protagonist Lyra Belaquia and the two soon realize that their fates are intertwined in a goal that maybe so important that all of mankind depends on it. Now I am deliberately being vague about the plot because one of the best things about the book is finding out just how large the conflict has become. Spanning not only Lyra's world where people walk around with daemon companions, but our own human world in the present and also the world of Citagazze where adults are plagued by the treacherous Specters of Indifference where only pre-adolescents remain safe. Furthermore as there are countless worlds throughout the universe, one can only gather that everything in existence is at stake.
Now one thing I like about this sequel is that it moves away from Lyra, at many segments of the book the narrative focuses on other characters. Besides Will Parry- Wielder of the Subtle Knife- we have an expanded perspective of some old faces- namely the century old witch Serafina Pekkala, the Texan Aeronaut Lee Scoresby, along with some new characters such as the Physicist Mary Malone and the Shaman Dr. Stannislus Gruuman- all of which have some great purpose in the overall plot. I especially love the fact that we get more incite into the characters' motives, beliefs and pasts and in some cases their relationship with their daemons- especially Lee Scoresby. I also like the way Lyra realises that she's getting older, that she can no longer take foolish risks and hope to lie her way out of them like she did in her world. This is also reinforced by the fact that her daemon is becoming more stable and pretty soon she'd be an adult. Whether Will's presence sparked this change or not remains to be seen but it is a great transition from her careless ways of the past.
And the ideas in this book are thrice as impressive as the first.Aside from daemons we are introduced to the existence of many different worlds including our very own, and how they are all similar in some way. And also the item known as the Subtle Knife which can cut through any substance even the fabric of space itself. Along with the Specters of Indifference, the true nature of Dust and the nefarious goal of the ambitious Lord Asriel who dares to do what mere humans would've never done before.
I can go on and on about this novel but I probably would end up making one myself. The writing is top notch as always, with the style changing according to the situation. With a darker mood surrounding the plot, where death is rampant and children are exposed to horrors, violence and real danger. And the themes are so wide now that it changes the entire scope the first one had.
All in all I am tempted- o so tempted to read the Amber Spyglass- but I have other books on my list to check out sadly. But it was an excellent read.
4 1/2 stars.
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