  | Subtle knife : the graphic novel (His Dark Materials) Author: Pullman, Philip | |
| Price: $20.98 | ||
Summary:
Lyra steps into a new world and meets 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 of them suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, their destinies are bound together. Graphic novel format.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Melchior-Durand, Stephane |
| Illustrator: | Gilbert, Thomas |
Reviews:
School Library Journal (03/11/22)
Booklist (01/01/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 01/01/2022 This graphic adaptation of the second installment in the beloved His Dark Materials trilogy provides a largely faithful adaptation of the source material, bringing a new artist into the mix. While the adaptation, by necessity, flattens out the rich multiverse of the original, Melchior’s choices in streamlining the narrative are well made, shaping the story into one better suited for an older middle-grade audience, at the cost of some nuance but not of any plot points. Gilbert’s artwork is a bit softer and less stylized than that found in The Golden Compass graphic novel, though the intensity is often heightened by gritty close-ups with accentuated detail. Sweeping landscapes capture the scope of the world, and a dreary color palette fits the tone, though a few liberties taken with the story—smartphones in Will’s world; odd bits of comic relief—may distract. No matter: this is an adaptation best served to readers new to this universe, those who prefer visual storytelling or who would benefit from a simplified take on Pullman’s densely plotted middle chapter. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 03/11/2022 Gr 5 Up—Lyra finds a new companion in this beautifully adapted version of Pullman's The Subtle Knife. Will Parry is a hopeful kid from our world with a missing father and an unwell mother. He accidentally slips into a parallel world through a cut in the fabric of the universe and meets Lyra, sealing their fates together. Will takes Lyra and Pantalaimon, her daemon, back home to Oxford, where they seek information regarding Will's father and Lyra continues her search for Dust. Lyra meets an Oxford professor studying dark matter, which they determine is the same thing as the Dust of her world. Back in Lyra's world, Lee Scoresby tracks down Stanislaus Grumman for details on a weapon that could save her. Serafina Pekkala, the witch, seeks to protect Lyra, and soon finds that Will needs her help, too. When the boy comes in possession of the knife that can slice through anything, people in multiple dimensions want to see him destroyed. The new artist for this volume, Gilbert, uses Clément Oubrerie's character designs from the previous volume (Lyra's hair remains delightfully disheveled), but brings his own style to the extra fantastical worlds of the witches and angels. His faces for the dæmons are particularly expressive. It's no small feat to take a story as dense as The Subtle Knife and render it into a graphic novel, but fans of the series will be rewarded with lovingly depicted characters, vivid illustrations, and thrilling adventure. VERDICT A worthy addition to the graphic novel series of "His Dark Materials." Stunning art brings Lyra and Will's story to life.—Gretchen Hardin - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
