Erm, hello.
Hi all.
I know I've dropped the ball a little bit lately -- blame that end of summer craziness. Anywho, I'm going to post a few things about Book 2 here now, and the rest of my thoughts about the last book when I return from a wedding weekend.
Then let's set a date for the next book (Snow Crash); shall we say Oct 20?
A few things about The Subtle Knife:
1) Will is a bit of an odd duck, as he is a major character in the series but doesn't appear at all in the first book. He seems a little too primed to be Lyra's opposite; he's all about honor above all things, he has more of a conscience, he doesn't make friends easily. It's easy for an author to say they were planning certain elements all along, but do you think Pullman knew that Will would be so central when he wrote the first book? I think not. That said, I think Will was more than just an editor's suggestion ("Throw someone in for the boys!"), but his appearance does turn the series sharply in a different direction for the last two books.
2) I find it problematic that things come a little too easily in Book 2. Particularly Mary Malone's 'conversion.' We're led to believe that Will's Oxford is more or less the "real world," but Mary buys into a whole mystical computer-talking, vague concept deal faster than the people in Lyra's mystical world. That, I think, is my immediate basis for disliking Mary Malone. Also, the book is a little too full of go-here, go-there hijinks for my taste; my edition has symbols for each of the three worlds (Lyra's, C'gazze, and Will's), so you always know which world they're in on each page, but it can get tiring.
3) Will's injury: Too graphic for Young Adult lit? I say no; it was the jolt that The Subtle Knife needed.
4) I personally think that there is far too little Lord Asriel in this book. He's so fascinating, and after Book 1 it's a little sad to not get to follow him for awhile.
Thoughts? I'm off to catch a plane; I'll see you all next week.
I know I've dropped the ball a little bit lately -- blame that end of summer craziness. Anywho, I'm going to post a few things about Book 2 here now, and the rest of my thoughts about the last book when I return from a wedding weekend.
Then let's set a date for the next book (Snow Crash); shall we say Oct 20?
A few things about The Subtle Knife:
1) Will is a bit of an odd duck, as he is a major character in the series but doesn't appear at all in the first book. He seems a little too primed to be Lyra's opposite; he's all about honor above all things, he has more of a conscience, he doesn't make friends easily. It's easy for an author to say they were planning certain elements all along, but do you think Pullman knew that Will would be so central when he wrote the first book? I think not. That said, I think Will was more than just an editor's suggestion ("Throw someone in for the boys!"), but his appearance does turn the series sharply in a different direction for the last two books.
2) I find it problematic that things come a little too easily in Book 2. Particularly Mary Malone's 'conversion.' We're led to believe that Will's Oxford is more or less the "real world," but Mary buys into a whole mystical computer-talking, vague concept deal faster than the people in Lyra's mystical world. That, I think, is my immediate basis for disliking Mary Malone. Also, the book is a little too full of go-here, go-there hijinks for my taste; my edition has symbols for each of the three worlds (Lyra's, C'gazze, and Will's), so you always know which world they're in on each page, but it can get tiring.
3) Will's injury: Too graphic for Young Adult lit? I say no; it was the jolt that The Subtle Knife needed.
4) I personally think that there is far too little Lord Asriel in this book. He's so fascinating, and after Book 1 it's a little sad to not get to follow him for awhile.
Thoughts? I'm off to catch a plane; I'll see you all next week.