The Subtle Knife
by Philip Pullman
★ Top 10 book of 1997 · #9 on Best Books of 1997
As the barriers between worlds break down, Lyra and her daemon join Will Parry, who is hunting for his father and a powerful magical knife. Their journey through a haunted otherworld of soul-eating Spectres exposes a dangerous secret.
Best for: Young fantasy readers who enjoy parallel worlds, magic, and perilous journeys
The Subtle Knife is #9 on BookWard's Best Books of 1997, out of 27 1997 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Subtle Knife is about
Lyra Belacqua is still searching for the truth about Dust when she slips into a new world. In the haunted city of Cittàgazze she meets Will Parry, a boy from Oxford who is carrying the worry of looking after his ill mother. Together they learn that the city is haunted by soul-eating spectres that prey on grown-ups but leave children alone.
Will soon takes up a knife that can cut through anything, even the walls between worlds, and it costs him dearly. Meanwhile a scientist, Dr Mary Malone, is studying dark matter, and Lord Asriel is raising an army against an ancient power. The second part of His Dark Materials is adventurous and shadowed, with big questions about authority, destiny and growing up. It suits older children, teens and adults who have read Northern Lights.
The Subtle Knife on the Best Books of 1997
The Subtle Knife came out in 1997. Of the 27 books first published in 1997 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #9 on our Best Books of 1997 list.
Why it made the list: 495 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (108 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1997 list
- The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy, #7
- Wizard and Glass Stephen King, #8
- Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden, #10
- Killing Floor Lee Child, #11
See all Best Books of 1997 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1996 Best Books of 1998.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 304 want to read it, 7 are reading it now and 184 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 108 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 74 | 55% |
| Reader love | 67 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 33 | 20% |
Questions about The Subtle Knife
When was The Subtle Knife published?
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman was first published in 1997.
Was The Subtle Knife one of the best books of 1997?
The Subtle Knife is #9 on BookWard's Best Books of 1997, out of 27 1997 books that cleared our data bar. 495 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (108 ratings).
Why is The Subtle Knife on the Best Books of 1997 list?
495 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (108 ratings).
More of the best books of 1997
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone J. K. Rowling, #1
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki, #2
- Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond, #3
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants Dav Pilkey, #4
- The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle, #5
- Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer, #6
See the full Best Books of 1997, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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