I just love His Dark Materials and any version of it I can get in my hands makes me happy. This graphic novel is a beautiful adaptation. It is always nice to see how other people see my favorite characters. The defection of the evil Golden Monkey is perfect. I am desperate to get my hands on the Amber Spyglass. Hurry!

Are you a fan of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman? Well, did you know that there's a graphic novel adaptation of the series in the works? I certainly didn't! It wasn't until I spotted The Subtle Knife on NetGalley that I realized this fantastic creation existed.

The Subtle Knife is the second novel in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, which is also the second novel in the adaptation set. I was a bit surprised to see that the adaptations are one-to-one. Given the density of the source material, I wouldn't have been surprised if it took several volumes to get the story out.

So I'm going to have to give major credit to Stephanie Melchoir. Not only did she tackle a pretty daunting task (adapting Pullman's works), but she was able to effortlessly streamline the series. Yet it never felt like anything was cut. Likely because many of the details turned into visual elements – always a delight if you ask me.

I'm always excited to see an adaptation when it occurs, even if they don't always live up to my hopes. I am happy to say that The Subtle Knife's graphic novel doesn't disappoint – every key scene made its way onto the pages, including several of my favorites!

However, I'll confess that not all characters looked how I pictured them in my mind. Perhaps that is because it has been so long? I should have re-read the novels first. That would have given me a better baseline here.

Overall, I was very pleased with Thomas Gilbert's artwork. It was stunning at times and a perfect fit for the tone of the series. I hope he is the artist for the other adaptations as well.
Long story short, if you love adaptations, want a visual retelling of The Subtle Knife, or simply need a refresher on the series, please do consider giving the graphic novel adaptations a read.

The Subtle Knife is an explosively illustrated novel companion to His Dark Materials book series, HBO series, and the movie I'm most familiar with, The Golden Compass.

Thank you Cynthia, RHCB and NetGalley for this digital review copy.

I’m a huge fan of His Dark Materials series, and this graphic novel was a surprisingly accurate rendition. Almost all major scenes were included, and the art was wonderful; however, certain characters weren’t pictured as described by Philip Pullman. The transitions between scenes also felt a bit confusing/hard to keep up with because of how continuous it read. If you haven’t read the series, this might be a little hard to follow, as to be expected with how intricately woven the storylines are. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel of The Subtle Knife and was delighted to see it in another form of media.

Thank you to Random House Children and Netgalley for an advanced copy of The Subtle Knife graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

A lovely adaptation of a classic story, drawn vividly and captured well. I would gladly add this to my classroom library. Perfect for new readers and long-time fans of this series.

This title tells the tale of Philip Pullman’s second novel about Lyra in the form of a graphic novel. Not having read The Golden Compass, although I want/need to, I was at a bit of a disadvantage here. That is clearly not the fault of those involved with this book.

Here is the further story of Lyra and her quest to understand the role of “dust.” She will meet Will who has his own issues and quests. Each is searching and they draw strength from one another.

I think that this title will be enjoyed by those who have read the novels and are looking for a different way of telling the story. It can also be enjoyed by those who have not read the original but who enjoy well produced manga.

Some of the illustrations appear rather dark but I believe that they reflect the nature of the story. They definitely portray the world that is experienced by the characters.

I recommend this title for slightly older children, possibly those age 9 or 10 and up. Adults who enjoy Philip Pullman’s books may also want to give this one a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read and review this graphic novel in exchange of an honest review.

The subtle knife is the second book of His Dark Materials trilogy and Lyra steps into a new world, meeting Will, a boy on the run. Both will soon learn they have an important role to play in the fates of multiple worlds. Between a new world, new dangers, always looking for the meaning of Dark Matter (Lyra) and his missing father (Will), Lyra and Will will have to face Specters, witches, angels and so much more in this brilliant and captivating sequel.

This graphic novel is simply gorgeous. Adapted and illustrated by Stéphane Melchior-Durand and Thomas Gilbert, I loved this chance to returning to this magnificent world in a new way. The art is beautiful and immersive, I loved seeing how they imagined Lyra, Will and everything else, the colours are simply perfect and I really enjoyed being captivated by this graphic novel. I totally recommend it!

Interesting take on Pullman and this story via a manga illustration take on the story. I would have preferred a more artistic, beautiful take on the story since that’s how I picture the book in my head but given this is a graphic novel and manga style I understand the different style of drawing that accompanies it. A good book for kids, teens or adults who like graphic novels.

I wasn't a big fan of this graphic novel--so much so that I didn't really want to finish it. I found it difficult to understand and follow the numerous parallel storylines taking place (though the different color palates did help with the transitions). I didn't really enjoy the artwork either, which is a pretty big component of graphic novels. All in all, the storyline was good, just difficult to follow at points and not my stylistic preference for artwork.

I love this series so much. I thought the story was translated well into the graphic novel format. I also thought that some of the characters were SO CREEPY! I didn’t love the art for the main characters, but it was still effective. I LOVED the witches! So amazing! Honestly, I loved the series so I loved the graphic novel.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I wanted to love this more than I did. I love this series so much, and was hoping I could enjoy the graphic novel. But I am rather picky with my graphic novels and I am not very fond of the art in this. Some of the characters are perfect and creepy, but Lyra and Will were not as good as others. I feel that they just didn't work. I will still enjoy this while I have access to it, and likely my library will buy it because we have The Golden Compass graphic novel, but it isn't one that I feel does the novels justice.

Loved this interpretation of one of my favorite trilogies. The illustrations were stunning and evocative of the narrative in a way that I didn't know that I had been craving. Kinda got OG Sandman vibes, which goes really well with this particular story. My only gripe is that I wish some of the characters had been interpreted as POC.