Customer Reviews
I Think This Might've Been Censored 
2008-04-17
I'll save a review of the book for others, but suffice it to say that I really liked it. As a narrator, Anton Lesser is superb. I've listened to a lot of audiobooks, and he is one of the best.
However... it was when I was referencing my place in the story in a paper copy that I noticed that a paragraph in a certain physical scene between two characters has been entirely omitted. Later, when the male is asking the female whether their encounter was painful, the dialogue has been altered. I don't know if the audiobook producers are responsible, or if this represents a rewrite by the author, but I was annoyed.
Great book, better than the first! 
2008-02-18
This book is so good! i love how dark and sophisticated it is. Sally really comes into her own and it leads perfectly into the next in the series. fantastic!
Another good adventure 2008-02-09
Realy love the way philip developes the story and carries on from the first book, many similitaries to his triliage of the Golden Compase
Confusing, but good 2007-10-05
I loved Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy so much, so I picked up his Sally Lockhart series to keep my glow going. They're really good; not quite as incredible as the HDM books, but very interesting, engaging and suspenseful. I loved the first book in the series. This one, book 2, was a lot more confusing than book 1. I think there may have been too many characters to keep straight; I kept confusing their names and agendas. That said, it still gripped me and held me in the story through the end.
Puts the "Adult" back in "Young Adult" 2007-02-24
I greatly appreciate Pullman's tendency to treat young readers as capable of dealing with sophisticated ideas like religious controversy, drug addiction, violence, and sex. Indeed, youth deal with these things in their everyday lives, and they need literature that addresses them without the aggrandizement or gloss with which they are so often depicted on TV. This novel, with its vivid characters and life-like depictions of 19th century London, treats its young readers with respect.
Not ultimately satisfying 
2006-06-12
The year is 1878, and Sally Lockhart has started her own financial consulting business. When a client loses a fortune in the unexpected collapse of a British shipping firm, Sally is determined to find out why. But as she comes closer to learning the identity of the firm's elusive owner, she discovers that her questions are far from simple --and that the answers could cost her her life.
"Fraud, fire, and bloody murder pursue Sally Lockhart in a fine sequel to
The Ruby in the Smoke. Sally, now 22, is in business as a financial consultant. When she and her friends challenge corrupt financial interests, they find themselves in a web of intrigue that stretches from fetid slums of the poor to the corporate offices of the richest man in Europe. Sally's detective work reveals the connections between corrupt power and broken lives. The action is fast, scenes are tight and dramatic, the language is vivid, and the wealth of minor characters are sharply individualized. An immensely entertaining thriller."--(starred)
Booklist. Reading level: 6.7.
Shadow in the North 2005-12-12
Pullman, Philip. (1986). Shadow in the North.
New York: Random House, Inc.
In this book, Sally Lockhart is a financial consulatant and one of her clients, Miss Wlash, comes to see her. She says that since Sally told her to invest in a company called Anglo-Baltic, she has lost 3,270 punds. One of Sally's friends, Jim Taylor meets a stage magician called Makinnon. He tells Sally that Makinnon needs their help. Fred has proposed to Sally several times and she finally gives in and says yes. But that same night, Bellman has his men set fred's house on fire. Eveyone gets out okay, except fred who dies in the fire. Sally decides to go after Bellman and found out the truth behind the Steam Gun. Bellman is expecting her, and proposes to her (she says yes) and he agrees to show her the steam gun. After he explains how the steam gun works she shoots him with her gun.
One of the themes in this book is love, because Sally and Fred love each other, but she won't admit it until the very end.
I loved this book because it had many stall tactics, because throughout the whole book I was wondering if Sally would every say yes to Fred so they would get married. I thought this book was written really well.
The genre of this book is mystery. I would rate this book 4 stars, because it takes a long time to get into the story, but when it finally does, its awesome!
My first book by Philip Pullman- surely it is not the last one! 2005-10-09
I'm truly amazed. The plot is astonishing, and characters are so realistic. I'm really looking forward to read more books by Philip Pullman.
I just wonder if kids aged 12 are able to understand all the problems and nuisances in "The Shadow in the North". Is this a book for teenagers...?
Pullman grabs us again! 2005-09-30
In the second book of the Sally Lockhart trilogy, Pullman again treats us to the adventures of the Victorian gal who operates more like a woman of the 21st Century. She is independent and wily and doesn't give a hoot for convention. The menacing villain in this episode is evil but doesn't know it. Once again, Pullman never insults the intelligence of his readers. Things complicated by design are left complicated. No simplification here. No sentimentality either. The characters are bright and real or really nasty. All around a very good read. It's very refreshing to read a good mystery by an excellent writer.
A good book for its intended audience. 2005-08-03
This series is probably fine for adolescents. It is definitely not as adult friendly as the great "Dark Materials" series. I read the first two in this series and thought they were okay. There is some sense of London in a different age. There is also some excitement. There is not, however, the depth of a book like "The Golden Compass."
