The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

I'm starting to realize that I really remembered nothing from this series. It has been a completely new reading experience. While that has been nice, I'm starting to wonder if I really ever read it the first time. I seemed to have such fond memories of the series, but now realize I couldn't actually recall the plot or characters. Now that I'm reading it again, I think I must have just blocked how terrible these were and simply remembered the hype around them.

The smallest of the three novels in "His Dark Materials," The Subtle Knife immediately introduces us to Will. No segues, no lead up. Just jumping right into his story, and immediately he is on the run. Fate leads him to a window in the universe where there are no people. But that's just fine by Will, he'll be safe now. Except he has an altercation almost immediately with Lyra. Huge world, no people, but the two of them crash the same vacant house. Destiny.

They hit it off right away, despite both their suspicious natures, and decide to take off adventuring together. They have important things to do after all at the tender age of 12. They finally come across people in this new world, and it's disturbing. Nothing but children are left because all the adults have been the victims of the Specters. Pure Lord of the Flies here.

Then they meet some angels, who are rebels from the days of the Fall.  But they are super weak angels, and they want Will to go to Lord Asriel and help him take down the Authority with the subtle knife... The religious metaphors were really just cloying and all the characters were one-dimensional. Shocking in a series with the basis of quantum mechanics and multiverses.