At the Back of the North Wind vs The Edge of the Knife: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Magic, Fantasy fiction, Adventure, Children's fiction, Fiction

At the Back of the North Wind George MacDonald · 1871 ★★★★☆ 4.0 278 pages · ≈ 5 h 09 m · Moderate

“I HAVE been asked to tell you about the back of the North Wind.”

The adventures of a little boy, Diamond, named for his father's favorite horse, as he travels with the beautiful lady North Wind and comes to know the many facets of her protective and violent temper.

Social problems Stories Boys Love

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The Edge of the Knife H. Beam Piper · 2006 ★★★★☆ 3.7 47 pages · ≈ 52 min · Light

Ed Chalmers, history professor, had a real problem in his classes: he kept blurting out events that hadn't happened yet. Of course that made him the butt of jokes and ridicule, and the Dean wanted him out despite his…

Science Fiction

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate At the Back of the North Wind highest: At the Back of the North Wind 4.0 · The Edge of the Knife 3.7.
The Edge of the Knife is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 5 for At the Back of the North Wind.
At the Back of the North Wind has the widest readership — 8388 ratings behind its score.
The Edge of the Knife runs the darker storyline; At the Back of the North Wind stays the lighter read.

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Edge of the Knife ≈ 1h vs 5h for At the Back of the North Wind Just want the better-reviewed one? At the Back of the North Wind 4.0 vs 3.7 from readers New to the genre? The Edge of the Knife Light vs Moderate for At the Back of the North Wind In the mood for something dark? The Edge of the Knife a darker storyline than At the Back of the North Wind Want something lighter? At the Back of the North Wind an easier tone than The Edge of the Knife

Scores by source

	At the Back of the North Wind	The Edge of the Knife
Goodreads	4.0 (8388)	3.6 (195)
Hardcover	3.7 (14)	4.0 (2)
Apple Books	4.5 (55)	4.5 (11)
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Reception

	At the Back of the North Wind	The Edge of the Knife
Ratings	8388	195
Editions	496	42
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	9524	70
Reading it now	709	15
Written reviews	787	25
Wikipedia attention	864	640
Pages	278	47
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: At the Back of the North Wind or The Edge of the Knife?

At the Back of the North Wind has the higher combined reader rating across sources (At the Back of the North Wind 4.0/5, The Edge of the Knife 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: At the Back of the North Wind or The Edge of the Knife?

The Edge of the Knife is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Edge of the Knife (47 pages, ≈ 52 min); At the Back of the North Wind (278 pages, ≈ 5 h 09 m).

Which is harder to read: At the Back of the North Wind or The Edge of the Knife?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — At the Back of the North Wind: Moderate; The Edge of the Knife: Light.