From the Publisher
Published in 40 countries, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials
trilogy - The Golden Compass, The Subtle
Knife, and The Amber Spyglass - has
graced the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,
San Francisco Chronicle, Book Sense, and
Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
The Golden Compass forms the first part of a story in
three volumes. The first volume is set in a world like ours, but
different in many ways. The second volume is set partly in the
world we know. The third moves between many worlds.
In The Golden Compass, readers
meet for the first time 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious
orphan growing up within the precincts of Jordan College in Oxford,
England. It quickly becomes clear that Lyra''s Oxford is not
precisely like our own - nor is her world. In Lyra''s world,
everyone has a personal dæmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This is
a world in which science, theology and magic are closely
intertwined.
The Subtle Knife is the second part of the trilogy
that began with The Golden Compass. That first
book was set in a world like ours, but different. This book begins
in our own world.
In The Subtle Knife, readers are
introduced to Will Parry, a young boy living in modern-day Oxford,
England. Will is only twelve years old, but he bears the
responsibilities of an adult. Following the disappearance of his
explorer-father, John Parry, during an expedition in the North,
Will became parent, provider and protector to his frail, confused
mother. And it''s in protecting her that he becomes a murderer,
too: he accidentally kills a man who breaks into their home to
steal valuable letters written by John Parry. After placing his
mother in the care of a kind friend, Will takes those letters and
sets off to discover the truth about his father.
The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The
Golden Compass and The Subtle
Knife to a heartstopping close, marking the
third and final volume as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along
with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary
Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, The Amber
Spyglass introduces a host of new characters: the Mulefa,
mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust;
Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spy-master to Lord Asriel; and
Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. And this final volume brings
startling revelations, too: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk
through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone''s
amber spyglass, and the names of who will live - and who will die -
for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven,
a brutal battle that - in its shocking outcome - will reveal the
secret of Dust.
About the Author
Philip Pullman, 1946 - Philip Pullman was born in 1946 and spent part of his youth living in Australia and graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English. Pullman is the author of many acclaimed novels, plays, and picture books for readers of all ages. He is a recent recipient of the highest award given for children's literature in England, the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Fiction Award for "The Golden Compass," the first book of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy.