Northern Lights
by Philip Pullman
- Series
- His Dark Materials, 3 books
- Genre
- Fantasy for teenagers and adults
- Age
- ages 11 and up
About the series
Lyra Belacqua grows up among scholars at Jordan College, in an Oxford that looks like ours but isn’t. In her world every person has a dæmon, a soul in animal form that stays by their side. Lyra’s is called Pantalaimon, and he can still change shape because she is a child.
Children start to disappear, and people whisper about someone they call the Gobblers. When Lyra’s friend is taken, she sets off for the North with a mysterious instrument that can answer any question truthfully, if you know how to read it. Along the way she meets gyptians, witches and an armoured bear, Iorek Byrnison.
The series begins as an adventure and ends with big questions about faith, knowledge and what it means to grow up.
The books in the series
- Northern Lights (1995)
- The Subtle Knife (1997)
- The Amber Spyglass (2000)
My thoughts
I’ve read it, and the dæmons are one of the best ideas in fantasy. Having your soul walk beside you as an animal says so much about the characters without a single word. And you don’t forget Iorek Byrnison.