You said I was a warrior. You told me that was my nature, and I shouldn’t argue with it. Father, you were wrong. I fought because I had to. I can’t choose my nature, but I can choose what I do. And I will choose, because now I’m free.

Will is the knife-bearer and his instructions from his father are clear: find Lord Asriel.

But Will and Lyra have been separated and Lyra is the sleeping prisoner of Mrs Coulter and her vicious golden monkey daemon. They must find each other, for their fates are bound together by powers beyond their understanding and ahead of them lies the greatest war that has ever been.

Across the worlds their friends are scattered. Each will have their part to play, for good and ill, in the battle to come.

The days of childhood are ended and as Will and Lyra come to understand the true meaning they have been searching for they face a journey that will test the very limits of their endurance. A journey in the dark to a dark place from which no one has ever returned.

Forces are amassing, the time of reckoning approaches, a battle that will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

‘Without stories, we wouldn’t be human beings at all.’ - Philip Pullman

‘As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next instalment of Lyra’s adventures.