Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)

“The idea hovered and shimmered delicately, like a soap bubble, and she dared not even look at it directly in case it burst. But she was familiar with the way of ideas, and she let it shimmer, looking away, thinking about something else.”

Part One: Oxford

Lyra Belacqua, an orphaned girl raised among scholars at Jordan College, Oxford, lives a carefree but secretive life. When her uncle, Lord Asriel, visits the college, Lyra eavesdrops on his lecture about “Dust,” a mysterious particle connected to parallel worlds. She also learns of the sinister “Gobblers,” who kidnap children, including her friend Roger.

Part Two: The Journey North

Lyra is given a truth-telling device called an alethiometer by the Master of Jordan College. She joins Mrs. Coulter, a glamorous but dangerous woman, but soon discovers her involvement with the Gobblers. Fleeing, Lyra is taken in by the Gyptians, a nomadic group whose children have also been kidnapped. They set off for the Arctic to rescue the missing children.

Part Three: Bolvangar

Lyra and the Gyptians travel north, aided by an armored bear named Iorek Byrnison and a balloonist named Lee Scoresby. Lyra is captured and taken to Bolvangar, a facility where the Gobblers conduct horrific experiments on children, severing them from their dæmons (animal companions representing souls). She escapes, freeing the children and destroying the station.

Part Four: The Aurora

Lyra continues north to find Lord Asriel, who is imprisoned by a group of armored bears. Iorek defeats their king in combat, freeing Asriel. Lyra reunites with Roger, but Asriel betrays them—using Roger in a brutal experiment to open a bridge between worlds. The story ends with Lyra stepping into a new universe.

Key Ideas

• Exploration of free will versus destiny.
• Critique of authoritarian institutions and religious dogma.
• The bond between humans and their dæmons as a metaphor for the soul.
• Parallel worlds and the nature of consciousness.
• Coming-of-age through courage and moral choices.

Notable Adaptations