Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in North America) is the first novel in Philip Pullman's celebrated His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy. The story is set in an alternative, parallel Oxford where every human soul is embodied as an external animal companion called a daemon. The protagonist is the fierce, rebellious young girl, Lyra Belacqua. Lyra embarks on a quest to the Arctic to save kidnapped children, uncovering a terrifying conspiracy involving the mysterious substance Dust and the powerful Magisterium.
