His Dark Materials

by Philip Pullman

In many ways Lyra was a barbarian.

the rich seething stew of alliances and enmities and feuds and treaties which was a child’s life in Oxford.

gyptian

Jericho,

She was a coarse and greedy little savage,

somewhere in her life there was a connection with the high world of politics represented by Lord Asriel.

eventually she would know more about Dust than anyone in the world;

For no reason that anyone could imagine, children were beginning to disappear.

This is Limehouse, and here is the child who is going to disappear.

breviary.

chocolatl?”

Tony will never come out – at least, by that entrance; and he’ll never see his mother again.

youth who laughed and sang to his victims so that they followed him like sheep.

Pied Piper.

Gobblers.

As people became adult, their dæmons lost the power to change and assumed one shape, keeping it permanently.

She paid for it later, though.

Staircase Twelve

propitiate

butty boats,

Ma Costa,

cannaboles.

Banbury,”

the old swing bridge

St Barnabas

Covered Market.

Cowley

White Ham

“We better rescue him, Pantalaimon,”

ermine

marmoset.

“Mrs Coulter,”

She was beautiful and young. Her sleek black hair framed her cheeks, and her dæmon was a golden monkey.

Gobbler!

There is no Mr Coulter, by the way; she is a widow; her husband died very sadly in an accident some years ago;

“Yes; I can’t prevent it,” said the Master, and Lyra didn’t notice at the time what an odd thing that was to say.

It would be better if Mrs Coulter didn’t know about it.

sconces

Oh, this was confusing. Mrs Coulter was so kind and wise, whereas Lyra had actually seen the Master trying to poison Uncle Asriel. Which of them did she owe most obedience to?

too enchanted to question anything.

knurled

Lyra went everywhere with Mrs Coulter, almost as if she were a dæmon herself.

almost to be a new sex altogether, one with dangerous powers and qualities such as elegance, charm, and grace.

the other five planets

“Well, I don’t know. I’m sure you know much more than I do. Let’s get back to those electrons . . .”

“You know when all the fur stood up on her dæmon? Well, I was behind him, and she grabbed his fur so tight her knuckles went white. You couldn’t see. It was a long time till his fur went down. I thought he was going to leap at you.”

take him up .

You don’t really want to stand around at the cocktail party being all sweet and pretty. She’s just making a pet out of you.”

“Don’t! Please! Stop hurting us!” Mrs Coulter looked up from her flowers. “Do as I tell you, then,” she said. “I promise!”

gentle.

if you behave in this coarse and vulgar way we shall have a confrontation, which I will win.

Lyra found it was quite easy to pretend to be light-hearted and charming,