"Without this child, we shall all die." Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight. Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own first volume in Philip Pullman`s incredible HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy. First published in 1995, and acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, it won the UK`s top awards for children`s literature.