Northern Lights, published in 1995, is the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy by British novelist Philip Pullman.

In the USA the book was retitled The Golden Compass.

His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)

As usual, I listened to it as an audio book. It was brilliant to have professional actors reading the parts of the many characters. Audio is so, so much better than reading.

In many ways the plot is far better and more fantastical than Harry Potter. It’s the coming of age story of Lyra Belacqua (later Lyra Silvertongue) — an orphaned, eleven-year-old girl growing up at Jordan College, Oxford.

The most interesting angle of this very adult story are the dæmons (animal-formed, shape-shifting manifestation of each human’s soul).

I haven’t seen the movie, yet. It was terrific. Especially the casting!