The GenNEXUS of NERD (formerly The Amber Spycast)

 It's quite the discussion and the three of us were perplexed and intrigued and WTFed throughout. How did this film make it to production? Oh, you're telling me there's a sequel already green lit???

 We list out our favorite horror films: creature feature, haunting, possession, slasher, found footage and body horror - and we tease diving into the absolutely bonkers film "Malignant" (which will be our next episode)!

We're taking a crack at something old, something new, something awesome and something ew. The classic Terminator 2: Judgement Day has some common threads with The Tomorrow War, so let's talk about it!

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From Wikipedia: As Lyra, Will, and the witches continue travelling, Serafina sends two witches ahead as scouts. Elsewhere, Ruta Skadi overhears creatures called cliff-ghasts discussing a coming war that Asriel cannot win without Æsahættr. In Cittàgazze, Mrs Coulter captures and then tortures a scout witch with a spectre to reveal Lyra's location and the prophecy that states Lyra will be the second Eve who brings a second Fall of Man. After finding the adults' campsite, Angelica and Paola leave Mary, who continues searching. Pursued by Magisterium soldiers, Lee urges Parry to flee while he fights them off. Lee is mortally wounded and summons Serafina with a cloud pine branch, but dies before she arrives. Parry summons his son, Will, through a vision. Reunited, Parry urges Will to fulfil his destiny as the knife bearer before they can return home. Parry is fatally shot, and, before dying, tells Will the angels will guide him to Asriel. In a desolate world, the angels pledge Lord Asriel their support in the coming war against the Authority. Will returns to find Lyra missing after Mrs Coulter has abducted her. On an airship, Coulter vows to protect Lyra, who appears drugged and is confined inside a trunk. In a post-credits scene, Roger and Lyra call to one another in an unknown location.

"Malice" - From Wikipedia The witches see angels flying overhead. Ruta Skadi believes they are joining Asriel in a coming war. She follows, wanting to find Asriel to help them destroy the Magisterium. Fra Pavel informs Cardinal MacPhail that that the alethiometer shows Mrs Coulter is searching for Lyra, who plays a part in a disastrous prophecy. Paola, Angelica, and other children, wanting to avenge Tullio, attack Will and Lyra. Serafina arrives and saves them. The witches cast a healing spell on Will's wounded hand, but need more powerful medicinal plants growing in their lands. Spectres nearly devour one witch, but Will repels them with the Subtle Knife. Mary arrives in Cittàgazze, unknowingly protected by angels. She encounters Paola and Angelica and promises to help find their adult counterparts. Boreal and Mrs Coulter also enter Cittàgazze, searching for Lyra, Will, and the Subtle Knife. They encounter spectres which Mrs Coulter can control by suppressing her humanity. She fatally poisons Boreal, stating he hinders her ambitions. Lee and Parry, flying to Cittàgazze, are pursued by Magisterium airships. Parry uses his shaman powers to summon storms and a flock of birds that take down two airships. A third ship shoots Lee's balloon, forcing him to land.

"The Scholar" (from Wikipedia)Cardinal MacPhail claims the witches' deadly airship attack is a sign that the Authority is punishing the Magisterium for lacking devotion. McPhail then falsely accuses Father Graves, his former rival for the cardinalate, of losing faith and has him arrested. He instructs his alethiometrist, Fra Pavel, to learn Mrs Coulter's location and what she seeks. Mrs Coulter and Boreal arrive at Boreal's other Oxford house to wait for Lyra and Will's arrival. Mrs Coulter visits Mary Malone, introducing herself as Lyra's mother. Later, the Cave instructs Mary to play the serpent, journey to another world, and save the girl and boy, before shutting itself down. Paola and Angelica blame Lyra and Will for the spectres consuming their brother Tullio's soul. Lyra arrives at Boreal's, distracting him, while Will cuts a window into his house to retrieve the alethiometer. Lyra is shocked to encounter Mrs Coulter there; Pan viciously attacks Coulter's daemon. Will, struggling with Boreal, grabs the alethiometer and cuts a window back to Cittàgazze, escaping with Lyra. Boreal warns Mrs Coulter about the spectres when she wants to follow Lyra. Mary steps through the window to Cittàgazze.

Episode Synopsis pulled from Wikipedia:Will visits his mother while Lyra heads to Oxford where she encounters Charles Latrom (Lord Boreal). The alethiometer guides Lyra to Mary Malone, a physicist researching Dark Matter (Dust). Lyra shows Mary the alethiometer, and Mary demonstrates her research that similarly allows computer communication with Dust. Cardinal Sturrock dies, leaving Father MacPhail a possible successor. Dr Lanselius, the witches' peace envoy, testifies that Ruta Skati's attack was a lone act. He is then falsely convicted of spying, heresy, and treason. Will meets his paternal grandparents who want his father's letters. Will leaves as they call to report him to police. Mary connects Lyra to her computer. The particles form screen images that Lyra interprets. Lyra tells Will the alethiometer told her to help him. At Mrs Coulter's urging, MacPhail takes a bold action and bombs the witches' territories. Thorold, Asriel's jailed assistant, tells Mrs Coulter that Asriel intended to sacrifice Lyra to open up the other world. When MacPhail is chosen Cardinal, Mrs Coulter threatens blackmail to ensure his continued cooperation.The witches vow retribution for their destroyed lands. A mysterious figure whispers for Lee Scoresby to "return." Lyra flees Boreal's henchman who confronts her in Mary Malone's office. Outside, Charles Latrom (Boreal) offers Lyra a lift. After exiting his car, she discovers the alethiometer missing from her backpack. Scoresby, searching for Grumman, finds his balloon has inexplicably flown to Yenisei. Dr Haley, an astronomy scholar there, confirms Grumman is alive and declares him a heretic. Haley, a Magisterium agent, attempts to shoot Scoresby, who is arrested after killing Haley in self-defence. In Cittàgazze, Will sees someone inside the tower. Mrs Coulter arrives in Yenisei and discovers Scoresby jailed there. He conceals Lyra's whereabouts, but Mrs Coulter later frees him, knowing he will keep Lyra safe. Mary attempts to communicate with Dust. Serefina Pekkala's daemon, Kaisa, and Iorek discuss Lyra and the prophecy. Lord Boreal will return the alethiometer if Will and Lyra bring him a knife hidden in the Tower of the Angels in Cittagàzze.A narrator recounts the Subtle Knife's origins and why spectres were unleashed. Scoresby finds Jopari, a shaman who confirms he is Grumman. He claims he "summoned" Scoresby and needs his help to find the Subtle Knife, named Æsahættr, and bring it to Asriel. Mary rejects Boreal's offer to fund her and Oliver's research. Lyra and Will ascend the Tower of the Angels in Cittàgazze and encounter Giacomo Paradisi, the elderly knife bearer. A youth named Tullio has just attacked him and stolen the knife. Will recovers the knife, but his right-hand little fingerand ring finger are partially severed during the struggle; Paradisi proclaims Will is now the knife bearer and shows how to cut portals between worlds. After Lyra and Will depart with the knife, Paradisi, no longer protected, fatally poisons himself to thwart the spectres. Tullio's soul is eaten by the spectre. Scoresby agrees to help Jopari if Lyra is put under the Subtle Knife's protection. Mary communicates with Dust, which are angels. Lord Boreal leads Mrs Coulter through Cittàgazze to the alternate Oxford to find Lyra. Serafina Pekkala and Ruta Skadi attack the Magisterium airships guarding the portal, then travel through to find Lyra.

We're ripping through the end of this book, guys! Your hosts are eating it all up, except for Gracious Wings' name maybe? We talk so much about the book that we didn't even get to talk about the show. Instead you'll get a packed episode next week that will be ALL about His Dark Materials on HBO/BBC.

A synopsis usually goes here, but this episode is so packed, suffice it to say that we cover a LOT of ground. Please listen, like, subscribe an comment! Any reviews are also greatly appreciated. “Even if it means oblivion, friends, I'll welcome it, because it won't be nothing. We'll be alive again in a thousand blades of grass, and a million leaves; we'll be falling in the raindrops and blowing in the fresh breeze; we'll be glittering in the dew under the stars and the moon out there in the physical world, which is our true home and always was.”

At the same time Lyra and Will are talking, Tialys and Salmakia are holding their own conversation about the knife. They know they must keep even closer to Will now that the knife is being mended. While Salmakia believes that they can win Lyra over and use her to keep close to WIll, Tialys is not so easily convinced. Skeptical, they watch as Iorek begins preparations to mend the knife. The children return from the woods and Iorek enlists them to help as he mends the knife, with Lyra overseeing the gas pit while Will tends to the fire. Iorek warns Will that the knife will look different after it is mended. He performs his craft with precision; as he meticulously joins the pieces of the knife, Iorek calls on Will to hold the pieces of the knife together with his mind. In doing so, Will can feel each atom of the knife link to one another, “...strengthening and straightening” (Pullman, 169) themselves into a new blade. When the forging is finally complete, Iorek, Lyra, and Will fall into exhaustion. Iorek asks Will to follow him out into the cold, dark mountainside. Once there, Iorek says that the knife should not have been made and reveals that he is troubled, expressessing doubt about having fixed the knife. Fearing he has been foolish like Iofur Rakinson, Iorek asks Will what he plans to do with the knife. Will explains the plan to go to the world of the dead. Iorek tells Will that if he wants to succeed in his task, he must put aside all thought of his mother. They return to the cave where Iorek tells Will to stay with the knife so he can say farewell to Lyra. Will examines the newly mended knife, which is shorter and more dull, and determines it is ugly. Lyra returns from her farewell talk with Iorek and tells Will that everything seems to be falling on them, even though they are too young for such responsibility. Wary of the impending arrival of the gyrocopters, Will and Lyra test the knife and open a window to sleep in another world. The Gallevespians protest, insisting the children stay. Will tells Tialys that they are leaving, so they can either come along to the other side or die trying to stop them. Once through the window to the other world, Will and Lyra immediately fall asleep while the Gallevespians open the lodestone resonator and begin playing a message into the darkness.

Will and Lyra awaken within seconds of each other and are disappointed to find that the Gallevespians are still keeping watch over them. With the help of the lodestone resonator, Tialys informs Will that the Consistorial Court's army has retreated, and that King Ogunwe captured Mrs. Coulter and plans to bring her back to Lord Asriel. Lyra checks the alethiometer, making sure that the coast is clear; then the group moves back through the window. On the other side of the window they encounter the aftermath of death and destruction from the great battle. Will is worried about Ama, but Lyra tells him the alethiometer says she is ok. They begin a day of long, hard walking; Will and the Gallevespians are handling the trek well, Lyra is trying to hide her pain and exhaustion. After the Gallevespians check-in with the lodestone, Will applies ointment to Lyra's badly blistered feet. After another hour's walk, Lyra cries out with joy upon finding Iorek Byrnison. Iorek fills Lyra in on all that has happened since she had gone to sleep, including the fate of Lee Scoresby. Wanting to speak with the children alone, Iorek, Will, and Lyra make their way to the edge of the cave mouth, where Will tells Iorek the knife is broken. Almost instantly, Will calls the Gallevespians out of hiding, confronts them. Iorek meticulously inspects the knife and agrees that the knife can be fixed, however, he highly cautions against it. Iorek instructs Lyra to consult the alethiometer to make sure she understands what she is asking. She is confused by much of what the alethiometer shows her, but ultimately discovers that the answer is yes. Under the guide of gathering wood for the fire, Lyra and Will go off to speak privately. She tells Will that the alethiometer said the knife is to be the death of Dust, but also the only way to keep it alive. It told Lyra that they might die if they go to the world of the dead. Lyra feels that even though it is dangerous, she and Will must go to rescue Roger and Will agrees to the plan.

At present, Will and Mrs. Coulter are engaged in a ruthless standoff with the Galevespians, one of whom is being held hostage by the Golden Monkey while the other holds a poison spur to Mrs. Coulter's neck. Will swipes at the Golden Monkey and knocks him off of his perch, allowing the Lady Salmakia to escape. In the confusion, the Chevalier Tialys orders Will to follow him to safety, checking first to see if he is still in possession of the knife. They dart out of the cave past Mrs. Coulter, who screams and cries for her darling Lyra. Rather than follow Tialys, Will plans instead to make his way to the window he cut behind a bush but Swiss soldiers intercept them and Balthamos must come to Will's rescue. Unable to fight them off, Will must shoot a man in order to escape. He and Lyra jump through the window and discover that the Galevespians have followed them there. Will discretely asks Lyra to consult the alethiometer about mending the knife, then tells her about Balthamos and his father. Lyra tells Will about her plan to find Roger in the Land of the Dead and Will suggests they use the knife to rescue him. The Galevespians want to take the children back to Lord Asriel but Will refuses and they reach another stalemate. They offer to help Will find Iorek Byrnison if the children promise to go with them later, to which Lyra eagerly agrees, though she has no intention of doing so. Night comes and WIll quickly falls asleep, while Lyra, who dutifully keeps watch over him, only wishes to rest her eyes before falling into a deep sleep herself.

In Lyra's world, Ama and her daemon Kulang play a game among the rock shelves on their way to deliver food to Mrs. Coulter. Rounding the top of a waterfall, Ama is startled to find a bear and a boy peering at her from over the edge. The pair explain that they are looking for a cave with a sleeping girl inside. Surprised by this, Ama reveals that she knows this cave and has special herbs to wake up Lyra. She leads Will to Mrs. Coulter's cave and they plan for Ama to return with the medicine when she delivers the evening meal. Will watches Mrs. Coulter from afar, but is discovered by the golden monkey. Shortly after, Will meets Mrs. Coulter for the first time. She explains that she keeps Lyra asleep in the cave because she wants to protect Lyra from the forces of the Church. Will knows that Mrs. Coulter is lying; he leaves the cave but remains captivated by her. Meanwhile, aboard the zeppelin of the Consistorial Court, two Gallivespian spies hatch their special dragonflies. Through a device called the lodestone resonator, they receive a message from their chief, who tells them to cooperate with Will. Lord Asriel's troops and the Consistorial Court are almost at Mrs. Coulter's doorstep while high above, the Gallivespians take shelter in the trees and keep watch. Will plans to cut a hole from another world to enter the cave and rescue Lyra. When he does, Mrs. Coulter springs awake and grabs at him, struggling for the knife. As they skirmish, Will looks at Mrs. Coulter and thinks of his mother's face; his heart fills with sorrow and the knife lodges in the air, breaking into pieces. Ama gives Lyra the medicine and she awakens. Will gathers the broken pieces of the subtle knife and stores them in its sheath. Outside the cave, the zeppelins are closing in and Will calls for Balthamos to help him. Before he can answer, Mrs. Coulter yells in pain and drops her weapon. As Will grabs for the pistol, he finds Mrs. Coulter in a strange stalemate, for the Golden Monkey holds the tiny Lady Salmakia hostage while the Chevalier Tialys digs his poison spur into Mrs. Coulter's neck.

As they head south towards the Himalayas, Will and Iorek discuss the unique properties of the subtle knife. Will explains how he came to possess the knife and shows Iorek the wound he obtained fighting for it. He tells Iorek that he is supposed to take the knife to Lord Asriel but first he must rescue Lyra Silvertongue, to which Iorek pledges the bears' help. Once they reach the shore, Will shows an awestruck Iorek how the subtle knife opens windows to other worlds. Afterwards, they begin the three day journey to Lyra, unaware that both Lord Asriel and the combined forces of the Magisterium are also on their way. Meanwhile, in the world of Ci'gazze, Father Gomez listens as a little red-haired girl and her brother tell him about a woman who passed through town, unaware and unafraid of the Spectres, on her way south towards the mountains. He thanks the children for their help and sets off through the hot, silent streets towards the south. Further ahead, Mary Malone has learned a great deal about the mulefa she is traveling with. After three days in their company she discovers that these creatures have language, fire, and formed a society. Mary realizes that, while they are not human like she is, the mulefa are indeed a people. She consults the I Ching about what to do next and it replies that she should continue her stay. Mary is taken by the mulefa and works to become a useful part of their intricate and intimate society. One afternoon, while Mary helps to repair the roof of a hut, a flock of giant white birds called Tualapi attack the mulefas' village, emptying the food supplies and demolishing the wheel store. As a final insult, the Tualapi defecate throughout the decemated village before heading downstream towards the sea. Reeling after the attack, Mary collects the few seedpods that remain to the relief of the anxious mulefa, for despite the great effort, care, and love that they give them, the wheel-pod trees are inexplicably dying. 

As Father McPhail warns of the Tempter, Mary Malone bids farewell to the kind, elderly couple that assisted her when she first crossed into the world of Ci'gazze. Unsure where to go next, she consults the I Ching, a Chinese method of fortune telling kindred to the alethiometer. After hiking a mountain path for four hours, Mary discovers a window to another world. Once through, she is astounded by what she finds. Miniscule insects and tiny hummingbirds fly in sharp relief to the wide, red-gold trunks of the new world's enormous trees. Yet nothing is as strange as the creatures Mary finds in the grove. Called mulefa, the creatures have short trunks like elephants, diamond-shaped bodies, and claws that they hook through wheel-shaped seedpods they ride through the countryside. Mary communicates with the mulefa, who are able to mimic her in broken English. They befriend her, gesturing for Mary to travel with them as they leave the safety of the grove. Meanwhile, in Lyra's world, Balthamos suddenly senses that Baruch has died. He is overtaken by anguish and guilt, almost unable to go on, but Will is able to convince him to continue for Baruch's sake. As they travel, Will and Balthamos encounter a priest who warns them of a village in the south that is plagued by armoured bears. The bears are attacking because the villagers refuse to refuel them. Will and Balthamos make their way to the village where Will comes up with a plan to stop the fighting. He says he will challenge one of the bears; if Will wins, the villagers must refuel the bear's ship so they can be on their way. The bear agrees; but when Will displays the power of the subtle knife, he refuses to fight such a weapon. The villagers keep their word and refuel the bears' boats. Will tells one of the bears that he is looking for Iorek Byrnison to help him find his friend, Lyra Silvertongue. The bear reveals to Wil that he is, in fact, Iorek Byrnison. Fascinated by Will's knife, Iorek agrees to help Will find Lyra, allowing him to travel with the bears as they make their way toward the Himalayas. 

As chapter five opens, four angels pursue Baruch through a lake of molten sulfur on his way to Lord Asriel's fortress, the Adamant Tower. Baruch keeps low to the ground, which has kept him safe but added time that he doesn't have to his journey.  Fearing his message will arrive too late, Baruch risks taking to the skies. Almost immediately, two of Metatron's angels attack and the three struggle in midair, rising and falling among the rocks. At the western end of the saw-toothed mountains, a great fortress seems to rise and burst out of the ancient lava flows. Through a small sentry gate, a wounded Baruch is assisted by three hooded figures who take him to Lord Asriel. Gravely injured, Baruch tells Lord Asriel that the Authority has retired deep inside the Clouded Mountain and no longer attends to the daily affairs of the Kingdom. The Authority believes that conscious beings have become perilously independent, and the church, corrupt and weak, so Metatron is going to more directly intervene in human affairs starting by destroying Asriel's Republic. Baruch continues; he tells Lord Asriel about the subtle knife and reveals that the boy who wields it is none other than the son of Stanislaus Grumman. Moreover, the boy, Will, is friends with Lyra and is looking for her. Asriel asks Baruch if he knows where Lyra is and to show him on a map. Suddenly, a soldier bursts through the door. Already struggling to keep himself together, the draft proves too much and Baruch dissipates into the air, whispering Balthamos' name with his last breath. Immediately, Lord Asriel summons several of his allies. Meanwhile, Fra Pavel sits in front of the Consistorial Court, one of several warring factions inside the Magisterium, and tells them that Lyra is with Mrs. Coulter somewhere in their Himalayas. Knowing that she is to be the new Eve, and fearful of the implications, the Court sends a lone assassin, Father Gomez, to find and kill her. It is understood that once he leaves the safety of the Court, Father Gomez will be disavowed by all involved.  Father McPhail gives him one last piece of advice: Do not look for the girl; rather, look for the Tempter, for in doing so she will lead him straight to Lyra.

In Lyra's world, the climate is changing because of the rip in the sky that Lord Asriel made. Serafina Pekkala flies to the north to find Iorek Byrnison, who is struggling to hunt down a walrus on the melting ice. With great guilt and remorse, she tells Iorek that his friend, Lee Scoresby, is dead, and that she preserved his body with a spell so that Iorek could pay his last respects. Iorek tells her that he will go to Lee's body, but then continue south to relocate his kingdom. Serafina reveals that she is going in search of the Gyptians to enlist their help. All the while, scavenging foxes, possessing a crude grasp of language, listen in on Serafina and Iorek's conversation. Iorek swims the long journey south, passing from his world to the next. He comes upon the place where Lee Scoresby died, finding him perfectly preserved  due to Serafina's spell. After paying his respects, Iorek removes the enchanted flower that maintained the spell and proceeds to eat the remains of his friend before continuing his journey south. Back north, a group of Cliff-ghasts capture and devour a fox who is babbling about a “balloon man” and “king bear.” Back in the Himalayas, the young servant girl, Ama, perseverates on Mrs. Coulter and on Lyra's condition. Wanting to help the beautiful holy woman, Ama sneaks away to procure a remedy for Lyra's sleeping sickness. After acquiring the special powder, Ama makes her way to the cave to find Lyra, restless and unattended. Suddenly, Mrs. Coulter and her monkey daemon arrive back at the cave, forcing Ama into hiding. From her narrow hiding place, Ama sees Mrs. Coulter concoct a sleeping draught and force the now conscious and frantic Lyra to drink from it. As Lyra falls back into a deep sleep, Mrs. Coulter sings her a lullaby, snipping a lock of Lyra's hair and placing it in a locket. Meanwhile, the golden monkey heartlessly tortures and kills a bat provided by Mrs. Coulter. Once Mrs. Coulter falls asleep, Ama sneaks away, making her way back down to her village. Horrified by what she has seen, Ama resolves to use the powder to revive and rescue Lyra.

At the opening of The Amber Spyglass, we find that Mrs. Coulter is keeping Lyra in a cave in the Himalayas of Lyra's own world. Pretending to be a holy woman, Mrs. Coulter relies on the help of a little servant girl named Ama to bring her food and other necessities. Ama tells Mrs. Coulter that, while they are happy to have a holy woman in their care, the villagers are frightened of her rumored companion, who they fear is dangerous and powerful. Mrs. Coulter shows Ama that her sleeping companion is simply her young daughter, Lyra. After Ama leaves, Mrs. Coulter feeds Lyra a sleeping potion to keep her unconscious during which Lyra dreams she is speaking to Roger. Back in the world of Ci'gazze, Will and two angels, Balthamos and Baruch, argue over what to do. They insist that Will come with them to Lord Asriel, but Will says he has to first find Lyra. Baruch agrees to fly ahead to look for her, and Will and Balthamos make their way down the mountain. While practicing with the subtle knife, Will learns that each world has a different “feel” to it, and he is able to accurately open portals to his world, Lyra's Oxford, and the world of Ci'gazze. Baruch returns, having discovered where Mrs. Coulter is hiding. As they make their way towards Lyra, Metatron, the Lord Regent of God's angels, attacks Will, Baruch, and Balthamos. There is a brief struggle but they are able to escape. Afterwards, Balthamos tells Will that angels are made out of Dust. He also tells Will that God was not the creator of the universe, but was rather one of the first angels. When he gained power, he started telling the other angels that he had created everything. Another angel eventually found out the truth, so God banished her and all the angels that followed her. God is old now and Metatron rules in his place. The trio agree to part ways; Baruch decides to go to Lord Asriel alone and talk to him, while Balthamos agrees to pretend to be Will's daemon and to help Will find Lyra.

"The Betrayal" plays out much like the book, however with the added "Subtle" elements, is the experience diminished? 

You'd never think that the real world stuff would be the most compelling and interesting, but here we are. Lyra's world is fizzling while Will's is en Fuego. 

In this episode, JoAnna and Travis are left to their own devices to discuss the Daemon Cages! 

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Your Materialists' heads have officially blown up. We're just tickled to be talking about an ACTUAL His Dark Materials series.

Here we go, guys! The wait is over. Lyra's Jordan, Season 1: Episode 1!

In the world of Ci'gazze, Lyra, Will, and the witches travel north toward the rift in the sky. Serafina notices that the spell she used to heal the wound on Will's hand is not working. As they stop to rest and eat, some witches report that they saw a balloon with two men in it flying over the sea. Shortly after, Ruta Skadi returns and gives an effusive report; she says that Lord Asriel has built a magnificent fortress in another world and that creatures from every world have joined him in his war against God. She also overheard cliff ghasts say that there is only one thing that could destroy God: something called Æsahættr. The children fall asleep, and while Ruta and Serafina are upstream discussing their plans, a strange light radiates from their camp. They return to discover that angels have come on a pilgrimage to see Lyra. Meanwhile, Lee Scoresby and John Parry are sailing above the sea in Ci'gazze, with forces from the Church in hot pursuit. Although Parry uses magic to conjure a storm that brings down one of the zeppelins, Lee has to make a crash landing and abandon the balloon. That night, in the dreamscape, John Parry brings down two more of the zeppelins that are pursuing them. The last group sets fire to the forest and Lee agrees to keep the soldiers in the fourth zeppelin at bay while Parry escapes to find the knife bearer. Lee holds the soldiers off with the help of his daemon, Hester, and Parry escapes, but Lee and Hester are killed. Before they die, they call out to Serafina Pekkala for help. Serafina leaves Will and Lyra in the care of her witches and goes to find Lee. One of the witches, Lena Feldt, sees people in the distance and goes to investigate. She arrives at a camp to find Mrs. Coulter and Lord Boreal. Mrs. Coulter has learned how to control the specters and uses one to capture the witch's daemon and torture Lena. Mrs. Coulter forces her to tell her what she knows about Lyra, then kills Lena and Lord Boreal, and summons the specters. Up the mountain, Will can't sleep, so he goes for a walk. In the darkness, he runs into a man (who is actually John Parry) and they fight. The man realizes that Will is the knife bearer and he cures Will's wound. He says that Will has to bring the knife to Lord Asriel so he can use it in his fight against God. Will tries to give the knife to Parry, but he refuses it. John Parry lights a lamp so he can see Will, and just as Will realizes that he is looking at his father, a witch who had been in love with Parry kills him and then herself. Devastated, Will takes his father's cloak and leaves to find Lyra. Along the way, he meets two angels who urge him to go with them to Lord Asriel. When he returns to the camp, Will sees that the witches have been attacked by specters and Lyra is gone. The angels try to get Will to come with them but Will simply stares at Lyra's knapsack, which contains the alethiometer, unable to decide what to do.

In Lyra's world, Lee Scoresby continues to search for Stanislaus Grumman. He packs up his ballon and makes his way by boat down the Yenisei River. After docking in a village, he enlists the help of an old Siberian Tartar, who tells Lee that they have been expecting him. Lee follows the old man to a wood-framed, skin-covered hut where Grumman, who is now a shaman, lives. A bright, yellow-eyed daemon watches Lee from behind splays of dried flowers and pine. The old man calls for Grumman in his native tongue using a different name: Jopari. Lee tells Grumman about Lyra and Lord Asriel, and asks for his help. Grumman reveals that his real name is John Parry and that he brought Lee here using a Navajo ring that belonged to Lee's mother. Parry says that Lord Asriel's task is the greatest undertaking in human history and that he needs something he doesn't have to succeed: the subtle knife. He wants Lee to take him to find the instrument and the knife bearer who wields it. Lee agrees to take John Parry to the other world to look for the knife if he agrees to place Lyra under its protection once he has it. In Ci'gazze, Will and Lyra are attacked and almost killed by a group of angry children, but Serafina Pekkala and her clan rescue them and take them away from the city. Serafina notices that Specters seem to be afraid of Will's knife. When they are settled, Serafina looks at Will's wound and prepares a spell to help heal his hand. As Will sleeps, Serafina asks Lyra to tell her about the boy. Back in Will's world, Mary Malone tries to convince her colleague, Dr. Oliver Payne, to continue their work with The Shadows. Dr. Payne is ready to quit when Sir Charles Latrom walks through the door and offers them funding to continue their research. His only condition is that they allow him to determine the course of their studies. Mary refuses, angering Sir Charles. Later that evening, Mary returns to the lab and is able to talk to the Shadows through the use of her computer. The Shadows tell Mary that her fate is somehow connected with that of Will and Lyra. They tell her to leave her world and enter another, where she will be protected from the Specters. After destroying the computer and the remains of her work, Mary deceives the watchman guarding the window and enters the warm, sunny world of Ci'gazze.

In the world of Cittagazze, Lyra awakens before Will and plans to visit Mary Malone without him. As she makes her way to the window, she encounters three younger children playing in the water. They talk to her about cats, Specters, the Guild, and a place called the Tower of Angels or Torre degli Angeli. She leaves the children and crosses over into Will's Oxford, making her way to the physics building to see Mary. Dr. Malone tells Lyra that some officials from Will's world are already there and asking about her. They begin questioning Lyra and she accidentally reveals that she knows Will. Realizing her mistake, Lyra flees from the building and is picked up later by the man she met in the museum the day before, Sir Charles Latrom. He takes Lyra to the window that leads to Ci'gazze but before he drops her off, Sir Charles steals the alethiometer. Lyra returns to Ci'gazze and tells Will what happened. Together Lyra and Will go to Sir Charles's house to confront him. He tells them that he will give back the alethiometer if they get him a knife that is being held by a man in Ci'gazze, in the Tower of Angels. Will is shocked when he sees the head of a serpent peeking out the sleeve of Sir Charles' linen coat but Lyra does not see it. She and Will agree to retrieve the knife. They go to the Torre and see a man, Angelica's older brother Tullio, trying to use the knife. Tullio has ambushed and beaten an old man named Giacomo Paradisi and stolen the knife from him. Will and Tullio fight for the knife and Tullio cuts off two of Will's fingers. Will wins the fight and keeps the knife but Tulio escapes. The old man explains that a knife bearer is known by his absence of two fingers. Giacomo teaches Will both how to cut through to other worlds and how to close up the holes again. Later that night, Lyra and Will return to Will's world, planning to use the knife to steal the alethiometer. While they are at Sir Charles house, Mrs. Coulter arrives and Lyra realizes that Sir Charles Latrom is actually Lord Boreal, who wants the knife so he can travel between worlds without fearing the Specters. Lyra causes a diversion so Will can take the alethiometer. Mrs. Coulter's monkey daemon chases them, almost catching them, but Will and Lyra escape through a window to the world of Ci'gazze and close it up again. 

After hitting a dead-end, Will and Lyra separate to pursue their own interests while in Oxford. Will finds that much of what he needs to know about his father is a matter of public record. He writes a  short postcard to his mother, then heads to the library to do some research. Meanwhile, Lyra looks for a quiet place to consult the alethiometer. She ends up in a museum where she discovers an exhibit containing the exact furs and sledge from her kidnapping in the North, along with a photo of the same Samoyed hunters who took her to Bolvangar! Close by is another exhibit showcasing a number of human skulls, all of which have holes bored into them. The alethiometer reveals a strange truth about the skulls that Lyra doesn't fully understand.  Shortly after, she is approached by an older, grey-haired man in a linen suit, who was quietly watching her from the upper level of the museum. He tries to get Lyra to come with him but she declines. After consulting the alethiometer again, Lyra finds a physicist named Dr. Mary Malone, a former nun who researches dark matter and something she calls Shadows. Dr. Malone explains to Lyra that Shadows are conscious and they cluster around humans. Lyra realizes they are the same thing as Dust, and convinces Mary that she can talk to Shadows. Will learns more about the Arctic expedition his father was on just before he vanished. Back in Cittagazze, he reads his father's letters and finds out that just before he disappeared, his father was looking for the same kind of hole into another universe that Will fell through. In Lyra's world, Lee Scoresby searches for Stanislau Grumman and accidentally kills an agent of the Church. Serafina and her witches enter the world of Ci'gazze and learn about the Specters and the bene elim, angels who are able to pass between worlds. Ruta Skadi leaves the witches to follow a flight of angels as they make their way North. As they approach a large mountain range, Ruta hears the clanging and pounding of the “fortress Lord Asriel was building at the end of the world”.

The Subtle Knife opens in our world, where a young boy named Will Parry is bringing his ill mother to an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Cooper, who reluctantly agrees to take care of Mrs. Parry. After leaving his mother, Will returns to his house and frantically searches for a green leather writing case filled with letters from the adventure-seeking father he's never met. Strange men have been coming to the house asking questions and looking for the case, and Will wants to find it before they do. Just as Will finds the letters, the men break into the house and one of them makes his way upstairs. Will rushes through the doorway, accidentally pushing the man down the stairs and killing him. On the run, Will makes his way to Oxford where he hopes to have his questions about his father answered. Late in the evening as Will walks along a tree-lined street, he notices a cat acting strangely. Upon investigating more closely, he is surprised to see a barely-visible opening in the air leading into another world. Will decides to cross through the opening from one world to another. He finds himself on a strange, deserted street and seeks refuge in a small house, where he encounters a feral-looking Lyra Silvertongue. Elsewhere, Serafina Pekkala witnesses Mrs. Coulter torturing a witch for information about Lyra and kills her to prevent her from telling Mrs. Coulter what she knows. Serafina goes to Svalbard to speak with Lord Asriel's servant Thorold, who tells her that Lord Asriel means to start a war with God. She flies back to her clan, where Lee Scoresby and Ruta Skadi, the queen of the Latvian witches, has joined them. Lee Scoresby says that he is going to look for the scientist and explorer named Stanislaus Grumman. Serafina and her witches decide that they need to summon other witch clans to fight on Lord Asriel's side and protect Lyra. Ruta Skadi will go to Lord Asriel to see what he is really doing. Back in the new world, Lyra and Will meet two children who tell them that the city they are in is called Cittàgazze. They say that it is filled with specters, which are wraiths that feed on adults but do not harm children. After speaking with them, Lyra and Will agree to go back to Will's world so Lyra can find a physicist who can tell her about Dust. Once there, it is clear to Lyra that this is not her Oxford and her mission might take longer than expected.

New Line had great success with a fantasy epic in The Lord of the Rings, but could they strike gold again adapting Pullman's masterpiece? Part TWO of our review will close out the film and get us in the right mindset for the series (November 4!).

New Line had great success with a fantasy epic in The Lord of the Rings, but could they strike gold again adapting Pullman's masterpiece? Part ONE of our revisit gets us to the midpoint of the film and if you listen through the end, you may get a second opinion from an 8 year old, real life Lyra. 

After falling asleep by the fire, Lyra is suddenly awakened by Lord Asriel's servant, Thorold, who is trembling and frantic. He tells Lyra that Lord Asriel has kidnapped Roger and Lyra realizes Lord Asriel is going to cut Roger's daemon away in order to harness the loose energy and open a door to another universe. She enlists the help of Iorek Byrnison and his bears to track Roger and Lord Asriel across the ice. Suddenly, dozens of witches circle high above and attack the small band of bears. A heavily armed zeppelin carrying Mrs. Coulter also joins the fight. Iorek and Lyra must rush off after Lord Asriel, leaving the remaining panserbjorne to keep the witches, Tartars, and Mrs. Coulter's soldiers at bay. Iorek takes Lyra as far up the frozen mountain as he can to a bridge of compacted snow but it is unable to bear his weight, so he must send Lyra on alone. At the top of the mountain, Lord Asriel works to set up his instruments, pushing away a pleading, crying Roger while Stellmaria clutches Roger's daemon in her mouth. Lyra and Pan battle fiercely for their friend and manage to briefly free Roger and his daemon but Stellmaria gets a hold of Roger's daemon once more, hindering their escape. In the struggle, the cliff of snow beneath Lyra and Roger gives way. As they fall, Roger is severed from his daemon. The burst of energy tears open the sky and reveals the gateway to another world. To Lyra's surprise, Mrs. Coulter appears and instead of dismissing her, Lord Asriel asks her to come to the new world with him. He tells her that he's going to find the source of Dust and destroy it. Mrs. Coulter refuses to come and Lord Asriel walks away into the other world. Pan convinces Lyra that if Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter hate Dust, then it must actually be a good thing. She and Pantalaimon decide to go and look for the source of Dust themselves. Battling both fear and doubt, they leave Roger's body in the snow on the mountaintop and bravely walk into the sunny new world.

As Iorek makes his way across the ice, Lyra waits impatiently for him to arrive at the palace in Svalbard. The bears prepare the combat ground with great care and ceremony and Lyra watches as they give the same attention to Iofur Raknison. Lyra feels sick when she realizes that Iorek will have had neither food nor rest for the last 24 hours, and fears that she is unknowingly leading him to his death. When Iorek arrives at the palace, Iofur allows Lyra some time to speak with Iorek to encourage him to fight. Lyra quickly explains the urgency of the situation to Iorek. Impressed that Lyra was able to trick Iofur, Iorek gives her a new nickname: Lyra Silvertongue. Iofur and Iorek fight a long, brutal battle. Iorek feigns an injury to his paw causing Iofur to let his guard down. Seeing this, Iorek makes his move, killing Iofur. Iorek is victorious and is restored to his place as the true king of the bears. He takes Lyra to a safe place where he has hidden Roger where they are reunited. After learning the fate of Lee Scoresby and the witches, Roger, Iorek, and Lyra go to the fortress where Lord Asriel is being held captive and where he continues to do experiments with Dust. When they arrive at his room, Lord Asriel panics when he sees Lyra but calms a bit when he sees that Roger is there with her. She tells Lord Asriel she knows he is her father and demands that he tell her the truth about Dust. Lord Asriel tells Lyra that Dust is what makes the alethiometer work. He tells her the story of Adam and Eve and explains that Dust is another word for original sin, or Adam and Eve's knowledge of themselves. He tells Lyra Mrs. Coulter thinks that cutting children's daemons away might keep children free from sin. Lord Asriel realizes that when daemons are cut away, a great burst of energy is released and believes that enough energy is released to create a doorway to another universe beyond the Aurora. Lyra tries to give Lord Asriel the alethiometer, but he refuses it. Utterly bewildered, Lyra sits speechless by the fire as she watches Lord Asriel leave the room.

Flying high above the frozen tundra, Lyra sleeps peacefully as Lee Scoresby and Serafina Pekkala discuss the girl's destiny and what it might mean for all involved. When she awakens, Lyra and Serafina talk for a long time about the nature of witches, her relationship with Farder Coram, the Church's connection to Dust, and daemons. Serafina tells her that she doesn't know why humans have daemons but she knows it is what separates humans from animals. Lyra muses about Iorek and his armor; she learns that although he is exiled, Iorek is the rightful king of the panserbjorne and the new king, named Iofur Raknison, is clever in a human way. Flying past mountains covered by a thick fog, the balloon is suddenly attacked by cliff ghasts, causing it to lerch and drop violently. Lyra is thrown from the balloon and lands in a large snow-drift, where she is discovered by armored bears. The bears bring her to Svalbard, once grand and majestic but now filthy and appalling, and throw her in the dungeon. Here she meets an old professor from Gloucester. He tells Lyra that Iofur Raknison is infatuated with Mrs. Coulter and would do anything for her, but that he is playing both sides of the game: isolating Lord Asriel to please Mrs. Coulter while still providing him with all the equipment he needs to continue his work. Lyra wants to force Iofur to fight Iorek so he can reclaim his kingdom. But Iofur won't fight Iorek because it would be undignified for the king to fight an exile. In the dungeon, Lyra remembers hearing that Iofur Raknison wanted a daemon, just like a human. Lyra manipulates the guards into getting her a private audience with the king. Using the alethiometer, Lyra convinces Iofur that she is Iorek's daemon. She says that if Iofur fights Iorek and wins, Lyra would become Iofur's daemon instead. Iofur agrees; in an effort to protect Iorek, Lyra suggests Iofur tell the bears that he called Iorek back to fight so they do not kill him on the spot when he enters Svalbard. With Iorek only four hours away, the bears prepare the battle grounds while Lyra waits for him to rescue her.

As the chaos of the fire drill subsides, Lyra joins the children inside the compound for warm drinks as they discuss Mrs. Coulter's arrival. Lyra informs the other children of the plan to escape Bolvangar and instructs them to be prepared for the signal: another fire drill. Groups of anxious adults are hurrying around and whispering, no doubt talking about the daemon escape and how it happened. With the help of some girls, Lyra climbs into the drop ceiling and makes her way across the compound towards the conference room, so she can listen in on the adult's conversation. Once there, Lyra overhears Mrs. Coulter questioning three male scientists. They tell Mrs. Coulter that they have invented a new instrument to more effectively cut daemons away from their children. She also hears that Lord Asriel now has a death sentence hanging over his head in Svalbard. Lyra accidentally gives away her position in the ceiling and is caught. The men realize that Lyra has heard too much, and take her away to silence her by performing an intercision. At the last moment, Mrs. Coulter intervenes and rescues Lyra and Pan. She takes Lyra back to her personal quarters and takes the small oilcloth pouch from around Lyra's waist. She opens the small tin expecting to find the coveted alethiometer but instead her golden daemon is attacked by the vicious spy-fly that Lyra cleverly hid in the tin with the help of Iorek Byrnison. Without hesitating, Lyra and Pan flee from the room and pull the fire alarm to alert the other children, then start a fire in the kitchen. Lyra leads the other children to freedom, using snowballs to fight off a band of Tartars. They run from the building just as the Gyptians and Iorek Byrnison arrive, and a battle between the wards of Bolvanger and the Gyptians ensues. Just when it seems that Lyra and the children have escaped, Mrs. Coulter drives up in a motorized sledge and tries to seize her. Roger and Lyra fight her off, and Lee Scoresby rescues the two children and Iorek Byrnison in his balloon. Lyra finally meets Serafina Pekkala, a beautiful witch queen. With the help of her clan, Serafina guides the balloon toward Svalbard, where the armored bears are holding Lord Asriel prisoner.**

During one of their planned stops, the Gyptians are attacked by a group of Samoyed traders, who steal Lyra and take her straight to Bolvangar. Always thinking, Lyra quickly assumes the identity of Lizzie Brooks, a younger and more dim-witted version of herself. At Bolvangar, Lyra is processed by an expeditious nurse named Sister Clara and her pert little white dog daemon. Sister Clara makes Lyra disrobe and change into clean, albeit second hand clothes, and takes her to the dormitory, where she falls asleep. Lyra is awakened by a group of curious girls who fill her in about where she is and speculate about what is happening at the compound. The next morning Lyra finds Roger, who is overjoyed to see her, and begins to plan their escape. With the help of Roger and Billy Costa, Lyra discovers a hiding place in the ceiling, which she quickly recognizes as a potential escape route. Scientists weigh and measure Lyra and Pantalaimon, studying the effect of Dust on humans and their daemons, when they are interrupted by a fire drill. Lyra meets up with Billy and Roger to take a look around outside when Serafina Pekkala's bird daemon Kaisa suddenly descends from the sky. Kaisa tells Lyra that John Faa is only a day's journey away, then notices she is trying to enter a locked door marked ENTRY STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. Lyra explains that she thinks they are cutting daemons away from children in that room so Kaisa helps to unlock the door. In glass cases all around the room are the ghost-like daemons of all the severed children. Filled with anger, Lyra and Kaisa free the daemons from their cages then Kaisa helps them take the form of birds so he can fly them to safety. Back in the courtyard, Lyra enlists Roger and BIlly's help in getting the children ready to flee when the Gyptians come to their rescue. As the commotion from the fire drill dies down, a zeppelin cuts through the dark and prepares to land. As snow swirls on the ground, Lyra sees Mrs. Coulter and her golden daemon peering from the window of the aeroship.

The expedition takes a short break on their journey North and John Faa asks Lyra to check the alethiometer and ask more about how Bolvangar is being defended. Lyra tells him it is just as the witch's daemon said, that it is being defended by a company of Tartars and they do not expect anyone to attack. As she relays the message, Lyra tells Lord Faa that the alethiometer is telling her something else: in the next valley there is a village by a lake that is being troubled by a ghost, perhaps even the ghost of a child. John Faa is dismissive of Lyra, more concerned about storming Bolvangar than investigating the possibility of a ghost. But Lyra does not give up so easily and slips away to talk to Iorek. She convinces Iorek to take her to the village in the next valley and gets permission from Lord Faa to do so. Lyra is filled with wild exhilaration as she rides an armored bear! Traveling on low ridges and outcrops of black rock, Lyra and Iorek look to the skies and see hundreds of witches flying towards the North. They encounter a man at the edge of the village and Iorek tells him they are looking for a child. The man asks if they've come to take the child away because the people are afraid of it. Further on, another man tells them that it is not the only child of its kind and that he has seen others in the forest. When Lyra and Iorek finally enter the fish house where the child is hiding, they find a young boy named Tony Makarios huddled in the corner, desperately clutching a small piece of dead fish to his chest. The Gobblers had cut away the boy's daemon and created a severed child. Iorek and Lyra bring Tony back to the Gytian camp where he dies shortly after. They begin traveling once again; Lyra's mind is frenzied with thought about Gobblers, and Dust, little Tony Makarios, the spy-fly, and Iorek Byrnison and she falls asleep as they draw closer and closer to Bolvangar.

Part II opens with the Gyptians heading North to Trollesund, the main port of Lapland, where the witches have a consulate. Farder Coram has a history with the witches and knows that they must gain the witches' favor if they are to successfully rescue the children. Once docked, Lyra and Farder Coram visit the consul, a man named Dr. Martin Lanselius. Farder Coram asks Lanselius for help locating a witch named Serafina Pekkala and explains why they are there. Dr. Lanselius shares that there is an organization in town called the Northern Progress Exploration Company, which pretends to be mining for minerals but is really importing children, and suggests obtaining the services of an armored bear named Iorek Byrnison. Dr. Lanselius is interested in Lyra and the alethiometer and he tests her to see if she can find something belonging to Serafina Pekkala. While she is preoccupied outside, Lanselius tells Farder Coram that Lyra has a major part to play in the destiny of their world, but that she must remain ignorant of the task in order to fulfil it. Farder Coram and Lyra leave the consul's house and find John Faa, who tells them that he has hired an aeronaut from Texas named Lee Scoresby, who owns a balloon. Later, Lyra and Farder Coram go to enlist the help of Iorek Byrnison, who's price for service is recovering the armor that was stolen from him by the townspeople. Back on the ship, as the Gyptians discuss their plans, Lyra wakes from a dreamy sleep and gazes at the Aurora in the northern sky. To her surprise, the image of a city begins to form but the vision is interrupted by the arrival of Serafina Pekkala's goose daemon, Kaisa. Kaisa tells them that the children are being taken to Bolvangar, a secret compound guarded by a company of Northern Tartars. While John Faa and Farder Coram talk to the town governor about securing Iorek's armor, Lee Scoresby provides the distraction Lyra needs to steal away and tell Iorek Byrnison where to find it. With his armor fully restored, Iorek Byrnison joins the expedition North to Bolvangar and a sleepy Pantalaimon decides to wait until morning to tell Lyra about the monkey-like shadow following them in the pine trees.

Lyra is acclimating to the knowledge that Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are her mother and father, and while she finds it is easier to accept Lord Asriel as a paternal figure, acknowledging Mrs. Coulter as her mother is another story. Lyra quickly falls back into her wiley and adventurous ways, exploring the fens and telling outrageous stories to the Gyptian children. While the police continue to search for Lyra, she bides her time, relentlessly questioning Ma Costa about the story of her birth and studying the alethiometer. Three days later, John Faa holds a second Roping, collecting money and assessing the forces for each of the six head Gyptian families. The man from the last Roping speaks up again, this time questioning why they are harboring Lyra when there is a hefty bounty for her return. John Faa reminds him that Lyra is Lord Asriel's daughter, who assisted and advocated for the Gyptians multiple times, and that they will protect her at all cost. Lyra tells Tony that she wants to help with the expedition North, but her hopes are dimmed when he tells her that she's already done her part. When the Roping is over, the men retire to the Parlay room to discuss their plans. True to form, Lyra boldly walks in to plead her case to John Faa but he emphatically tells her no. She tries to ingratiate herself with several members of the expedition party, and ends up focusing her efforts on Farder Coram, who talks and listens to the girl instead of sending her away. She and Farder Coram grow close, studying the alethiometer and figuring out how it works. During one such lesson, a gravely injured Gyptian spy returns from a reconnaissance mission. He tells Farder Coram that Benjamin de Ruyter, the same man Lyra was investigating with the alethiometer, is dead and that the children have been taken to the Arctic region known as Lapland. Farder Coram calls for John Faa, who decides that Lyra must accompany them to the North. Lyra spends the next two weeks preparing to leave and studying the alethiometer. Feeling cramped below deck, Lyra asks Farder Coram if she can go out, to which he agrees. Within minutes of being topside, Pantalaimon is attacked by a clockwork beetle, sent by Mrs. Coulter. After being saved by a tillerman's daemon, Lyra stows her things in her cabin below deck and begins her journey North.

Lyra has just snuck away from Mrs. Coulter's cocktail party after learning two upsetting facts: Mrs. Coulter was planning on using Lyra to help the Gobblers take more children for the Oblation Board and Lord Asriel is being held prisoner in Svalbard by a group of armoured bears called the panserbjørne. Lyra and Pantalaimon stay away from the well-lit embankments of the river, choosing to move between the back alleys and dark streets of London. For the first time, Lyra feel disoriented and out-of-sorts. While looking for a safe place to sleep, Lyra and Pan are almost captured by two men using throwing nets, but are saved by three dark men armed with knives and a bow. The man with the bow turns out to be Tony Costa, one of the Gyptians from Oxford, and big brother to Billy, who was taken by the Gobblers. Lyra explains how she got to London and reveals Mrs. Coulter's plan to use her to capture more children but she does not mention the alethiometer or Uncle Asriel to the Costas. Tony reveals that they captured a Gobbler and know that the children are being taken North, but nobody can figure out what happens to them once they are there. Lyra quickly acclimates to living with the Gyptians but must often reside below deck because Mrs. Coulter and the police are looking for her. After a few days, Lyra learns that The Costas are bringing her with them to a meeting of all the Gyptians, who are under the control of a man called Lord John Faa. At the meeting, which is called a Roping, Lord Faa rallies his people to send a band of men north to rescue all of the kidnapped children. Afterwards, Lyra goes to meet John Faa and Farder Coram, a wise and kindly old Gyptian man. Farder Coram explains that he has known about Lyra since she was a baby, and has been keeping his eye on her. He reveals that Lyra is really the illegitimate daughter of Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, and that she was cared for as a baby by a Gyptian woman when she lived with Lord Asriel, but had to move to Jordan College with the Master after Lord Asriel killed Mr. Coulter. At this, Lyra tells Lord Faa and Farder Coram about the alethiometer. Farder Coram explains to Lyra how the alethiometer works, then he and John Faa discuss the Master's possible motives for giving it to her. As the conversation comes to a close, Lyra asks out of curiosity who the woman was who nursed her and is told that it was Ma Costa. After the meeting, Ma Costa is waiting outside the door and gives Lyra great hugs and kisses before sending her off to bed.

As we begin Chapter 4, The Master has invited several female guests to Jordan College and introduces Lyra to each of them, including a dark haired, elegant young woman named Mrs. Coulter. She asks Lyra to sit next to her at dinner, and it comes up in conversation that Mrs. Coulter knows Lord Asriel and has been to the North several times. Lyra likens this to Mrs. Coulter being an explorer and is completely enamoured by her for the rest of the evening. When the guests leave for the night, The Master asks Lyra to stay behind for a talk. He inquires about Mrs. Coulter and Lyra exclaims that she is the most remarkable person she has ever met. To this the Master sighs, then explains that it is time for Lyra to leave Jordan College. At first, Lyra resists the idea, not wanting to leave her home and friends, but her feelings quickly change when she finds out that she would be going to live with Mrs. Coulter. Early the next morning, Lyra is summoned in secret to the study to meet with the Master before breakfast. He tells Lyra that he has something for her, but she must swear to keep it private, especially from Mrs. Coulter. The Master gives Lyra something like a watch or clock, a thick disc of gold and crystal called an alethiometer. He quickly explains that the alethiometer will tell her the truth, and that she will have to learn to read it on her own, but above all else, he implores her to keep her own counsel. She leaves for London with Mrs. Coulter, remembering about Roger only after saying goodbye to the servants. London is unlike anything Lyra has ever seen. In stark opposition to the grand, stony walls and rooms of Jordan College, everything in Mrs. Coulter's flat is fanciful and pretty, delicate and charming. Lyra is swept up by the upscale life of Mrs. Coulter. Six weeks after Lyra arrives, Mrs. Coulter decides to throw a cocktail party. Although she won't admit it, Lyra is beginning to feel cramped by this luxurious lifestyle and longs to be with her friends in the streets of Oxford. On the afternoon of the cocktail party, Mrs. Coulter asks Lyra to remove a white shoulder bag she is wearing, which Lyra questions because it is where she is keeping the alethiometer. Mrs. Coulter's daemon pounces on Pantalaimon, hurting him and Lyra as well, until she promises to say and do exactly what Mrs. Coulter asks of her. During the party, Lyra overhears some guests talking about Dust and something called the Oblation Board, of which Mrs. Coulter is a part. Lyra realizes that the Gobblers, who have been taking children, and who have taken Roger, are affiliated with the Board. An older gentleman named Lord Boreal speaks to Lyra and reveals to her that Mrs. Coulter wishes to use her to round up other children. This horrifies her. As she tries to gather her thoughts, she overhears that Lord Asriel has been imprisoned in Svalbard, guarded by the panserbjørn, or armoured bears. Having heard enough, Lyra and Pantalaimon decide to escape from Mrs. Coulter's house and run away into the city.

The Golden Compass opens with a young girl named Lyra Belacqua and her daemon, Pantalaimon, attempting to spy on the Master at Jordan College in Oxford. While they are sneaking around the Retiring Room, Lyra and Pantalaimon are forced to hide in a wardrobe to keep from being discovered. From a crack in the door, Lyra sees the Master come in and poison a decanter of wine called Tokay. Shortly after, Lyra's formidable uncle, Lord Asriel enters the Retiring Room and pours a glass of Tokay for himself. Lyra calls out from the wardrobe, alerting Lord Asriel in time to save his life. Though agitated with her, Asriel instructs Lyra to be of use and spy on the Master from the wardrobe. During a strange and secret meeting about Dust, Asriel convinces the Scholars to fund another expedition North so he may continue his research. Lyra is fascinated by Dust and begs Lord Asriel to take her with him but he refuses, demanding she stay at Jordan College.Lyra's best friend is a boy named Roger Parslow, whose family works in the kitchen at the college. Lyra and Roger spend their days exploring the roofs and catacombs of Jordan College and along the streets of Oxford, planning adventures and getting into trouble with the local Gyptian children. There is a rumor going around that children are being stolen by a mysterious group called The Gobblers and that they are now taking children in Oxford. Soon after, Lyra realizes that The Gobblers have taken Roger and she is desperate to get him back. As she frantically searches for Roger, Lyra is called by the Master to greet several guests visiting the college. Among them is a beautiful, young woman named Mrs. Coulter and her daemon, a sinuous golden monkey.

We are about to dive deep into this masterpiece. Buckle up, gas up your balloons and let's take a journey with Philip Pullman's amazing Lyra.