Part of His Dark Materials, book 3.5
First published 2003
Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon discover a witch's daemon under attack from a savage flock of birds. She rescues the creature and agrees to help it reach safety. The daemon needs to find an alchemist who lives in Jericho, a district of Oxford. Lyra knows the city well and offers to serve as guide. What begins as a simple escort mission through familiar streets becomes something more treacherous. Oxford holds unexpected perils that test Lyra's courage and resourcefulness. The journey forces her to navigate not just the physical maze of the city but also the complex loyalties and dangers that follow witches and their daemons. This brief adventure captures Lyra in a moment between her larger quests, showing how even small acts of kindness can lead to significant trials.
Genres: fiction, adventure, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Oxford, Jericho
64 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf