The second volume in Philip Pullmans incredible HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy. First published in 1997, and acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, it won the UKs top awards for childrens literature. 'What is he? A friend, or an enemy?' 'He is a murderer.' Will has just killed a man. He is on the run. His escape will take him far beyond his own world, to the eerie disquiet of a deserted city, and to a girl, Lyra. Her fate is strangely linked to his own, and together they must find the most powerful weapon in all the worlds.