Northern Lights, known in the USA as The Golden Compass, and published in 1995, is the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy by British novelist Philip Pullman. // Northern Lights is a common name for the aurora borealis (polar aurorae) in the Northern Hemisphere. ... The Golden Compass is an Academy Award-winning fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), the first novel in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema. ... Image File history File links Northern_lights. ... Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is a British writer. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The trilogy (U.K versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... Look up Fantasy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For other definitions of fantasy, see fantasy (psychology). ... For the comic book, see Steampunk (comics). ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is an American book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN redirects here. ... Once Upon a Time in the North is a forthcoming fantasy short story by Phillip Pullman. ... For the weapon mentioned in this book, see Æsahættr. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The trilogy (U.K versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is a British writer. ...

Title

For some time during the pre-publication process, the series of novels was known as The Golden Compasses. The word Compasses referred to a pair of compasses—the circle-drawing instrument—rather than a navigational compass. Pullman then settled on Northern Lights as the title for the first book, and continued to refer to the trilogy as The Golden Compasses.^[1] This article is about the drafting instrument. ... This article is about the navigational instrument. ...

In the United States, in their discussions over the publication of the first book, the publishers Alfred A. Knopf had been calling it The Golden Compass (omitting the plural), which they mistakenly believed referred to Lyra's alethiometer, because the device superficially resembles a navigational compass. Meanwhile, in the UK, Pullman had replaced The Golden Compasses with His Dark Materials (a title that Pullman had taken from a line in Paradise Lost) as the title of the trilogy. But according to Pullman, the publishers had become so attached to The Golden Compass that they insisted on publishing the U.S. edition of the first book under that title, rather than Northern Lights, the title used in the UK and Australia.^[1] Colophon of the publisher Alfred A. Knopf. ... The Alethiometer The alethiometer is a device from the trilogy His Dark Materials which tells the truth. ... For other uses, see Paradise Lost (disambiguation). ...

Plot summary

The story begins when Lyra Belacqua (later Lyra Silvertongue)—a supposedly-orphaned, eleven-year-old girl residing at Jordan College, Oxford—secretly enters and hides in the Retiring Room, despite resistance from her dæmon, Pantalaimon - an animal-formed, shape-shifting manifestation of her soul. Inside the room, they see the Master of the college attempt to assassinate Lord Asriel, Lyra's uncle, by poisoning his wine. Lord Asriel later enters after the Master of the college has left, and discovers Lyra hiding there. She immediately informs him that his wine has been poisoned. Instead of punishing her for being where she should not be, he instead allows her to stay hidden under the condition that she spy on the other attendees of his upcoming meeting. When the meeting commences, Lord Asriel shows the resident scholars a picture of mysterious elementary particles called Dust. Shortly afterwards Lord Asriel travels to the Arctic north, and Lyra continues with her normal life. Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue) is the heroine of Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ... Jordan College is a fictional college of the University of Oxford which appears in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... A dæmon is a physical manifestation of the soul of a conscious person in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials. ... Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue) is the heroine of Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ... Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series. ... Spoiler warning: Dust in Philip Pullmans trilogy of novels His Dark Materials is a fictional form of dark matter (as we call it in our world), an elementary particle that is of fundamental importance to the novels. ...

When “the Gobblers,” who are the subject of a recent urban legend, kidnap her friend Roger, Lyra vows to rescue him, and finds her chance when a visiting woman of great importance, Mrs. Marisa Coulter, offers to take Lyra away from Jordan College to become her apprentice. Lyra assents, but before she leaves is entrusted with a priceless object by the Master of the College (with the condition that she keep it absolutely secret): an alethiometer. Resembling a golden compass, it is a device able to reveal the answer to any question asked by the user. Although initially unable to read or understand its complex meanings, Lyra takes it with her to Mrs. Coulter's flat. Lyra becomes suspicious of Mrs. Coulter's motives when Mrs. Coulter's dæmon (a golden monkey named Ozymandias) searches Lyra's room for the alethiometer. An urban legend or urban myth is similar to a modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ... // See Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison) is a young girl who inhabits a parallel universe to our own. ... Marisa Coulter is a fictional character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ... If youre looking for the TV show, see The Apprentice. ... The Alethiometer The alethiometer is a device from the trilogy His Dark Materials which tells the truth. ...

At a party hosted by Mrs. Coulter, Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is the head of an organization known as the "General Oblation Board" and that this board is, in fact, the "Gobblers" who have been kidnapping children. The horror of this discovery causes Lyra to take advantage of the hubbub of the party to flee Mrs. Coulter's flat. Oblation, an offering (Late Lat. ...

She is pursued by "Gobblers" and rescued by the Gyptians, a group of nomadic, canal-boat-dwelling people, who afterwards reveal that Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are none other than Lyra's father and mother. She also learns that many children like Roger have been disappearing from among the Gyptians, and that the Gyptians are planning an expedition to the north to rescue the missing children. During her time with the Gyptians, Lyra intuitively begins to learn how to operate the alethiometer. Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ...

Lyra joins the expedition to the north, and on the journey discovers that the children kidnapped by “the Gobblers” are having their dæmons cut away from them, by way of experiment. From experience, she has learned that "cutting" a dæmon away is very painful, physically and emotionally, and may be fatal to the child. Shortly after this revelation, the group is attacked, and Lyra is taken to the experimentation facility in Bolvangar.

Inside it, she locates Roger and devises a plan of escape. Lyra comes across Mrs. Coulter, who tries to take the alethiometer from her. Narrowly escaping her clutches once again, Lyra leads the other children out of the facility, and is rescued by Lee Scoresby in his hydrogen balloon. With them go Roger and an armoured bear called Iorek Byrnison. Iorek is an exiled prince of the armoured bears, of whose culture he is a perfect example. // See Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison) is a young girl who inhabits a parallel universe to our own. ... This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ... A hot air balloon is prepared for flight by inflation of the envelope with propane burners. ... In Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials novels, the Panserbjørne are large polar bears who almost always wear their robust armour. ... // See Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison) is a young girl who inhabits a parallel universe to our own. ...

Now that Lyra has found Roger, she wishes to deliver the alethiometer to Lord Asriel, who has been imprisoned at Svalbard, the fortress of the armoured bears, because of his experiments on Dust, which the Church opposes. On their way to Svalbard, the bat-like cliff-ghasts attack the balloon; Lyra is thrown out, but lands safely. The armoured bears then capture her. She manages to trick the usurping bear-king, Iofur Raknison, into allowing Iorek Byrnison to fight to regain his throne. Thereafter she travels to Lord Asriel’s cabin, accompanied by both Iorek and Roger. // See Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison) is a young girl who inhabits a parallel universe to our own. ...

Despite being imprisoned, Lord Asriel is so influential that he has managed to accumulate the necessary equipment to continue his experiments on Dust. After explaining the nature of Dust, an emanation from another world, and the existence of parallel universes to Lyra, he departs, taking Roger and a great deal of scientific equipment. Lyra pursues them, but Roger is killed when he is separated from his dæmon. This act releases an enormous amount of energy, which, due to Lord Asriel’s equipment, tears a hole through the sky into a parallel world. Lord Asriel walks through into the new world. Lyra decides to follow him, on the advice of Pantalaimon. This concludes the first book and goes on to the next book, The Subtle Knife. For the weapon mentioned in this book, see Æsahættr. ...

Awards

Northern Lights won the Carnegie Medal for children's fiction in the UK in 1995^[2], and in 2007 it was selected by judges of the Carnegie Medal as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years. The Observer rates it as one of the 100 best novels of all time.^[3] The Carnegie Medal in Literature was established in the UK in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Main article: The Golden Compass (film)

A feature film adaptation of the novel, titled, The Golden Compass, produced by New Line Cinema with a budget of $180 million, was released December 5, 2007. The novel was adapted by Chris Weitz, who directed the film. The film stars Dakota Blue Richards, in her film debut, as Lyra. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Ian McKellen, Sam Elliott and Christopher Lee star. Some organizations have condemned the movie adaptation as well as the trilogy for denigrating the Church and religion^[4][5], while others have argued that Pullman's works should be included in religious education courses.^[6] The Golden Compass is an Academy Award-winning fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), the first novel in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema. ... The Golden Compass is an Academy Award-winning fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), the first novel in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema. ... New Line redirects here. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Chris Weitz (born 1970 in New York, New York) is the producer and director (along with brother Paul Weitz) of American Pie, About a Boy, and other movies. ... Dakota Blue Richards (born 1994) is an English actress, who will play Lyra Belacqua in the upcoming film His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. ... Nicole Mary Kidman, Order of Australia (born 20 June 1967 in Honolulu) is an Academy Award-winning Australian/American[1] actress. ... Daniel Wroughton Craig[1] (born 2 March 1968[2]) is a BAFTA-nominated English actor best known as the sixth actor to portray secret agent James Bond in the official film series from EON Productions. ... Eva Gaëlle Green[1] () (born July 5, 1980) is an actress, raised in Paris and living in London. ... Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939) is an English stage and screen actor, the recipient of the Tony Award and two Oscar nominations. ... Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American film and television actor. ... For other persons named Christopher Lee, see Christopher Lee (disambiguation). ...

Video game adaptation

Main article: The Golden Compass (video game)

A video game adaptation of the movie adaptation of the book, titled, The Golden Compass, published by Sega and developed by Shiny Entertainment, was released December 4, 2007. Players assume the role of Lyra as she travels through the frozen wastes of the North in an attempt to rescue her friend kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as the Gobblers. Travelling with her are an armoured polar bear and her dæmon Pantalaimon (Pan). Together, they must use a truth-telling alethiometer and other items to explore the land and fight their way through confrontations in order to help Lyra's friend. The Golden Compass features a mix of fighting and puzzle solving with three characters. ^[7] The Golden Compass is an upcoming videogame based on the film The Golden Compass. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Shiny Entertainment is a video game developer based in Newport Beach, CA, and is the creator of several hits such as Earthworm Jim and Enter The Matrix. ...

See also

• 1995 in literature
• His Dark Materials
• Steampunk
• Controversy about religious perspective of Pullman's trilogy

The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books. ... The trilogy (U.K versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... For the comic book, see Steampunk (comics). ... Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is a British writer. ...

Footnotes

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Lenz, Millicent (2005). His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays on Phillip Pullman's Trilogy. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3207-2. 

External links

• The Golden Compass Reviewed at The Open Critic
• HisDarkMaterials.com Publisher's site
• Philip Pullman reads a manuscript extract (audio)