lost on the road of life

Whichever way you look at it, this situation can only get worse.

Voldemort: "You shall be marked as a faithful Death Eater, till your pathetic death do us part"

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COMMISSIONS !

Each group of people we meet is unique, with their own traditions and taboos.

You never touch another person's Dæmon.

Scholastic Sanctuary, the fear of Dust, and the contrast between Lyra and the scholars in Jordan college.

The nomadic practices and songs of the gyptians, who I was legitimately surprised about when I learned that they weren't a real but niche culture.

Bears do not kill other bears, but also do not pick on the weak. Iorek accepts his exile with humility. He knows what he did. Plus the idea of making armour with meteorites, which are commonly found at the poles due to both magnetism and the fact that they are easily spotted in the snow.

The Magisterium, who legitimately believe they are enacting the word of god.

The north, Lyra's world's equivalent of the wild west, with balloons instead of horses.

Cittagaze, the honour of the knife, how the children have accepted their fate and try to enjoy the time they have left.

The witches, one of the most interesting interpretations of witches and druids I've seen. Not generic 'ooh wave the wand and cast magic' but instead powers far more unique and tied to the world. Separation, flight from CLOUD pines, and making yourself boring.

The Mulefa. Pullman made motorcycle gazelles and made them legitimately believable as a species.

The angels. Not a unified force, but one twisted just like the Magisterium by doctrine and lies.

If You Think You Would Enjoy:

First person narration that Does Something Cool With It

Urban fantasy that really leans into the urban aspect. The mundane beauty of the city made magical

London Man Investigates His Own Murder While Committing Several More Murders, more at 8

A protagonist who is just an absolute wet pathetic paper bag of a man and knows it

A protagonist(s) who are the exuberant and unhinged personification of telecommunications technology with an unparalleled zest for life and also sometimes murder

Both of those characters are technically the same person

The most breathtakingly gorgeous prose that has ever been used to describe a magically animated pile of garbage

A tone that I feel can reasonably be described as “gritty,” with its refusal to shy away from the blood and grime of reality, but that is also suffused with a deep unflinching love for everything that humanity is

A supporting cast that includes many of the world’s weirdest and most badass women

The protagonist getting beat up and/or stabbed and/or shot and almost dying at least twice per book

A reading experience not quite like any you have seen before or since

Then You Should Read:

The Matthew Swift series by Kate Griffin, starting with A Madness of Angels

If you love the city of London, you will love this book. If you have never been to the city of London, this book will show you what it looks like through the eyes of someone who loves it.

(And also what it looks like when embodied as a giant dragon made of street signs.)

I cannot emphasize enough the gorgeousness of this prose, the geniusness of the urban magic system, and the amount of love for London and for humanity that oozes out of this book. I am also fully convinced that Matthew Swift would be a tumblr blorbo if his books were not mostly out of print and very niche.

It can be a bit hard to get your hands on a physical copy—try thriftbooks or another online used bookseller, or call your friendly neighborhood bookstore and see if they can order it for you. Or just go for an ebook (maybe your library has it on Libby). It is absolutely worth the trouble.

Brief content note while I have you here: There is a fair amount of violence and it is sometimes very lovingly described. Also...don’t get too attached to side characters.