Re-read to prep for the final book in the trilogy. See, these 600+ pages are warranted, unlike 95% of the sci-fi/fantasy books I’ve read this year. The Books of Dust evolve and complicate the beloved world of His Dark Materials in many ways, but one of the most arresting is in the relationships between people & their daemons. It’s shocking, heart-breaking, and very human. This world is brutal. He doesn’t spare Lyra from sexual violence, which, after Alice’s rape in the first book, is two too many for me.