La Belle Sauvage

I have been hearing about this new trilogy, "The Book of Dust," from Philip Pullman--of Golden Compass fame (published in England as Northern Lights)--and so jumped on Volume 1 when I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble. This is a prequel to the "His Dark Materials" trilogy; here, Lyra is a baby, being hidden from forces that want to destroy the child of Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter. She is being cared for in an obscure priory, just across the Thames from The Trout, a pub owned by the parents of Malcolm Polstead, the hero of this tale. Malcolm helps out in the pub, of course, and overhears lots of conversations since no one pays much attention to an 11-year-old boy. He also frequently runs errands for the nuns and, between these two sources, soon learns about their secret guest. He is besotted with Lyra and protective of her. When a menacing character with a 3-legged hyena as a daemon comes into the Trout asking about the baby, Malcolm is alarmed. There are strange goings-on everywhere and  Malcolm witnesses an apparent abduction, which eventually draws him into a spy network opposing The Magisterium, an organization of religious zealots with enormous political power. At one point he helps Lord Asriel surreptitiously visit his daughter at the priory, and in return, gets his little boat, La Belle Sauvage renovated. The masters of the River have made Malcolm's little boat seaworthy but also issued a warning of devastating rains and flooding to come. No one believes Malcolm when he tries to pass on the warning, however, so he becomes Lyra's rescuer when the rains come and the Thames River floods the nunnery,  sending Malcom and Lyra and the surly barmaid, Alice, on a surreal adventure in search of Lyra's father in London.
This is a totally engrossing tale from the first page and I can't wait for the next two volumes. No doubt I will have to re-read "His Dark Materials" when I finish.
Erudite review from The Guardian, which highlights the story's literary and political antecedents and underpinnings. Also a thoughtful review from the New York Times, Slate, and The Independent.