Malcolm Polstead and his little canoe get in a lot of trouble, all over a little baby delivered for safekeeping to a nearby abbey. The baby is Lyra, daughter of the dangerous Lord Asriel, and the secret forces of the repressive regime are after the baby, Malcolm is determined to keep her safe.

Written in an almost unusually slow build, taking time to create the characters and the setting, it is an absolute masterpiece of plain, crafted prose that flows like a river, so the read is effortless and the reader is drawn in completely until the waters rise and we are plunged downriver on the terrifying flood. Utterly brilliant.