Pullman wrote The Golden Compass (published in England as His Dark Materials), as the first book in a series. This one focuses on Lyra, while the second book, The Subtle Knife, puts Lyra in contact with a young boy, Will, who she meets in one of their alternative earths. The third, The Amber Spyglass, appeared in 2000 and resolves the place of the Compass and the Knife in the universe.

Also of interest might be J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Book of Lost Tales, Farmer Giles of Ham, and Leaf by Niggle; Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone; and Diana Wynne Jones's Charmed Lives, The Lives of Christopher Chant, A Sudden Wild Magic, The Ogre Downstairs, Howl's Moving Castle, and Fire and Hemlock.