Will Parry

Will is 12 years old, from our world, and already carries a heavy burden of responsibility on his shoulders when the book begins. He takes care of his mentally ill mother and tries to stay hidden and anonymous so that he will not draw any attention to his family and risk his mother being institutionalized. His father vanishes during an Arctic expedition when he is a very small child, and the loss of his father is always on his mind. The search for his father leads Will into the other world where he will meet Lyra and embark on a far more difficult journey than he imagined. Will becomes involved in the battle between the forces of Lord Asriel and the forces of the Church in his role as bearer of the subtle knife and companion of Lyra. Will changes during the story, from a boy who tries...