in this prequel episode from philip pullmans his dark materials universe lee scoresby texan aeronaut and future friend to lyra belacqua is 24 years old the story reveals the origins of scoresbys friendship with iorek byrnison as well as scoresbys aeronautical careerafter winning his hotair balloon in a poker game scoresby finds himself floating north on the arctic island of novy odense scoresby and his dmon hester become involved in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate a corrupt mayoral candidate and a hired killer who is lees longtime nemesis from the dakota country forming an alliance with one of the islands reviled armored bears scoresby fights to break up the conspiracythis clothbound volume features the illustrations of john lawrence a removable board game on the inside back cover and the story that offers a glimpse into the origins of the friendship of two beloved characters in the his dark materials trilogy