If the way Mary Malone studies Dust, crafts the amber spyglass, and debates consciousness with the mulefa lit you up, you’ll love the heady intellectual adventure of Anathem. Stephenson drops you into a world of secluded scholars who tackle reality‑splitting questions—about mind, cosmos, and meaning—with the same audacity that Lyra and Will bring to building a Republic of Heaven. It’s a sprawling, idea-rich journey that scratches the same itch for rigorous, wonder-filled philosophizing.

If the rebellion against the Authority, the Magisterium’s machinations, and Father Gomez’s mission to kill Lyra resonated, The Sparrow offers a searing, human-scale examination of belief and institutions. A Jesuit-led first contact mission turns into a crisis of faith, much like Asriel’s war exposes the human cost of divine authority. You’ll get the same moral complexity—devout people confronting institutional power, and the devastating consequences of pursuing a supposed higher good.

If the Subtle Knife’s slashes to Cittàgazze and beyond thrilled you—and the bittersweet duty of closing those windows to save Dust broke your heart—The Ten Thousand Doors of January will feel like coming home. January discovers words that open Doors to other worlds, and, as with Will and Lyra, every crossing has costs. It’s lush, lyrical portal-travel steeped in curiosity, agency, and the transformative power of stepping through.

If Lyra and Will’s trust—tempered in the Land of the Dead and sealed at the Botanic Garden—was what moved you most, Todd and Viola’s relationship will hit the same nerve. In The Knife of Never Letting Go, two young fugitives navigate pursuit, betrayal, and impossible choices, forging a connection as tender and fierce as Lyra holding onto Will’s hand at the edge of every world. It’s breathless, heartfelt, and unwaveringly about choosing one another.

If Pantalaimon’s constant presence—and the wrenching separation in the Land of the Dead—left a mark, Sabriel offers companions with that same pivotal weight. Mogget’s sly counsel and the Disreputable Dog’s fierce loyalty aren’t just sidekicks; they complicate and guide Sabriel’s path through Death and back, much as daemons reflect and test the souls of their humans. Expect high-stakes magic, potent bonds, and choices that echo long after the gates close.