Mary Malone

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Mary Malone is a character in the second and third book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. She's a physicist from Will's world (our world), who's investigating dark matter, known also as Dust and she must play the part of the Serpent for the second Adam and Eve.

Dr. Mary Malone appears in the Subtle Knife as a scientist studying dark matter in the Oxford of our world (and Will's). We learn she had originally been a nun. Lyra, upon arriving in our world with Will, meets her when she tries to find an "experimental theologian" (a scientist in Lyra's world) in hopes of discovering more about Dust. Mary is amazed by Lyra's knowledge of dark matter (Dust), especially after Lyra demonstrates her ability to speak of the unknown by use of the Aleithiometer.

Mary, inspired by Lyra's abilities, uses the supercomputer she and her colleague, Dr. Oliver Payne, to communicate with the Dust. The Dust consquently orders Mary to sneak into Lyra's world as it is Mary's destiny to become the Serpent. She spends most of the Amber Spyglass with creatures known as the Mulefa, trying to see the Dust, which the Mulefa can do naturally. This leads to the creation of the said Amber Spyglass.

At the end of the third novel, the witch Serafina Pekkala reveals to Mary both how to see her daemon and also its form - that of an Alpine chough. She offers to help Will out.

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