Screenshot: HBO

HBO unveiled the release date (November 4th!) for its upcoming fantasy series His Dark Materials earlier this week, and today, Entertainment Weekly has some additional details about the upcoming adaptation of Philip Pullman’s classic series.

For those unfamiliar: the series is set in an alternate Earth where peoples’ souls manifest as shape-shifting animals (known as “daemons”). The first novel, The Golden Compass, followed a young girl named Lyra, who began searching for a kidnapped friend, and stumbled into a horrific plot hatched by her world’s domineering Church. Last September, HBO and BBC studios announced that they had renewed the series for a second season.

EW‘s article takes a closer look at the upcoming first season, and provides some new details about what to expect. Here’s what we learned from it: