NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Philip Pullman returns to the parallel world of His Dark Materials–now an HBO original series starring Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, and Lin-Manuel Miranda–to expand on the story of Lyra, “one of fantasy’s most indelible heroines” (The New York Times Magazine). Don’t miss Volume II of The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth! Malcolm Polstead and his … Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth!
Malcolm Polstead and his daemon, Asta, are used to overhearing news and the occasional scandal at the inn run by his family. But during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm finds a mysterious object—and finds himself in grave danger.
Inside the object is a cryptic message about something called Dust; and it’s not long before Malcolm is approached by the spy for whom this message was actually intended. When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he begins to notice suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl—just a baby—named Lyra.
Lyra is at the center of a storm, and Malcolm will brave any peril, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through it.
“Too few things in our world are worth a seventeen-year wait: The Book of Dust is one of them.” —The Washington Post
“The book is full of wonder. . . . Truly thrilling.” —The New York Times
“People will love the first volume of Philip Pullman’s new trilogy with the same helpless vehemence that stole over them when The Golden Compass came out.” —Slate
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This is one of a series of prequels to Pullman’s His Dark Material trilogy. It is written in the same punchy style, with the same voice and urgency.
We meet a baby Lyra and are introduced to the daring Malcolm Polstead and feisty Alice Parslow among a host of other intriguing characters. Be warned, this is a fast paced, fascinating book and is guaranteed to hook readers in from the start. You won’t want it to end.
Pullman very cleverly engineers the backstory to Lyra’s early life and does it with sheer brilliance. He has created a very believable world alongside our own with all its intricacies, successes, and failings. A brutally repressive government relying on religious authority and intimidation to rule its people, is hunting the chosen one and trying to root out a hidden resistance. And it is to this resistance that Malcolm and Alice must somehow deliver Lyra.
Before this book my favourite of the His Dark Material trilogy was the Subtle Knife but Le Belle Sauvage is by far the best book Pullman has penned so far. Can’t wait for the next instalment.
I am hooked! This prequel to The Golden Compass books does not disappoint. The characters and plot are top notch. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!
A phenomenal, intriguing, mind-blowing return to the story told in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait for the next book in the series.
I’m not a fantasy reader and I’ve not read His Dark Materials. I read this book at the insistence of a Pullman-evangelist niece. That said, I can’t really call this a “book”.
This is half a book. Right when the hero and heroine accomplish part of their journey, it ends. Nothing is resolved or revealed. It is the first in a trilogy, but so was the magnificent Hunger Games, and each of those books was complete with a beginning, middle, and end. This one feels cut off mid-
That said, I liked where it was going — to a certain extent. The world and characters are described and revealed in excellent detail. You come to feel for them and their world. That world (I’m not sure where/when it is supposed to exist) is well drawn and consistent. The settings are visceral and the characters properly motivated (after you get through the first 80-pages of their ordinary, and boring, lives).
However, I am one reader who is fed-up with writers demonizing Christianity by painting all of Christendom as an evil manifestation of Misogynistic, autocratic, fourteenth century Catholic Church. Sure, they’re an easy target, but Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc do not separate sexes in the priesthood and other organizations. The Spanish Inquisition is not the MO for all Christians. The portrayal of “the church” in this book is so dark that I won’t be reading another. And I write a series featuring an unemployed god who’s desperate to make a comeback (necessitating all manner of satire for Christendom and the other major religions).
Honestly, I was worried – when an author revives their premier work/characters/world, it doesn’t always go well… It’s been almost 20 years since we saw Lyra and entered her Oxford. That’s a lot of time to pass (particularly in a world/series that is one of the best-loved fantasy trilogies in the world) – but you’d never know it. Pullman has outdone himself – he’s written the start of a prequel trilogy that reads as dynamically and magically as the original Golden Compass book. The backstory/prequel concept doesn’t always lend itself to a compelling story in its own right – it’s easy (I’d imagine) to write something helpful that rounds out another story. What seems less easy is to write that something in a way that stands on its own feet as an engaging, entertaining, action-packed tale of wonder, populated by unique and original and utterly compelling characters. If you haven’t read the Golden Compass books, this would be as good a place to start as any – and if you have, it’s not to be missed!!
His Dark Materials remains the most literary and ambitious of the “kid saves the world” subgenre. HDM>Narnia>Harry Potter>Hunger Games.
This prequel is full of suspense and mystery but has more emotion than most books in this genre. While it is full of magic and world building, it is more grounded and human than the other books in the series. A young boy, Malcolm, finds himself entangled in the machinations of many older and influential people. While he struggles to understand what they are trying to do, he finds himself the unexpected caretaker of a young girl of great importance. Malcolm finds within himself more than he knew he had. The journey is full of suspense and surprise and so much fun. This exceeded my expectations in every way. It contributes to the overall HDM story arc, but doesn’t feel obligated to explain mysteries from the original trilogy; it absolutely stands as it’s own book independently of the original trilogy and may even be the best place to start reading HDM. Pullman doesn’t sacrifice emotion or human experience for magic, instead the fantastical elements enhance the human story. Highly recommend!
A wonderful pre quil to The Golden Compass Series.. where we get to see the beginnings of a world coming into being… Great exploration of characters to come! I will read the series…. in the Dust Saga!
This book kicks off an amazing new trilogy set in Lyra’s Oxford. Not only that, but our acts as amarvelous prequel to His Dark Materials. Second half of the book moves at a break neck pace, and becomes impossible to put down.
Worthy companion to His Dark Materials
This was a captivating tale, I loved going back to the world Pullman introduced in The Golden Compass, and I’m now eagerly waiting to read the second book in the series, but there are a few caveats.
First off, this is not only a big book, but it’s dense. Early on there’s a lot of information being thrown at the reader. I have read some of the His Dark Materials series, but it’s been a while. Still, I had a vague recollection of the world and that helped immensely (although now I plan to go back and re-read those earlier books!). It’s not to say you can’t understand La Belle Sauvage without having read the earlier books, but it will help you get into this book more quickly and easily.
Second, if you’re picking this up for a kiddo, do know there’s swearing and some pretty grizzly violence. It doesn’t bother me and makes the story more “real”, but if that’s going to upset your kid, you’ve been warned.
Third, this is almost like two different books. That’s not a bad things but it was a bit of a jolt. The first part is very much rooted in the reality of Malcolm’s world, but the second half gets a bit weird and fantastical…almost too much so. Also, the first half is a little slow (but still very interesting) while the second half is a fairly fast-paced, cat-and-mouse series of events.
a new sci fi series swift moving
The Book of Dust is kind of a prequel, rewinding to the time when Lyra, protagonist of Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, is only a baby. A lot of people, good and bad, are already interested in her. Malcolm, the teenage protagonist of this book, becomes her protector. Pullman has me rooting for him all the way. The action is exciting. The characters are finely drawn—no cardboard cutouts passing as characters in this story.
Great read as are all Philip Pullman’s books. First of a trilogy of prequels to His Dark Materials series.
Authentic voice, humor, tension, empathy. A prequel to the author’s His Dark Materials. Outstanding!
Just superb!
A cliff hanger till the very last sentence.
I’ve just caught up with this from my TBR pile. I loved every page of it and did not want it ever to end. Genius.
The best idea Philip Pullman ever had was that of pairing his characters with their own souls in the form of conversant animals. He continues his tradition in La Belle Sauvage. I recommend the book to all thoughtful readers.
It’s been a long, long time since I read Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy. I can honestly say, despite them being meant for children, I was probably too young to understand half of what was going on, and even less of what he was actually saying. Pullman’s books have that affect; being essentially children’s stories that transcend children.
The Book of Dust was not the fastest read in the world. Pullman takes his time building each character up, weaving the story together, drawing us deeper and deeper into the plot. There are no extremely shocking twists, and since this is a prequel you know at least some of the characters, especially the one at the center of all the peril, Lyra, is going to survive. However, this doesn’t stop it from being a compelling read.
I think the greatest thing about this book is the way Pullman weaves the fantasy and the real into one. He doesn’t explain too much, doesn’t try to make you understand; he’s like Neil Gaimen and the movies of Miyazaki: in their worlds, some things just ARE. There is no reason for them, they have simply always been that way and you should accept it.
Again, not the fastest read in a modern sense, but a page-turner nonetheless and recommended for anyone looking to truly escape to another world for a time.
Philip Pullman continued the complex mix of characters and fantasy in The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage that he was famous for in his series The Golden Compass. Of course, he condemns the oppression of church and state, but he weaves these themes into the adventures Malcolm Polstead endures on his voyage on La Belle Sauvage. I can barely wait for volume two to be published.