The thrilling second volume of The Book of Dust, The Secret Commonwealth intertwines the stories of Lyra Silvertongue and Malcom Polstead as they face new and dangerous secrets and a desperate race against time through Europe.
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards Fiction Book of the Year 2020
From the author of the phenomenal His Dark Materials trilogy comes the next chapter in the story of Lyra Silvertongue . . .
Lyra Silvertongue is now studying at St Sophia's College, Oxford, with her daemon Pantalaimon.
They are not getting on. Lyra is questioning everything she once held dear. Pan misses the impulsiveness of their youth.
When an act of terrible violence breaks the peace of the Oxford night, Lyra and Pan's relationship reaches a crisis and they are drawn, far from home, into the dangerous factions of a world they had no idea existed.
The Secret Commonwealth is truly a book for our times; a powerful adventure and a thought-provoking look at what it is to understand yourself, to grow up and make sense of the world around you. This is storytelling at its very best from one of our greatest writers.
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
ISBN: 9780241373354
Number of pages: 736
Weight: 585 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 45 mm
[Pullman] has created a fantasy world, made yet more satisfying in rigour and stylistic elegance. This is a book for getting older with - Guardian, Book of the Week
The Secret Commonwealth is ablaze with light and life. The writing is exquisite; every sentence sings ... To read Pullman is to experience the world refreshed, aglow, in Technicolour - Independent
Lyra is all grown up in a rich, vivid sequel - Telegraph
Engrossing - Financial Times
Pullman's story is still thought-provoking ... This book elegantly weaves in live issues, from Europe's refugee crisis to facts in the post-truth era. And Pullman's prose is rewarding as ever - The Times
The novel gallops forward, full of danger, delight and surprise. Nearly miraculous, it seems, is Pullman's ability to sketch character, place and motive in just a few lines - New Statesman
A long, taxing, complex journey, laced with beauty, terror and philosophy - Metro
As ever, Pullman's story is complex and vast but home to some of the finest storytelling in the 21st century. Revel in whole new worlds and enjoy one of literature's most wonderful heroines before she comes to HBO and the BBC - Stylist
Pullman is confronting readers with the horrors of our own world reflected back at us. In The Secret Commonwealth he creates a fearful symmetry - The Herald
Pullman has created a fantasy world, made yet more satisfying in this new volume. This is a book for getting older with - Guardian
REVIEWS FOR LA BELLE SAUVAGE: THE BOOK OF DUST VOLUME ONE:Fans of His Dark Materials will find themselves joyfully immersed in a familiar world . . . meanwhile, awaiting first-time readers is all the pleasure of commencing their own journey into this most captivating of universes at the very beginning of Lyra's story - Independent
No one else writes like Pullman . . . entirely worth the 17-year wait - Imogen Russell Williams, Metro
A rich, imaginative, vividly characterised rite-of-passage tale - Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
High-octane adventure accompanies ingenious plotting - The Times
As always, a fantastic epic of beautiful narrative and stunning character development. At points in the book I found myself shouting, or, agreeing with the characters out loud, to the bemusement of my husband. This is... More
One thing I never thought this book would be was boring. It was a grim and depressing read and I didn't enjoy it at all
Lyra has grown up and so has the story telling. There is a murder in the first chapters, plus mention of rape, and some swearing later on. I'm still working my way through the 700+ pages, but the story is... More
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