"Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy...
Malcolm's father runs an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his dæmon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue.
He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust--and the spy it was intended for finds him.
When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, Malcolm sees suspicious characters everywhere; 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 dæmon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl--just a baby--named Lyra.
Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm."
Hardcover, 546 pages
Published October 19th 2017 by David Fickling Books
My Review
I am a big fan of the original His Dark Materials trilogy so I was very intrigued to find out what the new prequel trilogy would be like. Of course that also meant rereading Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, but I wasn't complaining - any excuse really! I'd say you don't need to have read the original series to enjoy this book, but I think it definitely added to my enjoyment recognising some of the characters and being back in Lyra's world, and finding out more about her start in life.
It felt like quite a gentle start to the book, introducing the main character Malcolm Polstead and his daily life helping in the pub with his parents, having an unspoken agreement to ignore the washing up girl Alice and visiting the nuns in his pride and joy, his canoe La Belle Sauvage. Whenever I read His Dark Materials and now La Belle Sauvage I almost feel like I'm going back in time and entering another pace of life, where children stay children for a lot longer and are content with simpler things.
However, Malcolm's simple world is turned upside down when he finds a secret message and becomes involved with spies working against the Magisterium (the church in this world).
The book soon becomes a bit of a mystery and an adventure story, with Malcolm braving many dangers to help bring Lyra to safety. The story also takes a darker turn at times and there are some more adult themes with a scene that suggests that a character is raped. Younger readers may not realise what has happened as it is tactfully written (if that is the right word) but you can tell that something violent and distressing is taking place.
I loved the relationship Malcolm had with Lyra, completely in awe of this tiny baby, and Lyra being equally intrigued by him. I really enjoyed reading about how different Pantalaimon (Lyra's dæmon) was when she was a baby, it seems strange but it didn't occur to me that he would be smaller! The author seems to always bring deeper questions to the fore of nature vs nurture and how personalities develop.
This is a really entertaining story which builds up the pace as the novel progresses and brings more to the world that Pullman created over twenty years ago. It definitely feels like the start of the story though as it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm definitely keen to read the next instalment when it comes out. I've given this 5 out of 5.
It felt like quite a gentle start to the book, introducing the main character Malcolm Polstead and his daily life helping in the pub with his parents, having an unspoken agreement to ignore the washing up girl Alice and visiting the nuns in his pride and joy, his canoe La Belle Sauvage. Whenever I read His Dark Materials and now La Belle Sauvage I almost feel like I'm going back in time and entering another pace of life, where children stay children for a lot longer and are content with simpler things.
However, Malcolm's simple world is turned upside down when he finds a secret message and becomes involved with spies working against the Magisterium (the church in this world).
The book soon becomes a bit of a mystery and an adventure story, with Malcolm braving many dangers to help bring Lyra to safety. The story also takes a darker turn at times and there are some more adult themes with a scene that suggests that a character is raped. Younger readers may not realise what has happened as it is tactfully written (if that is the right word) but you can tell that something violent and distressing is taking place.
I loved the relationship Malcolm had with Lyra, completely in awe of this tiny baby, and Lyra being equally intrigued by him. I really enjoyed reading about how different Pantalaimon (Lyra's dæmon) was when she was a baby, it seems strange but it didn't occur to me that he would be smaller! The author seems to always bring deeper questions to the fore of nature vs nurture and how personalities develop.
This is a really entertaining story which builds up the pace as the novel progresses and brings more to the world that Pullman created over twenty years ago. It definitely feels like the start of the story though as it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm definitely keen to read the next instalment when it comes out. I've given this 5 out of 5.
The Author
In 1946, acclaimed author Philip Pullman was born in Norwich, England, into a Protestant family. Although his beloved grandfather was an Anglican priest, Pullman became an atheist in his teenage years. He graduated from Exeter College in Oxford with a degree in English, and spent 23 years as a teacher while working on publishing 13 books and numerous short stories. Pullman has received many awards for his literature, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for exceptional children’s literature in 1996, and the Carnegie of Carnegies in 2006. He is most famous for his “His Dark Materials” trilogy, a series of young adult fantasy novels which feature freethought themes. The novels cast organized religion as the series’ villain.
Also how beautiful are these 20th anniversary covers of the His Dark Materials trilogy?! I love them :)
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