The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage Review
I have finally finished reading the novel and I have to say it was a pleasure from start to finish. The book forms a sort of prequel to the main HDM trilogy and centers on a boy called Malcolm Polstead, who becomes infatuated with a young baby called Lyra, who is being cared for by Nuns at the Godstow Priory close to where he lives in a fictional Oxford, England. There seem to be many people keen to find out more about this baby living with the Nun’s and events will start to collide together with an otherworldly flood, and it forces Malcolm to become the protector of the innocent baby Lyra, against those that would do her harm hunt her down.
First of all, don’t go into this expecting something as grand as His Dark Materials. Simply put, there could not be a bigger event than the main trilogy in this fantasy world. Instead, I think this series (which is being labeled as a companion series) is going to explore the role Dust takes in this universe Pullman has created, and it’s been confirmed that the next book will take place 20 years after this one (and 10 years after HDM).
Honestly, at this point, I cannot even say that the next book will feature Malcolm Polstead or any of the other characters developed in this story, but I like the fact that I cannot see where Pullman is going next with this. I am also going to come right out and say that once again this book places the Church and Christianity as the ultimate enemy, but bear in mind this is set in a world where the Church has a deep control of the people and the politics and actively stifles freedom of though using the likes of secret police and child informants.
I loved the book. Okay. Perhaps I am biased in the fact that, for me, it was a joy to be back in Lyra’s Oxford again, with daemons, witches, anbaric lights, and Dust. However, this is no fan fiction, and nobody plays in this world like Phillip Pullman. Pullman remains my favourite pre teen –teen children’s writer, because whilst he crafts stories from that perspective, Pullman is never afraid to remind the reader that we live in an adult world, and adults will take actions that children will not, and have motivations that children cannot yet understand.
Like HDM before it, La Belle Sauvage explores what the difference is between childhood and adulthood, by exploring the murky middle ground where things get confusing for all of us. We see the character of Malcolm, and his slightly older friend and companion Alice, grow and mature over the course of the novel, whilst their feelings for one another are cultivated slowly and naturally as they transition from one stage to another.
The plot itself is a fairly simple one. As I said up front, don’t expect anything as grand as HDM here. However it feels right at home amongst my favourite book series to the point where I couldn’t imagine a better setup for the characters that we first meet properly as leads in The Golden Compass. What happens in this story feels important to what comes later, and yet still presents us with surprises and reveals, which help explain the main books questions more thoroughly.
Perfect prequel material for me, and being set in specifically Lyra’s world once again allows us to experience the soul of a person in the form of the character’s daemons, which in turn, opens up storytelling opportunities which are unique to this series. There are some standout cameos in this story, and some predictable ones. But, in its defense, you’d expect that Lyra’s parents would have to feature, given the plot revolving around their infant child, and with both being on opposite sides of an impending war.
I don’t want to give away any more of the plot than I have here already for this book or His Dark Materials, but suffice to say I think Pullman has once again crafted a fantastic book that can enjoyed by anyone over 11-12. It has imagination, heart, and drama and gives little glimpses of a story and universe even larger than the one we were presented with in HDM.
I can’t recommend this highly enough and I am only disappointed in the fact I have no idea when part two will be released. I also commend book authors like Pullman for taking risks and not feeling subjects are taboo.
I implore those that enjoy reading novels to pick this up, and you don’t even have to have read the HDM trilogy to enjoy it. If you do enjoy this, why not try the grander trilogy as well, I doubt you will be disappointed.
One final thing is that despite me being denied the chance to name my daughter Lyra, other than a middle name, I am now fairly satisfied, as within this book, the characters give baby Lyra a false name…. Ellie. Guess what we chose for my daughter’s first name? It’s almost as if we were inspired by Dust to do so.
What do you think, has anyone picked up La Belle Sauvage yet, have you read His Dark Materials? Let us know in the comments below
Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.
Page 1:
About His Dark Materials
Continue Reading
| < < PREVIOUS | 1 | 2 |
FOR FANBOYS, BY FANBOYS
Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcasts and videos on The Genreverse Podcast Network? Available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast apps, This multimedia empire includes The Daily CoG, Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, Anime-Versal Review Podcast, and our Star Wars dedicated podcast The Cantina. Check it out by listening on all your favorite podcast apps, or watching on YouTube!
Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play
