Author(s): Philip Pullman

Young Adult | Senior Fiction | Science Fiction, Dystopia, and Fantasy

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. _____ Reviews for The Secret Commonwealth: The Book of Dust Volume Two: "[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" i "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 "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.co.uk "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  

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STELLA'S REVIEW:
It is always with some trepidation that you approach the new books of your favourite authors. There is a sense of nervous anticipation as you open the covers. Will it be as good as the others? Will it take you to new ground? I’m happy to report that I was transported to Lyra’s world and very pleased to be back in it, so engaged with her world in The Secret Commonwealth that it proved difficult to go to work or sleep. The second 'Book of Dust' takes us twenty years on from La Belle Sauvage. Lyra Silvertongue is now a young woman completing her university studies, and her life is taking a turn for the worse: her daemon Pantalaimon is angry with her, and when Pan sees a murder committed while out walking alone at night (if you know the world of Lyra, you will know that it is not normal for people to be separated from their daemons), the seemingly safe environs of Oxford and the colleges begins to unravel at an alarming rate. Danger is pursuing Lyra — someone wants her controlled, wants something from her and not in a nice way. Escaping Oxford, which is no longer a safe haven (the new master is not sympathetic to this orphan), she finds shelter with Malcolm Polstad’s family. Finally learning about her rescue in The Great Flood by the then 11-year-old Malcolm, she is both astonished by her childhood history and angry that so many secrets have been kept from her. Yet this is a different Lyra than her eleven-year-old self of Northern Lights. While still determined, there are also the more adult emotions of doubt and fear holding her back. She is questioning her beliefs, her understanding of herself and the people around her. Quarrelling one evening with Pan, he accuses her of losing her imagination — something she scoffs at and dismisses. Pan’s frustration is palpable — they are both saddened by their ability to separate physically and this has left a gaping psychological gulf that neither Lyra nor Pan can overcome. When Pan leaves her to seek answers — to find Lyra’s ‘imagination’, Lyra begins her own journey to the East. It is dangerous for her in Brytan and she needs to flee — but where can she go? Her first step is to old friends, the Gyptains, and here we meet again some of the characters from those first books in the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. Pullman deftly pulls in the threads of Lyra's childhood and weaves in her new quests. The story-telling is as always exceptional. She must find Pan; she needs to go East. What is so special about a rose that is grown in the desert and why does the Magisterium want it so badly? Scientists and theologians alike are determined to uncover something about this material, and there seems to be a link to Dust. We follow the journeys of Pan, Lyra and Malcolm on their separate trajectories to the east: Pan in search of what is wrong at the heart of his relationship with Lyra; Lyra seeking Pan, the reason for the brutal murder and the mysteries of the invisible worlds; and Malcolm to find Lyra and, as a member of the secret organisation Oakley Street, to find out what the Magisterium is up to. Across the world, both east and west, the Magisterium has become stronger and more powerful. We see a more dictatorial state and one where political and economic machinations are affecting people adversely. There is less autonomy, a crackdown on debate and dissent, people are displaced, and inequality is on the rise, with a small elite in charge with the backing of military and police. The Secret Commonwealth is more compelling than the first in 'The Book of Dust' series but is also darker, more violent and challenging. I am awaiting with greater anticipation the third in this trilogy! If you haven’t read any of the 'Lyra' books you need to start at the beginning with Northern Lights.   

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Review: [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 *