# The Book of Dust

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Fantasy novel trilogy by Philip Pullman

The Book of Dust First volume cover La Belle Sauvage (2017) The Secret Commonwealth (2019) The Rose Field (2025) Author Philip Pullman Country United Kingdom Language English Genre Fantasy novel Publisher Scholastic Published 2017–2025 Media type Print (hardback & paperback)

***The Book of Dust*** is a [trilogy](/source/Trilogy) of [fantasy novels](/source/Fantasy_literature) by [Philip Pullman](/source/Philip_Pullman), which expands his trilogy *[His Dark Materials](/source/His_Dark_Materials)*. The books further chronicle the adventures of [Lyra Belacqua](/source/Lyra_Belacqua) and her battle against the [theocratic](/source/Theocracy) organisation known as the Magisterium, and shed more light on the mysterious substance called [Dust](/source/Dust_(His_Dark_Materials)).

The first book, *[La Belle Sauvage](/source/La_Belle_Sauvage)*, was published in October 2017, and is set 12 years before *[Northern Lights](/source/Northern_Lights_(Pullman_novel))* (*The Golden Compass* in some countries). It describes how the 11-year-old Malcolm Polstead and the 15-year-old Alice protect the infant Lyra, leading to her being in the care of Jordan College. It introduces the research by academics and other free-thinkers into [Dust](/source/Dust_(His_Dark_Materials)), a mysterious [subatomic particle](/source/Subatomic_particle) related to consciousness, and the origins of Lyra's [alethiometer](/source/Alethiometer).[1]

The second book, *[The Secret Commonwealth](/source/The_Secret_Commonwealth)*, was published on 3 October 2019 and is set after the events in the original trilogy with Lyra now a twenty-year-old undergraduate.[2] The third book of the series, *[The Rose Field](/source/The_Rose_Field)*, was published on 23 October 2025 and is set immediately after the conclusion of *The Secret Commonwealth*.[3][4]

Pullman has said that the trilogy addresses [consciousness](/source/Consciousness): "Perhaps the oldest philosophical question of all: are we matter? Or are we spirit and matter? What is consciousness if there is no spirit? Questions like that are of perennial fascination and they haven't been solved yet, thank goodness."[5] He added that the series might be slightly darker than the original, and quipped that it could alternatively be titled "***His Darker Materials***".[5]

## History of the trilogy

Pullman conceived *The Book of Dust* before the publication of *[Lyra's Oxford](/source/Lyra's_Oxford)* in 2003[6][7] and in 2005 he confirmed the book was "under way".[8] Early on he described it as being a longer book than he had initially imagined[9][10] and later that he was considering writing two volumes, one set before *His Dark Materials* and the other set afterwards.[11] In 2017 Pullman stated that *The Book of Dust* would be a new trilogy, and announced the publication of the first part, *La Belle Sauvage,*[12] published on 19 October 2017.[13] The books are jointly published by Random House Children's and David Fickling Books in the United Kingdom, and by [Random House Children's Books](/source/Random_House) in the US.[14]

## Books

*The Book of Dust* takes place before and after the original trilogy; Pullman described it as an "equel", rather than a sequel, which "will begin and end with Lyra".[15] In Pullman's words the story's main focus is: "the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organisation, which wants to stifle speculation and enquiry, and those who believe thought and speech should be free".[5] The books will touch on research into [Dust](/source/Dust_(His_Dark_Materials)), the cosmic matter that governs consciousness.[1] Pullman said the trilogy addresses [consciousness](/source/Consciousness): "Perhaps the oldest philosophical question of all: are we matter? Or are we spirit and matter? What is consciousness if there is no spirit? Questions like that are of perennial fascination and they haven't been solved yet, thank goodness."[5]

### *La Belle Sauvage*

Main article: [La Belle Sauvage](/source/La_Belle_Sauvage)

The first book, *La Belle Sauvage*, was published in October 2017, and is set around 11 years before *[Northern Lights](/source/Northern_Lights_(Pullman_novel))*. It describes how the 11-year-old Malcolm Polstead and the 15-year-old Alice protect the infant Lyra; leading to her being in the care of Jordan College. It introduces the research by academics and other free-thinkers into [Dust](/source/Dust_(His_Dark_Materials)), a mysterious [subatomic particle](/source/Subatomic_particle) related to consciousness, and the origins of Lyra's [alethiometer](/source/Alethiometer).[1]

### *The Secret Commonwealth*

Main article: [The Secret Commonwealth](/source/The_Secret_Commonwealth)

The second volume, *The Secret Commonwealth*, was published on 3 October 2019, and begins with Lyra as a 20-year-old undergraduate. It involves her journeying to the Far East via the [Levant](/source/Levant).[5][16][17][18][19] *The Secret Commonwealth* takes its title from a compilation of folklore by [Robert Kirk](/source/Robert_Kirk_(folklorist)) that Pullman has said is one of his favourite books.[18]

### *The Rose Field*

Main article: [The Rose Field](/source/The_Rose_Field)

During a launch event for *The Secret Commonwealth* in October 2019, Pullman said, "We can see where the story is going in this book. It's going towards [Central Asia](/source/Central_Asia), it involves roses and it involves Dust. That's all I can tell you⁠—I don't even have a title for it yet!"[18][20] though he had earlier mentioned possible titles such as *The Garden of Roses* or *Roses from the South*.[21] A short excerpt of the first chapter is available as part of an interview on the blog of [Goldsmiths, University of London](/source/Goldsmiths%2C_University_of_London).[22]

On 11 February 2023, Pullman said on Twitter that he had written 350 pages of the book.[23] In November 2023, Pullman announced that he had written 500 pages of a 540-page novel which would conclude the trilogy. He added that it would be published sometime in 2024, though he had yet to decide on a title.[24] In mid-August 2024, Pullman said on Twitter that the book was finished, but that it still needed to be edited.[25] At the end of January 2025, Pullman confirmed on Twitter that the book was finished and that he "very much hope[d] that it'll be published this year".[26]

On 29 April 2025 the book's title *[The Rose Field](/source/The_Rose_Field)* was announced on Pullman's Instagram channel and the publication date set for 23 October 2025.[27]

## Adaptations

The first book was adapted into a play of the same name by [Bryony Lavery](/source/Bryony_Lavery). A production of which, directed by [Nicholas Hytner](/source/Nicholas_Hytner), played at the [Bridge Theatre](/source/Bridge_Theatre) between November 2021 and February 2022 and which was broadcast by [National Theatre Live](/source/National_Theatre_Live) on 17 February 2022.[28]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GdnDkean2_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GdnDkean2_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-GdnDkean2_1-2) Kean, Danuta (14 February 2017). ["Philip Pullman unveils epic fantasy trilogy The Book of Dust"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/15/philip-pullman-unveils-epic-fantasy-trilogy-the-book-of-dust). *The Guardian*. London. Retrieved 18 October 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Philip Pullman - Shop Item"](http://pullman.davidficklingbooks.com/publication?pubID=262).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Crown, Sarah (23 October 2025). ["The Rose Field by Philip Pullman – nail-biting conclusion to the Northern Lights series"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/oct/23/the-rose-field-by-philip-pullman-nail-biting-conclusion-to-the-northern-lights-series). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 23 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Youngs, Ian (29 April 2025). ["Philip Pullman 'relieved' to finish Lyra's final book"](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg25k199geo). *BBC News*. Retrieved 30 April 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:12_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:12_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:12_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:12_5-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:12_5-4) Flood, Alison (18 October 2017). ["Philip Pullman launches La Belle Sauvage and says sequel is finished"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/oct/19/philip-pullman-launches-la-belle-sauvage-sequel-the-book-of-dust-his-dark-materials). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 19 October 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Guardian-06Apr03_6-0)** Thorpe (6 April 2003). ["Pullman brings back Lyra for Oxford"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/apr/06/books.booksnews). *The Guardian*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Mitchison, Amanda (3 November 2003). ["The art of darkness"](https://web.archive.org/web/20031119092119/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/11/04/bopull04.xml). London: The Telegraph. Archived from [the original](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/11/04/bopull04.xml) on 19 November 2003. Retrieved 12 January 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["April message"](https://web.archive.org/web/20051016184919/http://www.philip-pullman.com/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=115). Philip-Pullman.com. April 2005. Archived from [the original](http://www.philip-pullman.com/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=115) on 16 October 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Guardian-03Aug07_9-0)** Fleming, Tom (3 August 2007). ["A very grown-up children's author"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2007/aug/03/averygrownupchildrensautho). London: The Guardian Unlimited Arts Blog. Retrieved 14 October 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Oxford's Cherwell Interviews: Philip Pullman"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090613052154/http://www.cherwell.org/content/8873). Cherwell. 2 September 2009. Archived from [the original](http://www.cherwell.org/content/8873) on 13 June 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Brown_11-0)** Brown, Helen (17 October 2011). ["Page in the Life: Philip Pullman"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/8824867/Page-in-the-Life-Philip-Pullman.html). The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 March 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Author Philip Pullman Announces A Follow-Up Trilogy To 'His Dark Materials'"](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/14/515193632/author-philip-pullman-announces-a-follow-up-trilogy-to-his-dark-materials). *NPR.org*. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_13-0)** ["First Book of Dust novel to be called 'La Belle Sauvage'"](http://www.thebookseller.com/news/philip-pullman-book-dust-558506). The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 June 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Long-awaited Philip Pullman series The Book of Dust revealed"](http://www.thebookseller.com/news/philip-pullman-announces-book-dust-publication-equel-his-dark-materials-487156). The Bookseller. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Saner, Emine (17 February 2017). ["The Book of Dust: after 17 years, Pullman's latest work has new relevance"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/17/first-instalment-of-new-philip-pullman-trilogy-the-book-of-dust-out-in-october). *The Guardian*. London. Retrieved 2 March 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Philip Pullman's Dark Materials spin-off Secret Commonwealth gets release date"](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a26541945/his-dark-materials-spinoff-book-of-dust-read-first-extract-bbc-tv-series/). Digital Spy. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** O'Kelly, Lisa (22 October 2017). ["Philip Pullman: 'My daemon is a raven, a bird that steals things'"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/oct/22/philip-pullman-my-daemon-is-a-raven-la-belle-sauvage-interview-questions). *The Observer*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0029-7712](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0029-7712). Retrieved 22 October 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_18-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_18-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_18-2) [Elmhirst, Sophie](/source/Sophie_Elmhirst) (12 October 2017). ["Philip Pullman Returns to His Fantasy World"](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/magazine/philip-pullman-returns-to-his-fantasy-world.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0362-4331](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 6 November 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** hermes (24 October 2017). ["His Dark Materials universe draws Philip Pullman back for new trilogy"](https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/philip-pullman-starts-new-trilogy-set-in-his-dark-materials-universe). *The Straits Times*. Retrieved 6 November 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Philip Pullman reveals inspiration behind Secret Commonwealth at sold-out launch"](https://www.thebookseller.com/news/philip-pullman-secret-commonwealth-launch-1092876). *Bookseller.com*. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Marco, Nerea; Echevarría, Carlota; Reyna, Pablo C. (April 2018), ["Entrevista a Philip Pullman"](http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.com/revista/63/20), *El Templo de las Mil Puertas*, pp. 20–21, retrieved 12 September 2020

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Philip Pullman in conversation with Michael Rosen"](https://sites.gold.ac.uk/clcl-blog/philip-pullman-in-conversation-with-michael-rosen/). *Goldsmiths, University of London Centre for Language, Culture and Learning Blog*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210628120726/https://sites.gold.ac.uk/clcl-blog/) from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Twitter_11_February_2023_23-0)** [Philip Pullman \[@PhilipPullman\]](/source/Philip_Pullman) (11 February 2023). ["350, today."](https://twitter.com/PhilipPullman/status/1624128210379186178) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230314111109/https://twitter.com/PhilipPullman/status/1624128210379186178) from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023 – via [Twitter](/source/Twitter).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Philip Pullman is honored in Oxford, and tells fans when to expect his long-awaited next book"](https://apnews.com/article/author-philip-pullman-oxford-medal-59b60e2ccaa9e8249ebda9954d9916d3). *AP News*. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Pullman, Philip [@PhilipPullman] (16 August 2024). ["There is a third book, and it's finished all but a lengthy but necessary editing process"](https://x.com/PhilipPullman/status/1824487662528393639) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))). Retrieved 13 October 2024 – via [X (formerly Twitter)](/source/X_(formerly_Twitter)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** Pullman, Philip [@PhilipPullman] (27 January 2025). ["The third book is finished, and I very much hope it'll be published this year"](https://x.com/PhilipPullman/status/1883810578382373092) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))). Retrieved 8 February 2025 – via [X (formerly Twitter)](/source/X_(formerly_Twitter)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["Instagram"](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJB6Q5II1oM/?igsh=MW9wMm5ndmFoa2l0ag==). *www.instagram.com*. Retrieved 29 April 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** ["The Book of Dust - La Belle Savauage"](https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-book-of-dust/). *Bridge Theatre*. Retrieved 11 May 2024.

v t e Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust His Dark Materials Northern Lights The Subtle Knife The Amber Spyglass The Book of Dust La Belle Sauvage The Secret Commonwealth The Rose Field Companion books Lyra's Oxford Once Upon a Time in the North The Collectors Serpentine The Imagination Chamber Characters Lyra Belacqua Will Parry Lord Asriel Mrs. Coulter Adaptations His Dark Materials (stage play) The Golden Compass (film) soundtrack "Lyra" The Golden Compass (video game) His Dark Materials (television series) La Belle Sauvage (stage play) Other Locations Races Dust Dæmons Category

v t e Works by Philip Pullman Sally Lockhart The Ruby in the Smoke (1985) The Shadow in the North (1986) The Tiger in the Well (1990) The Tin Princess (1994) His Dark Materials Original novels Northern Lights (1995) The Subtle Knife (1997) The Amber Spyglass (2000) Companion books Lyra's Oxford (2003) Once Upon a Time in the North (2008) Serpentine (2020) The Book of Dust La Belle Sauvage (2017) The Secret Commonwealth (2019) The Rose Field (2025) Other The Haunted Storm (1972) Galatea (1978) Count Karlstein (1982) How to be Cool (1987) The Broken Bridge (1990) The Butterfly Tattoo (1992) The Firework-Maker's Daughter (1995) Clockwork (1996) I Was a Rat! or, The Scarlet Slippers (1999) The Scarecrow and his Servant (2004) The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Book of Dust](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Dust) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Dust?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.