Book of Dust : La Belle Sauvage - (The Book of Dust) Book 1 by Philip Pullman (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Inside the object is a cryptic message about something called Dust; and it's not long before Malcolm is approached by the spy for whom this message was actually intended. When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he begins to notice suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer 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 daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl--just a baby--named Lyra.

Lyra is at the center of a storm, and Malcolm will brave any peril, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through it.

"Too few things in our world are worth a seventeen-year wait: The Book of Dust is one of them." --The Washington Post

"The book is full of wonder. . . . Truly thrilling." --The New York Times

"People will love the first volume of Philip Pullman's new trilogy with the same helpless vehemence that stole over them when The Golden Compass came out." --Slate

Review Quotes

It's a stunning achievement, the universe Pullman has created and continues to build on. --The New York Times

A phantasmagoric waterborne odyssey. Mr. Pullman is a supple and formidable writer. --The Wall Street Journal

Enthralling, enchanting. The first half reads like a thriller. The story becomes darker, deeper and even more engrossing when a cataclysmic flood overtakes Southern England. Too few things in our world are worth a seventeen year wait: The Book of Dust is one of them. -- The Washington Post

Pullman's writing is as deftly brilliant as ever. A triumphant return to the alternate Oxford we love.--Bustle

The Book of Dust passes by in one tumultuous wave of literature, that leaves you queasy, but wanting the next volume as quickly as possible. It deserves not only a reread, but an unpacking. It is not a one and done novel, something that, in a time where binging and passing is the status quo. This is a novel to digest. One to take in, let settle, and then revisit. We are lucky to have Pullman's words. Words that will continue to nourish the souls and imaginations of readers for a long, long time. --Hypable

Once again, Pullman's fantasy arrives precisely when it can teach us the most about ourselves, as if it were guided by Dust itself. --Entertainment Weekly

High-octane adventure accompanies ingenious plotting. --The Times (London)

Lyra Silvertongue, Lyra Belacqua, but really just Lyra: one of those characters--Pip, Emma, Lolita--who is on first-name terms with her public.--The New York Times Magazine

Pullman's imagery is as dazzling as ever. La Belle Sauvage reveals the incredible ways in which 'ordinary' children can react whenplaced in extraordinary circumstances: with kindness, bravery and cunning. --The Bookseller

A rollicking adventure. Delightful. --Mother Jones

A stunning, otherworldly journey. La Belle Sauvage dives deeply into magic and intrigue. What a gift it is to be allowed back into this universe. --BuzzFeed

Full of acute observation. A rich, imaginative, vividly characterized rite-of-passage tale. --London Sunday Times

Thrilling and thought-provoking. --Times Literary Supplement

A singularly beguiling work of fantasy. [Pullman is] perhaps the best fantasy writer alive. --The A.V. Club

A profoundly compelling foundation for a new trilogy. --Vox

This tense, adventure-packed book will satisfy and delight Pullman's fans and leave them eager to see what's yet to come --Publishers Weekly, starred review

Pullman is an easeful storyteller and an intricate and inventive world-builder, and everything he has to write is worth reading. --The Telegraph

Magisterial storytelling will sweep readers along; the cast is as vividly drawn as ever; and big themes running beneath the surface invite profound responses and reflection. --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Luminous prose, heady philosophical questions, and a lovable protagonist combine with a gripping plot sure to enchant fans and newcomers alike. --SLJ, starred review

Pullman demonstrates that his talent for world building hasn't diminished, nor has his ability to draw young characters--here, Malcolm, who is layered enough to carry an adventure through multiple dimensions. --Booklist, starred review

Pullman's immense powers of kinesthetic visualization keep the story pulsing on an epic scale.--The Guardian

An immersive, creepy, edge-of-your seat adventure. --Shelf Awareness

To connect once more with a fictional universe of such great power is a delight. --Financial Times

About The Author

The Book of Dust, Pullman's eagerly anticipated return to the world of His Dark Materials, will also be a book in three parts. It began with La Belle Sauvage and continues with The Secret Commonwealth.

Philip Pullman is the author of many other beloved novels. For younger readers: I Was a Rat!, Count Karlstein, Two Crafty Criminals!, Spring-Heeled Jack, and The Scarecrow and His Servant. For older readers: the Sally Lockhart quartet (The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess), The White Mercedes, and The Broken Bridge. He has written a magnificent collection, Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, and his essays and lectures on writing and storytelling have been gathered in a volume called Dæmon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling.

Philip Pullman lives in Oxford, England.