The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage

Book Review: La Belle Sauvage

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage is the first volume in the Book of Dust series by Philip Pullman. As you probably remember from my previous review, Philip Pullman is the brilliant author of the His Dark Materials trilogy. 

I’m going to first provide a quick plot summary before my comments — if you don’t wish to read this section (as it may contain spoilers), feel free to skim down to the “thoughts” section.

Brief plot summary:

The first volume takes place years prior to the His Dark Materials trilogy, when Lyra is only a baby. The lead characters are Malcolm Polstead (and his daemon, Asta) and Alice Parslow (and her daemon, Ben). In the story, Malcolm is eleven and his parents own an inn, called The Trout. Alice is fifteen and works at the inn, helping out in the kitchen and with any other tasks Mrs. Polstead gives her. Malcolm meets Lyra when he is helping the nuns at the Priory of St. Rosamund. Lyra was put under their protection as an infant and Malcolm quickly becomes fascinated by the baby. 

While walking by the river, Malcolm witnesses a failed attempt at a secret message delivery. The man attempting to deliver the message winds up mysteriously killed. Malcolm, having picked up the message, and after days of trying to decipher its meaning, delivers it to the recipient. The recipient turns out to be Hannah, an Oxford academic who specializes in the study of the alethiometer, and she is also involved in a secret organization, called “Oakley Street.” The organization is fighting against the Magisterium, in hopes to prevent the Magisterium from gaining complete control/power over their world. Without realizing it, from the moment Malcolm picks up the secret message, he becomes involved in the battle against the Magisterium.  

Meanwhile, a man by the name of Bonneville is seen at the Trout, and Malcolm finds him very suspicious (and creepy!). Then, during the great Oxford flood, Malcolm sees Bonneville again, but this time he is attempting to kidnap Lyra from the Priory and attack the nuns. When Malcolm goes to rescue Lyra, he finds Alice in the Priory, and the two of them escape with Lyra.

Malcolm and Alice attempt to take Lyra back to The Trout, but the inn is locked and his parents cannot hear their knocking over the storm. He knows they cannot wait outside of The Trout for long, as Bonneville could easily find them there, and then Bonneville would attack them and take Lyra. When considering what to do next, Malcolm remembers being told about Lyra’s father, Lord Asriel, who he had also seen secretly visiting Lyra at the Priory, not long before the flood. He decides that their best option is to find Lord Asriel and bring Lyra to him.

Malcolm and Alice are left with no choice, they must take Malcolm’s boat and set off into the flood. This marks the beginning of their long and perilous journey to find Lyra’s father. 

Thoughts:

This book is a thrilling adventure, full of danger, courage, and a reminder to never give up on what you set out to accomplish. Beautifully written, this story sets the stage for the events that occur years later, in the His Dark Materials trilogy. 

Before reading this book, I didn’t know what to expect. I was skeptical as to whether or not I would enjoy it, since it did not feature the usual Lyra & Pan duo. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised — Philip Pullman created another series that I could not put down. He has a way of drawing the reader in that is unparalleled. I am always completely engrossed with his books.

The issues with the Magisterium trying to gain complete control of the HDM/Book of Dust world were present in this story, but not as dominant as in HDM and the second installment (The Secret Commonwealth). I’ve noticed the battle for power amongst politics and religion is an ongoing theme throughout Pullman’s novels, but I am not opposed to this (some schools have banned his books due to this). I find his perspective to be rather interesting and he makes some very good points, particularly when he depicts what can result when too much power is given to either side.

I could go on and on about his books, but for the sake of keeping this post at a reasonable length, I’ll leave it at this: I highly recommend the Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage.

Stay tuned for the review of the second volume, The Secret Commonwealth.