Scan barcode
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I think when he was writing The Secret Commonwealth, Philip Pullman just really wanted all the fans of His Dark Materials to shut up and stop asking what happened to Lyra next. After teasing longtime fans and readers with La Belle Sauvage, finally a book about Lyra Silvertongue is announced and the story we get is self-important and depressing. If you’re a fan of The Golden Compass and you haven’t read the gigantic tomes in the decades-later follow-up series yet… well, you’re welcome. I’ve done it for you so you don’t have to suffer.
First of all, the plot was… boring, I guess? There were a few different storylines running simultaneously through different POVs and I personally did not find any of them interesting. In fact, I’m a bit perplexed as to what kind of story Pullman wanted to tell, and further confused as to why it’s all Lyra’s story again. It’s almost as though both La Belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth were worldbuilding notes that Pullman had about Oxford and its world… but he wanted to loop in Lyra because he wanted to draw the readers of His Dark Materials into his new series. Realistically, I believe both the novels in The Book of Dust would be better served in the same world of His Dark Materials but following different characters.
Pantelimon is absolutely correct in saying Lyra has lost her imagination. As a character, she seems to have lost more than that. I understand that the character has grown up, but she feels like an entirely different character than the one we left in The Amber Spyglass. She has lost her curiosity and interest in the world. She’s lost her drive and optimism. Her entire journey in His Dark Materials did not take this from her, but going to school has. This, in particular, made me feel like the story should have belonged to a different character.
There were a couple aspects that made me a bit uncomfortable, writing-wise. There are scenes regarding homosexuality that I don’t feel Pullman was classified to write, and frankly, made me cringe a bit with the way he spoke about it. It’s one of those things that, in reading, it feels more like he was expressing his own (problematic) understanding of the LGBTQIAP+ community. From a social perspective, I hated that he said one could learn to love a woman after a while. From a worldbuilding perspective, it seemed like he went against how he explained daemons in his world earlier. There were also scenes where Lyra was wearing a niqāb, and Pullman was not subtle in how he wrote Lyra behavior felt like a judgment on the logic of niqābs and hijabs and I just… didn’t… like it. Finally, there is an attempte rape scenes that, again, I don’t feel Pullman was qualified to write. I dunno. Maybe I’m being overly critical. Maybe I’m reading into something that isn’t there. Either way, I didn’t like it. If he consulted outside sources or had sensitivity readers or any of that, it certainly isn’t references in the Author’s Note.
The story doesn’t become interesting until the last half hour of the twenty hour audiobook. Most the story is a journey, but Pullman seems to have lost his skill at making that journey interesting without making it vulgar. I just… don’t think I’m compelled enough to read the final book because both of the previous two have been far too long and went little to nowhere. I’m just not invested enough in the story to waste more hours of my life seeing the ending.
I love, I love His Dark Materials. But I can’t in good conscious recommend either La Belle Sauvage or The Secret Commonwealth. I was hoping the series was going to get better, but it hasn’t. If you have fond memories of His Dark Materials, I’m inclined to recommend avoiding this one as not to tarnish what you know of Lyra. Enjoy her adventure, you don’t need to know what happens next. Your time is more valuable than that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Lesbophobia
snuzzbobble's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Cursing, Trafficking, and Murder
sauvageloup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i'm not entirely sure what I thought of this one exactly.
pros:
- it was gripping, I certainly wanted to hear what would happen next and wish i could read the next book now!
- I did really enjoy the development of Lyra's character, she's clearly grown up and changed a great deal, and her and Pan's relationship.
- I loved exploring the world further, particularly the more human elements, compared with the more supernatural parts we saw in His Dark Materials. There were some pertinent points that I think related to our world, including but not limited to welcoming refugees and being compassionate to people who are different.
- Pullman's writing is as creative and vivid as ever, too. He has a great way of really bringing up a picture of the place.
- The tone was also much darker and it was clearly an adult book. People say fuck and there are awful, deplorable actions described. While this takes away some of the magical glow of the His Dark Materials books, it did make the danger feel more real.
- Pullman really seems to understand what it's like to be a woman/AFAB/fem. Lyra is described as menstruating, as attracting unwanted attention, and her struggles travelling as an unaccompanied woman. (Also, he does a good job of making Malcolm attractive - a big, smart, gentle man willing to protect those he loves? Yes pls.)
- I also liked the side characters, from Alice Lonsdale to all the people Lyra meets on her journey through Oakley street.
- It felt like there was a really good mix of Lyra meeting strangers who meant her harm, weren't interested in her, or wanted to help her. Not everyone was out to get her, or to help her, which felt like a good representation of humanity.
- he created the atmosphere of fear and discomfort with the Magisterum getting more powerful really well, and this Delamare bloke seems awful.
- I was really fascinated by the idea of the Secret Commonwealth and the description of Lyra's imagination and her rationale fighting over whether to believe it or not. It much reminded me of tarot cards (as did Lyra's way of relaxing her mind to read the alethiometer in this book and previous) and paganism and how meaning can be found in the world if you choose to find it.
cons:
- Lyra's character change was a bit of a shock, though it made more sense as the story went on.
- Malcolm's declaration of love for Lyra early in the book felt very strange. After such careful development of Will and Lyra's relationship, it felt very strange to have almost no build up. Malcolm barely knew Lyra except as a baby and a rude teenager, how could he be in love with her? bizarre.
- they do become relevant later but the two books that apparently influenced Lyra's opinion/her imagination seemed to come kind of out of the left field.
- the story also felt a random in general. It's clear that the Secret Commonwealth is guiding her and Pan, but from a rational point of view, Lyra randomly deciding to see Coram and Pan to visit the book author and expecting to just meet up somewhere was kinda odd. The book felt too reliant on coincidences in many places, though I know there's an in-book explanation for this.
- Also, it ended on the cliffhanger of the camel guide knowing Lyra and claiming she has some treasure in the East, but it felt kinda just like the middle of a super long book? There wasn't really any feeling of completion at all other than that Lyra got Pan back
- this did feel slightly shoe-horned to fit into His Dark Materials. Alice is a much nicer character than the original Mrs Lonsdale, who hit Lyra, so that didn't feel like it fit. And Lyra's uncle/Mrs Coulter's brother suddenly turning up and being a big character felt kinda arranged.
- Gay people and non-white characters were included in this book more than in His Dark Materials, but I wasn't convinced the rep was any good. The Princess never wanted her lesbian lover, her daemon was obsessed with her, and when other characters seemed to be hinted as being gay, they weren't good people. Similar with POC, who seemed to be victims or cruel themselves, as far as I recall.
- I also got a touch confused with all the new characters, and would probably benefit from re-reading.
- perhaps it was realistic considering the context of the book, but reading about Lyra getting almost-raped was extremely disturbing and I do get sick of the narrative that women who go on adventures/are brave/put themselves out into the world get raped
(- not Pullman's fault, but I'd forgotten a fair bit of the Belle Sauvage, so i didn't even recognise Alice at the start)
overall, mixed feelings. There was a general sense that it was a bit chaotic and too convinient, but I did enjoy it and very much want to read the next one.
pros:
- it was gripping, I certainly wanted to hear what would happen next and wish i could read the next book now!
- I did really enjoy the development of Lyra's character, she's clearly grown up and changed a great deal, and her and Pan's relationship.
- I loved exploring the world further, particularly the more human elements, compared with the more supernatural parts we saw in His Dark Materials. There were some pertinent points that I think related to our world, including but not limited to welcoming refugees and being compassionate to people who are different.
- Pullman's writing is as creative and vivid as ever, too. He has a great way of really bringing up a picture of the place.
- The tone was also much darker and it was clearly an adult book. People say fuck and there are awful, deplorable actions described. While this takes away some of the magical glow of the His Dark Materials books, it did make the danger feel more real.
- Pullman really seems to understand what it's like to be a woman/AFAB/fem. Lyra is described as menstruating, as attracting unwanted attention, and her struggles travelling as an unaccompanied woman. (Also, he does a good job of making Malcolm attractive - a big, smart, gentle man willing to protect those he loves? Yes pls.)
- I also liked the side characters, from Alice Lonsdale to all the people Lyra meets on her journey through Oakley street.
- It felt like there was a really good mix of Lyra meeting strangers who meant her harm, weren't interested in her, or wanted to help her. Not everyone was out to get her, or to help her, which felt like a good representation of humanity.
- he created the atmosphere of fear and discomfort with the Magisterum getting more powerful really well, and this Delamare bloke seems awful.
- I was really fascinated by the idea of the Secret Commonwealth and the description of Lyra's imagination and her rationale fighting over whether to believe it or not. It much reminded me of tarot cards (as did Lyra's way of relaxing her mind to read the alethiometer in this book and previous) and paganism and how meaning can be found in the world if you choose to find it.
cons:
- Lyra's character change was a bit of a shock, though it made more sense as the story went on.
- Malcolm's declaration of love for Lyra early in the book felt very strange. After such careful development of Will and Lyra's relationship, it felt very strange to have almost no build up. Malcolm barely knew Lyra except as a baby and a rude teenager, how could he be in love with her? bizarre.
- they do become relevant later but the two books that apparently influenced Lyra's opinion/her imagination seemed to come kind of out of the left field.
- the story also felt a random in general. It's clear that the Secret Commonwealth is guiding her and Pan, but from a rational point of view, Lyra randomly deciding to see Coram and Pan to visit the book author and expecting to just meet up somewhere was kinda odd. The book felt too reliant on coincidences in many places, though I know there's an in-book explanation for this.
- this did feel slightly shoe-horned to fit into His Dark Materials. Alice is a much nicer character than the original Mrs Lonsdale, who hit Lyra, so that didn't feel like it fit. And Lyra's uncle/Mrs Coulter's brother suddenly turning up and being a big character felt kinda arranged.
- Gay people and non-white characters were included in this book more than in His Dark Materials, but I wasn't convinced the rep was any good. The Princess never wanted her lesbian lover, her daemon was obsessed with her, and when other characters seemed to be hinted as being gay, they weren't good people. Similar with POC, who seemed to be victims or cruel themselves, as far as I recall.
- I also got a touch confused with all the new characters, and would probably benefit from re-reading.
(- not Pullman's fault, but I'd forgotten a fair bit of the Belle Sauvage, so i didn't even recognise Alice at the start)
overall, mixed feelings. There was a general sense that it was a bit chaotic and too convinient, but I did enjoy it and very much want to read the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
josie_c's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Really interesting to see Lyra's character develop as she moves into adulthood. Can't wait to find out what Philip has in store for the final book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
aloy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Ableism and Rape
cursedepub's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The thing I regret most about this book is that Pullman does very well setting up the mystery and conspiracy. I genuinely do want to find out what happens next even though I was too angry at this book to keep reading at times.
The thing I next regret most about this book is that the conflict of self-image that Lyra embodies in it (growing up and becoming anxious, self-hating, and distressingly ordinary, especially compared to what one once was) should be incredibly compelling and thought-provoking, but it just falls flat entirely. More than anything else reading this book felt like being lectured about not losing my childhood sense of wonder in a way that really made me want to lose my childhood sense of wonder just out of spite. I could not help but feel that ever since The Subtle Knife, Pullman has been dedicated to diminishing the character of Lyra Silvertongue from her glory in The Golden Compass, just for the sake of it.
I find it very funny that the novel features an author that is described as being very clever and enthralling with his prose but ultimately saying very little of value. Pullman's prose is excellent, of course.
The thing I next regret most about this book is that the conflict of self-image that Lyra embodies in it (growing up and becoming anxious, self-hating, and distressingly ordinary, especially compared to what one once was) should be incredibly compelling and thought-provoking, but it just falls flat entirely. More than anything else reading this book felt like being lectured about not losing my childhood sense of wonder in a way that really made me want to lose my childhood sense of wonder just out of spite. I could not help but feel that ever since The Subtle Knife, Pullman has been dedicated to diminishing the character of Lyra Silvertongue from her glory in The Golden Compass, just for the sake of it.
I find it very funny that the novel features an author that is described as being very clever and enthralling with his prose but ultimately saying very little of value. Pullman's prose is excellent, of course.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Trafficking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
More...