The Book of Dust Part 2: The Secret Commonwealth - Philip Pullman

The first thing to notice about this book is just how beautiful the hardcover is underneath the dust jacket. The spine has an inscribed 'hidden' message too which is such a lovely feature. I actually pre-ordered this before it came out last year and have ONLY just got round to reading it - I was mainly holding back because it’s so ginormous and I didn’t want to lug it round London in the rain! But as it turns out, I could wait no longer and so bit the bullet, toting this heavy volume on my travels to and from work.

I purposefully didn’t read any reviews on Goodreads beforehand as I wanted to form my own opinion, and I personally adored it. I’ve now read the reviews and I am shocked to see that so many are negative - I struggled to find fault. Pullman’s writing is enchanting as always, and he manages to weave such spellbinding stories with fairly simple language. The novels have definitely grown up with the readers (much like how the Harry Potter series got progressively darker) and many readers were appalled by the rape scene in La Belle Sauvage, feeling that it was unnecessary (I somewhat agree). Nonetheless, Pullman explores these difficult themes sensitively, and they are few and far between. 

In the second part of the sequel trilogy to the original His Dark Materials series, The Secret Commonwealth, Lyra is now 20 years old and Malcolm in his early thirties - and despite the jump in time, the novel flows nicely from the first part of the trilogy. Since the events of His Dark Materials, Lyra and Pan’s relationship has become unbearable, and this novel explores their journey following events in the world of the dead, when they separated from each other. So strained is their relationship and so far apart have their morals and beliefs become, that Pantalaimon decides he can no longer stand being near Lyra and abandons her. If you're familiar at all with Pullman's concept of daemons, it is pretty shocking for a human to be separated with theirs, so many look upon Lyra with disgust and horror at the sight of her travelling alone in search of her lost daemon. 

The search takes Lyra across Europe and into Asia in pursuit of a city which is mere legend, alleged to contain the souls of lost daemons wondering apart from their humans. But she is being pursued by those who believe her to be the key to solving their own mysteries, meaning that without Pan, she is even more vulnerable. Now I can safely say I can’t wait for part three, after Pullman delivered another spectacular cliffhanger! This is a hefty tome but I sped through it as always, so don't let its size deter you - I urge Pullman fans and newbies alike to dive into the magical world!