The Secret Commonwealth

The Book of Dust: Volume 2 Book of Dust

by Philip Pullman

Hardcover, 633 pages

English language

Published Nov. 3, 2019 by Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN:: 978-0-553-51066-9

LYRA SILVERTONGUE thought her adventuring days were long over. Now a twenty-year-old undergraduate at St. Sophia's College, she could almost begin to doubt that she'd once traveled to the world of the dead were it not for the painful separation from her daemon, Pantalaimon.

But intrigue is swirling around Lyra once more. Pantalaimon witnesses a brutal murder, and the dying man entrusts them with secrets that carry shocking echoes of their past. They learn of a city haunted by daemons, and of a desert rose said to reveal the nature of Dust.

Even these small scraps of knowledge are dangerous. Lyra is being watched and followed--and inexorably drawn back into a battle she thought she'd left behind.

On the run, she seeks refuge with the gyptians, and finds a surprising new ally in Malcolm Polstead. But hers aren't the kind of troubles you can hide from. And …

Even these small scraps of knowledge are dangerous. Lyra is being watched and followed--and inexorably drawn back into a battle she thought she'd left behind.

On the run, she seeks refuge with the gyptians, and finds a surprising new ally in Malcolm Polstead. But hers aren't the kind of troubles you can hide from. And the journey in front of her is one Lyra must navigate alone if she is to emerge whole.

This description comes from the publisher. The Secret Commonwealth is the second volume of The Book of Dust; this is the sequel series to the His Dark Materials series, the first of which is The Golden Compass or Northern Lights.

10 editions

Otts reviewed The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman (Book of Dust)

A gift to fans of His Dark Materials

5 stars

Content warning Recurring, disturbing violence in this series

Re-read to prep for the final book in the trilogy. See, these 600+ pages are warranted, unlike 95% of the sci-fi/fantasy books I’ve read this year. The Books of Dust evolve and complicate the beloved world of His Dark Materials in many ways, but one of the most arresting is in the relationships between people & their daemons. It’s shocking, heart-breaking, and very human. This world is brutal. He doesn’t spare Lyra from sexual violence, which, after Alice’s rape in the first book, is two too many for me.

debby_joyblue reviewed Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

Review of 'Secret Commonwealth' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I'm torn about how to rate this numerically. I gave the first in the series a 3+. For much of this, second, installment, I might have rated the same. Ultimately, however, I'd rate it a 2+ or 3- because of graphic description of extreme violence, including a sexual assault. This is supposed to be entertainment! Sexual assault is not entertaining. Full stop.