The Secret Commonwealth is the second entry of Philip Pullman’s latest trilogy, The Book of Dust, which continues to expand the fantastical world he created with His Dark Materials.

The Book of Dust takes us on a journey through time, with the first book, La Belle Sauvage, set 11 years before His Dark Materials, and The Secret Commonwealth following about 10 years after that (and 20 years after La Belle Sauvage).

The story begins about ten years after The Amber Spyglass. Lyra is now in her early twenties, a student at St Sophia’s College in Oxford, and she’s different. Lyra has developed into a hard skeptic, drawn to new ideas and tempted by new beliefs -influenced by philosophers whose work insists that only rational, empirical facts are real-, that causes a rift between her and her daemon, Pantalaimon. He feels like they have stolen her imagination, and the emotional distance between them is palpable from page one, and so he spends most of the time separated from her, wandering around Oxford (thanks to the separation power they gained in the world of the dead).

This rift between Lyra and Pantalaimon only grows bigger, and after accumulating resentment and arguments about Lyra’s reading and worldview, Pan finally snaps, writes a note, and leaves to “look for Lyra’s imagination”. After trying and failing to live with that absence, Lyra decides she must follow east to find him.

From here on, the book takes us on three different yet intertwined journeys: Pantalaimon’s, Lyra’s and Malcolm’s:

• Pantalaimon travels east determined to find her imagination. He journeys through different places where the bond between humans and daemon has broken or been twisted. He even encounters other daemonless or separated figures, eventually aiming for a desert region rumoured to contain daemon cities.
• Lyra’s journey begins shortly after, following the clues of a journal and rumors of a desert ruin called the Blue Hotel. She travels by train and ferry through Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Constantinople, and other places, all the while hiding the fact she has no visible daemon. Like Pantalaimon, she discovers a harsh world, meets other daemonless people and other creatures. She slowly starts to question the rational and sceptical beliefs that caused Pan and her to separate, and her believes in the “secret commonwealth” of unseen beings begin to grow again.
• Malcom’s journey is very different. He navigates European and Middle Eastern politics as an Oakley Street agent, tasked with following the Lop Nor rose research. He witnesses an assassination and survives an assassination attempt in a hospital, and is forced deeper into cover on his way east, eventually heading toward the same desert as Lyra and Pantalaimon. Throughout this, he tries to piece together what the roses and their oil really mean for Dust and for the balance of power, while also keeping an eye on Lyra’s safety from afar.

Although they rarely share a page throughout the novel, all three are drawn towards the same desert region where rose fields, dead towns, and the rumoured city of daemons converge.

What’s it about? – Official Synopsis

It is twenty years since the events of La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One unfolded and saw the baby Lyra Belacqua begin her life-changing journey.

It is seven years since readers left Lyra and the love of her young life, Will Parry, on a park bench in Oxford’s Botanic Gardens at the end of the ground-breaking, bestselling His Dark Materials sequence.

Now, in The Secret Commonwealth, we meet Lyra Silvertongue. And she is no longer a child . . .

The second volume of Sir Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust sees Lyra, now twenty years old, and her daemon Pantalaimon, forced to navigate their relationship in a way they could never have imagined, and drawn into the complex and dangerous factions of a world that they had no idea existed.

Pulled along on his own journey too is Malcolm; once a boy with a boat and a mission to save a baby from the flood, now a man with a strong sense of duty and a desire to do what is right.

Theirs is a world at once familiar and extraordinary, and they must travel far beyond the edges of Oxford, across Europe and into Asia, in search for what is lost – a city haunted by daemons, a secret at the heart of a desert, and the mystery of the elusive Dust.

What did I think about The Secret Commonwealth?

In short, I really enjoyed The Secret Commonwealth. I’m a big fan of His Dark Materials and also really enjoyed the previous entry in The Book of Dust series, La Belle Sauvage, and I love being back in this fantastic world Pullman has created.

I think Pullman does a great job of portraying Lyra and Pantalaimon, their adult voices demonstrate an evolution, yet still feel like the same characters. Their relationship, although estranged, makes you remember how close they were in His Dark Materials. Throughout the novel, I was engaged with each of the characters, easily putting myself in their shoes and fascinated by the different figures they encountered and the opportunity to learn more about this fantastical world, especially outside of Oxford, and how people without daemons – or daemons without people – live.

As always, Pullman includes many characters and events, and he even tries to address some contemporary issues such as surveillance, refugees and resource conflicts. While he does a great job of keeping the balance with the main storyline, the novel can feel a little flatter in comparison to the original trilogy, lacking depth and a clear overarching arc. As is customary with Pullman, The Secret Commonwealth also includes its fair share of criticism towards the church.

Pullman is also known for including controversial or harsh topics in his works. Just like La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth is no exception, and some scenes in this book may be considered excessive. The main example is the sexual assault/attempted rape that Lyra suffers on board a train, which is written and described in more detail than you might expect. Another example is the disaster involving the refugee boat with which Lyra’s ferry collides at night. Then there’s the overall dark tone and multiple murders.

While His Dark Materials is considered a children’s epic, I think The Book of Dust would fall more into the realm of Young Adult novels, and is not really aimed at children.

One major downside of reading The Secret Commonwealth is probably the lack of a climax and the unresolved ending. Lyra, Pantalaimon and Malcolm are still travelling and many mysteries remain unresolved. When you look at it from a wider perspective, nothing truly meaningful to the main story happens, despite so much occurring. However, knowing that there is a third volume after this one, my doubts dissipate like dust (pun intended 😉 ).

In summary, I really enjoyed The Secret Commonwealth, and while if it’s not a major story in itself and has some downsides, the simple fact of being back in this world with Lyra and Pantailamon makes up for it, and I definitely recommend it.

Rating

The Secret Commonwealth, by Philip Pullman (Book of Dust Vol.2)

Book Title: The Secret Commonwealth

Book Description: In The Secret Commonwealth (Book of Dust Vol. 2), we follow a grown-up Lyra Silvertongue. Having recently become estranged from her daemon Pantalaimon, she is losing herself in cold rationalism. She embarks on a perilous journey across Europe and the Middle East in search of a mysterious desert rose linked to Dust. Trailed at a distance by Malcolm Polstead, Lyra becomes embroiled in church intrigue, refugee crises and rumours of a haunted desert city.

Book Author: Philip Pullman

Book Format: Paperback

Publisher - Orgnization: Penguin

Publisher Logo:

Date published: 27 September, 2019

ISBN: 9780241373347

Number Of Pages: 687

• Story
• Characters
• Narration
• Entertainment
• Recommendability

Overall

3.4