Malcolm Polstead is a clever, curious and kind eleven-year-old. He lives with his publican parents at The Trout on the banks of the Thames. He loves to explore Oxford in his canoe, La Belle Sauvage, with Asta, his shape-changing daemon. On the opposite bank of the river, a convent of kindly nuns take in a foster baby. When Malcolm is introduced to her, he's irrevocably smitten. The baby is named Lyra. And soon, Malcolm finds himself on an epic journey to save Lyra from the dark forces backed by the might of the Magisterium... [a:Philip Pullman|3618|Philip Pullman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1396622492p2/3618.jpg] has created another gorgeously imaginative adventure in the world of the [b:His Dark Materials|18116|His Dark Materials (His Dark Materials #1-3)|Philip Pullman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442329494s/18116.jpg|1943518] series, where every person's soul is visible in the shape of an animal, where witches make prophecies and golden instruments will give you answers (if you know how to interpret them), but where free thought and scientific investigation are under threat by a menacingly powerful religious authority. Pulman's cast of characters are clearly and individually drawn and I was full of love or loathing for them as I read. His writing is the kind that makes me long to be a child again, to discover books again and wonder at a book's ability to take me so far away yet bring me safely back home at the end. ( )

Wonderful, of course. ( )

Lyra is a baby and more than one person wants to have her, most for bad reasons and others know they can't look after her as she would need, partly who they are, partly what they do . . . There is only one solution and the responsibility for getting her to the only safe place (you know what that is if you have read the first books) goes to Malcolm Polstead, age 11. It's a wild ride, floods and villains, more about dust and daemons . . . A great addition to the epic tale. Looking forward to book 2 and I understand book 3 is complete or nearly so . . . so soon! I expect book 2 follows after the events of the first three books when she is older. ****1/2 ( )

The Dark Materials was one of my favourite series growing up, and accordingly I have been very keen to come back to the Lyra's world. La Belle Sauvage definitely scratched that itch for me, and I liked how I could feel immediately immersed back in that world from the very beginning. Some reviews have complained about how the first half is relatively slow plot-wise, but I rather enjoyed getting to know Malcolm, Alice and the supporting cast through Malcolm's little adventures - it reminded me a little of Lyra running around Oxford in The Northern Lights.

My main gripe was with the second half. While the change of pace was certainly exhilarating, and some of the dramatic sequences were very intense and exciting, the inclusion of the more fantastical chapters felt somewhat jarring, especially given the comparative lack of fantasy elements in the first half. Additionally, Bonneville's uncanny ability to continually track down Malcolm and Alice became slightly unbelievable by a certain point. The ending of the book also seemed quite rushed, particularly in contrast to the slow start.

Nevertheless, this was all delivered in Pullman's experienced and engaging prose, and was definitely a pleasure to read. Given this is the first in a trilogy, I am very intrigued as to how this story will continue to play out in the following books. ( )

Some 22 years after the publication of Northern Lights (otherwise titled The Golden Compass), Pullman returns to the world of his award-winning trilogy His Dark Materials. This is the first book in what is projected to be a new trilogy The Book of Dust set in the years before Northern Lights.

In the world of these novels, each human being is accompanied with an animal “daemon”, a physical projection of the anima/animus ancients believed to exist as part of the human soul. Children’s daemons can change their form, but once adulthood is reached, the daemon becomes settled into a fixed animal shape, which can however vary greatly from person to person.

The society of this world is strictly controlled by the Magisterium, an organisation which represents the oppressive power of the Catholic Church, here depicted as an almost totalitarian force. It has branches which act as a secret police, and has begun to promote an organisation called “The League of St. Alexander” among school children encouraging them to join up and report any deviation from orthodoxy by their teachers or parents (you can see the parallels with the Hitler Youth). There is, however, a secret resistance movement.

In this novel we are introduced to Malcolm Polstead, a young pot-boy in his parents’ tavern, just across the river from a priory of nuns. A baby is brought to this priory for the nuns to look after. It turns out that this baby is Lyra from the novels of His Dark Materials, and several groups are trying to control what happens to her. Malcolm accidentally sees something which brings him to the attention of the resistance group, which he eagerly pursues.

Lyra’s fate hangs in the balance when a vast flood drowns most of Brytain. Malcolm and a teenage girl Alice find themselves responsible for the baby as they are driven down river by the surging waters of the flood. They are followed by a really nasty villain whose daemon is a hyena.

Exciting, nail-biting stuff. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this trilogy. ( )