La Belle Sauvage - Philip Pullman (Book)

Title: La Belle Sauvage

Author: Philip Pullman

Series: The Book of Dust, Volume One

Publisher: David Fickling Books (UK), Alfred A. Knopf (US)

Publication Date: October 19, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-385-60441-3

La Belle Sauvage is the first volume in Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust trilogy, serving as a prequel to his acclaimed His Dark Materials series. Set twelve years before Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in the US), the novel introduces readers to eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and fifteen-year-old Alice Parslow. Malcolm, the son of innkeepers in Oxford, becomes entangled in a dangerous mission to protect the infant Lyra Belacqua from the oppressive forces of the Magisterium, a theocratic organization that seeks to suppress heresy and control knowledge.

When a catastrophic flood strikes, Malcolm and Alice flee with Lyra in Malcolm’s canoe, La Belle Sauvage, embarking on a perilous journey filled with both real and fantastical threats. Their odyssey through a submerged landscape challenges their courage and resilience as they confront agents of the Magisterium and other sinister forces.

The novel delves into themes of authoritarianism, the pursuit of knowledge, and the nature of consciousness, particularly through the mysterious substance known as Dust. Pullman’s richly imagined world, where humans’ souls exist outside their bodies as animal companions called dæmons, provides a compelling backdrop for this tale of adventure and moral complexity.

La Belle Sauvage has been praised for its engaging narrative and the depth it adds to Pullman’s universe, offering both new readers and longtime fans a captivating exploration of the events leading up to His Dark Materials.