Phillip Pullman recently announced that he will be publishing a followup to the iconic His Dark Materials trilogy. The announcement of The Book of Dust – which fans have eagerly awaited for years – came with the exciting news that the new material will come in the form of another trilogy!
The original series was published between 1995 – 2000, and sold over 17.5 million copies. If you were anything like me with a large book series as a child you probably at least accidentally attempted to read this series out of order, but re-reading it years later before the (highly disappointing) 2007 film adaptation reminded me just how good this series is, and why we should all be excited for new material.
1. The Book of Dust is an ‘equel’
Phillip Pullman has confirmed that the new material is not a prequel or a sequel, but an “equel”.
The BBC reports that the author called the series “a different story which begins roughly ten years before His Dark Materials and ends roughly ten years after.”
The Book of Dust will tell Lyra’s story from the time she is born until the time she is 20, giving plenty of time to develop on the plot, and delve further into the finer details of the narrative.
A lot of the original series is spent explaining complex storylines and concepts, and whilst this is incredibly rich and interesting – unlike anything you expect to read from a normal Fantasy series – it’s going to be great to see this built upon and used to further an already brilliant story.
2. A familiar character will return to the series
An ‘ordinary boy’ from the earlier parts of original trilogy will return, but Pullman does not say who. I’m guessing it could be Roger – Lyra’s best friend – and if so that may be too much for my heart to handle.
3. Lyra Belacqua: Original Badass
Despite being a young girl, Lyra Belacqua is the embodiment of a “strong female character”. She’s one of the only people in the world who can read the Aleithiometer – a crazy magical device which taps into magical forces (Dust) to tell all sorts of things about the world. She’s trying to save herself and tonnes of other kids from the Magisterium – a weird, powerful Church organisation trying to basically control the world by kidnapping children and performing evil experiments on them under their own bigoted agenda. She travels across her world and other worlds, she is inquisitive and never stops asking questions and she teaches girls not to be afraid of themselves, their knowledge, their sexuality and their values.
She’s fierce, emotive and brilliantly sassy, but she’s also one of the most empathetic characters in Fantasy literature, and she deserves so much more attention for being one of the most inspiring characters in a book series!
“How can I just go and sit in the library or somewhere and twiddle my thumbs, knowing what’s going to happen? I don’t intend to do that, I promise you.”
4. It’s a Fantasy series that is is true to the real world
The connotations of the real world in His Dark Materials are rife, and still apparent in today’s world. The Magisterium basically controls the society illustrated in the novels, which represses heresy and believes that Dust is the embodiment of Original Sin. They use this argument to justify their kidnapping of children, their experiments and their mission to capture Lyra and kill her due to a prophecy.
This message of harmful, violent actions based on false ideologies is so relevant to today’s world, and Pullman has picked the perfect time to give us a respite – but also a heavy remainder of the folly in pursuing such harmful ends – through his novels.
The author said of the message of the new series:
”At the centre of The Book Of Dust is the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organisation, which wants to stifle speculation and inquiry, and those who believe thought and speech should be free.”
Phillip Pullman is also a lot more impressive than most people give him credit for. I said Dust was a magical force, but really it’s not. The series deals with particle physics, quantum physics, alternate worlds, and (without giving too much away) it’s even cooler than magic!
The series is also a reminder that theology is super interesting. You may want to read Paradise Lost after reading this series, as the allusions to so much of the religious imagery in John Milton’s epic poem are impressive and used in an approachable, creative manner.
Best of all, Pullman’s writing represents that of a staunch feminist – even though he said his portrayal of Lyra was not a political statement. He slammed C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia for being “blatantly racist” and “monumentally disparaging of women”, and bats away accusations of basically supporting Satan with the argument that religion should not be at the centre of decision making and propaganda in society.
There are countless brilliant studies on the presentation of the inequality of males and females in society, and the kinds of gender roles presented and critiqued in His Dark Materials. I really recommend checking out Sundman’s “The Portrayal of the Main Female Characters in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy”.
5. The BBC TV adaptation of the series begins filming this year!
Jack Thorne – writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (above pictured working with J.K. Rowling and director John Tiffany) – is currently making a BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials which starts filming in Autumn. There’s been a massive conundrum about Thorne’s writing of Potter, and though his characterisation is slightly weaker at times than J.K. Rowling’s masterpiece, he’s got a lot going for him in terms of character development and getting to the heart of a story. He’s not afraid to dabble and experiment, and that’s exactly what’s needed for any adaptation of these stories. The censored mess that was The Golden Compass film adaptation was ironic in its less-than-impressive depiction of the truths at the heart of this series, and hopefully this adaptation will give to the narrative rather than take from it, and hopefully Lyra’s casting will be spot on.
The first volume in the new series is set to be published on October 19th 2017. In the meantime, why not read His Dark Materials to experience Lyra’s Oxford again, and prepare for the emotional rollercoaster that is bound to await us in October!