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Lyra Belacqua first captured readers’ attention in The Golden Compass, initially published in the U.K. in 1995 as Northern Lights. At the time, she was an orphan hiding in a wardrobe at Jordan College in Oxford, observing the scholars around her in a universe that mirrors aspects of our own. Now, after a journey through five monumental novels across two series, Lyra’s adventure reaches its conclusion in The Rose Field by Philip Pullman, set to release simultaneously in the U.K. through David Fickling Books and in the U.S. via Knopf on October 23.
This final installment of the Book of Dust trilogy follows The Secret Commonwealth, which came out in 2019. The Rose Field continues the narrative from the previous book, with Lyra, now a young woman, venturing into a desert in search of her dæmon, Pan, after a significant fallout. Accompanied by her friend and guardian, Malcolm Polstead, the story brings back a host of familiar figures, including the antagonistic Marcel Delamare, enigmatic Men from the Mountains, renegade scientists, and various mystical beings.
Pullman describes The Rose Field as a blend of thriller and bildungsroman, focusing on Lyra’s psychological and emotional growth. He emphasizes that as Lyra navigates a transforming world, she confronts changing power dynamics, where the influence previously held by institutions is waning, replaced by new forms of control such as money and commerce. Through her arduous journey, Lyra seeks to regain her lost imagination and understand the profound effects these changes have on her existence and relationships.
Nancy Siscoe, Pullman’s U.S. editor and senior executive editor at Knopf, regards The Rose Field as “a tremendous gift” and an impressive achievement. She remarked to PW that Pullman masterfully employs the fantasy genre to delve into significant questions about life, consciousness, and the contrasting beauties and fears in our surroundings. The book boasts an initial North American print run of 300,000 copies, and Pullman is currently finalizing the 672-page manuscript, according to Siscoe.
Simultaneously, an audiobook version of The Rose Field will be released, narrated once again by actor Michael Sheen, who previously won Audiobook of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2018 for his rendition of La Belle Sauvage. Additionally, PRH UK has published 30th-anniversary audiobooks of the His Dark Materials series, read by Ruth Wilson, known for her role as Mrs. Coulter in the BBC adaptation. Full-cast recordings of the series are also available, narrated by Pullman himself.
Since the launch of Pullman’s His Dark Materials series three decades ago, it has evolved into a significant cultural phenomenon. Combined, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, along with four related stories and the Book of Dust series, have sold over 49 million copies worldwide. Lyra is frequently listed as a favorite character in numerous polls, and both series have received accolades, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Northern Lights in 1995, the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for The Amber Spyglass in 2000, and the Waterstones Book of the Year for La Belle Sauvage in 2017.
Pullman’s works have inspired various adaptations for stage and screen, including a television series from HBO and BBC, as well as a 2007 feature film of The Golden Compass. In recognition of his contributions to literature, Pullman was knighted in 2019. A graduate of Exeter College, Oxford, he draws inspiration from his alma mater and is a resident of Oxford. Beyond the Golden Compass and Book of Dust series, he is also the author of the Sally Lockhart series, which commenced with The Ruby in the Smoke in 1987, and has published over 35 works including graphic novels, plays, and essays.
Pullman hopes that, ultimately, The Rose Field will be embraced primarily as a story. “I see myself more as a storyteller than a novelist or literary fiction writer,” he remarked, positioning his work among the traditions of folk tales, fairy tales, ballads, and myths.
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