The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1)
By Philip Pullman
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommend Ages: 16+

Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy…

Malcolm’s father runs an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his dæmon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue.

He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust–and the spy it was intended for finds him.

When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, Malcolm sees suspicious characters everywhere; Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; an Egyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a dæmon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl–just a baby–named Lyra.

Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm.

The Gist:

La Belle Sauvage, or The Book of Dust, I’m not sure what the official title is, is a prequel to Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series. It stars a young 11-year old boy named Malcolm who grows attached to the baby Lyra being cared for by nuns in his hometown of Oxford. When Lyra is put in danger, Malcolm and his friend Alice take it upon themselves to save her and protect her. My recommendation would be to read the “His Dark Materials” first, because my guess is that this book would make more sense and hold your interest better.

For me, it was a slow-moving story with moments of genius. There were lots of elements I liked, for instance the daemons each person has, but they were pulled down by the weight of too much unnecessary information. I actually did not realize this was connected to another series (which I have not read) so that might be part of the reason I wasn’t enthralled with this book.

What I Liked:

The daemons. I love that each person has one and in a way it reflects the soul of the human they are tethered to. I love that they can change form but eventually settle into a specific one. I love how loyal they are and how close they become with their human (Lyra and her daemon are simply the cutest). The daemons added a sense of mysticality to the story.

Malcolm was just the sweetest. I adored how much he cared for Lyra and wanted to protect her. And reading his interactions with Alice (another character I adored) were spectacular. Seeing them butt heads but also protect each other created a really engaging dynamic that made the second half of the book very interesting.

Bonneville is such a creepy villain, which is how villains should be! I got so nervous every time he jumped into a scene.  The threat of him kept me on edge for most of the second book which really helped to hold my interest.

What I Didn’t Like:

The first half of the book felt so painfully slow to me. I think it was bogged down by too much dialogue that was repetitions of what we’d already discovered. And all the talk about the Magestirum bored me, though I’m not knocking off a bunch of points for this reason because I’m suspicious that had I read the His Dark Materials trilogy, I would have found it much more entertaining.

And though the second half was much more exhilarating, it screeched to a halt for me every time it talked about how they had to feed Lyra or change Lyra or clean Lyra. The details of that didn’t matter much to me and I don’t think it added anything to the story.

Okay, how is it possible that Malcolm is only 11? The way he  talks, the things he does and figures out are things I wouldn’t even be to accomplish at 30.  Now, I’m not trying to imply I’m some amazing feat of creation to be compared to, but it irks me when young adults don’t act like young adults. I would have loved to see Malcolm panic a little more, act a little more impulsively or simply not know what to do. You know, how an 11 year old would act in life of death situations involving floods and trying to keep a baby alive.

The characters in general felt a little under-developed in this book. Malcolm was okay, Alice was better in my opinion, but the rest all blended together. Similar personalities, none were particularly bold or exciting, and some even seemed to fade away and I barely even noticed. This lack of intriguing characters made it hard for me to feel invested in the story.

LunasLuckyRating: 3.5/5 Lunas