The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman (review)

Pullman, Philip The Secret Commonwealth; illus. by Chris Wormell. Knopf, 2019 [656p] (The Book of Dust: Volume Two) Library ed. ISBN 978-0-553-51067-6 $25.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-553-51066-9 $22.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-553-51068-3 $11.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9 up

After the adventures of the His Dark Materials trilogy, twenty-year-old Lyra Belacqua Silvertongue has settled into the quiet life of a scholar. Of late, though, she's grown melancholy, and she and her daemon Pantalaimon are on the outs, the lasting effect of their soul-deep separation. They've no time to dwell on the scars of the past, though, because new adventure awaits, one that brings together old allies, then sends them on parallel journeys across Britain and Europe, into the deserts of Central Asia, and beyond in search of ancient ruins and a rare flower with connections to the ever-mysterious Dust. Malcolm and Alice (from La Belle Sauvage, BCCB 1/18, the prequel-styled volume that was the previous book in this second sequence) are on hand to reunite with a nearly grown-up Lyra, but the Magisterium is also rising again, with renewed authoritarian power and led by new enemies with connections to both Lyra's and Malcolm's pasts, setting up an intricately woven conflict with personal stakes and universal consequences. Knowledge of earlier volumes is a must here, but His Dark Materials fans will be thrilled to find Pullman at his best, combining global conspiracies, high-adventure quests, and private drama for a story that rarely drags and never lets go. This is definitely has more adult appeal, and the passage of in-world time makes the characters adult and many quite elderly. Still, the novel skillfully explores the boundary between precocious childhood and directionless adulthood, complete with angst and nihilism, all of which pairs nicely with its more mature themes and epistemic ruminations about magic, faith, love, and the very nature of reality. At times profound and provocative, the novel shifts between tense action and contemplative prose with ease, and for readers invested in the lives of Lyra, Pan, and friends, it packs an emotional wallop. The novel's end leaves the villains in ascendency and the large cast dispersed, isolated, and under threat, setting up a third volume that is sure to be a must-read like this one.