La Belle Sauvage Review

I feel bad rating this book two stars because I know so many people love Pullman’s work, but reading La Belle Sauvage was a trial for me.

There are inconsistencies in this book that contradict the world-building in the original trilogy. For example, in the original trilogy, the extreme taboo of touching another person’s daemon includes fighting, but in this book it is explicitly said that in a fight, it is acceptable to touch another daemon.

Overall, this book is unnecessary and reads as a cynical cash grab aimed at adults who liked the original trilogy as children. I will admit, though, that I am biased because when I read the original trilogy in 2019, I really disliked it. For those that did love the original trilogy, I’m sure this rambling mess is also a disappointment.

The first half of the story is fine, but a little boring. Once Malcolm and Alice save a baby Lyra from the flood, the story goes off the rails. There are fantastical twists that do not make sense given what we know about this world and are never explained. There is also an unsettling sexual tone to the narration which is especially weird given that this book is still about children. I strongly disliked this book and would not recommend it to anyone.