Is this really the end for Lyra Belacqua? Thirty years after readers first encountered Philip Pullman’s scruffy, determined waif in Northern Lights, the first installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy, the English author is letting her go. The publication of The Rose Field—the third and final installment of The Book of Dust, a second trilogy that extends the story of Lyra and her cosmic battle against a theocratic organization known as the Magisterium—marks 79-year-old Pullman’s farewell to his now 20-something heroine.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the news might seem inconsequential. However, for millions of readers who have been living in Lyra’s world since 1995, the arrival of The Rose Field is nothing short of a literary event. Many of these fans were children when they first read the book; now they’re adults with children of their own, passing down the legacy of Lyra’s adventures.
The Impact of His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust have sold more than 49 million copies worldwide. Pullman has always insisted he does not write for any particular audience, yet the initial categorization of his work as children’s fiction played to his advantage. He explains, “If His Dark Materials had been published as an adult book—which it could have been—it would have gone straight onto the shelves labeled ‘fantasy’. And that means no ordinary adult reader would have touched it. People know what they like and they won’t try anything different.”
Children, by contrast, are “literary omnivores,” Pullman argues. As young readers devoured his books, they encouraged their parents to join in, sparking discussions about the thorny questions of faith, authority, and growing up raised by Lyra’s quest. This multi-generational phenomenon has now reached its climax.
Pullman’s Farewell to Lyra
Speaking from his home in Oxfordshire, Pullman admits he’s a little “frazzled” by all the attention. “But I enjoy it—it’s not something that I put up with grudgingly,” he says. Is this truly the end of his literary interest in Lyra? “Yes, I’m done with that story,” he confirms. “It’s a nice world to be in and I know my way around. But Lyra’s story is done, it’s come to an end.”
However, Pullman hints at potential future stories involving other characters from his universe. For instance, Will Parry, whose budding romance with Lyra was complicated by the challenges of navigating parallel worlds, might have more to tell. “I’ve hinted that Will might become a doctor,” says Pullman. “I can just imagine how a doctor with a daemon would go about diagnosing a patient.”
Exploring New Horizons
For now, any new tales about Will and other characters will have to wait. Pullman has begun work on a memoir titled Before I Forget. Born in 1946, he is a child of the British Empire, the son of an RAF pilot who died in a plane crash in Kenya. His upbringing was marked by a peripatetic lifestyle, moving from airbase to airbase, which profoundly influenced his storytelling.
Pullman’s love for storytelling was nurtured by his grandfather, a Church of England rector, and later by an English teacher who introduced him to Paradise Lost. He has described Milton’s epic poem as “enthralling,” and it served as a significant influence on His Dark Materials, which inverts the narrative of original sin into a means of attaining consciousness.
The Philosophical Underpinnings of Dust
In Pullman’s universe, consciousness is represented by a mysterious particle called Dust. It is attracted to all sentient beings, particularly after puberty, and is linked to fundamental human senses like curiosity and love. Lyra seeks to understand it, while the Magisterium views Dust as a manifestation of original sin. One of Pullman’s aims in The Rose Field is to provide a fuller explanation of Dust’s nature and its relationship to consciousness.
“Matter is an extraordinary thing—much stranger than we think,” says Pullman. “My head is made entirely of matter; you can cut it apart and drill holes in it, but you’ll find nothing but matter. Yet I’m conscious; I’m conscious of this glass of water in my hand. Where does this consciousness come from?”
Pullman is intrigued by the idea of panpsychism—the notion that everything is conscious. “There’s consciousness everywhere—it’s like a field that goes through the whole universe. Dust is our perception, our imagination looking at the Rose Field.”
Facing Controversy with Grace
Despite his high-profile status and outspoken views, Pullman has largely avoided controversy. The closest he came was in 2022 when he resigned as president of the Society of Authors after backing British poet Kate Clanchy, whose memoir faced accusations of using “racial tropes.”
“I thought she [Clanchy] was being unfairly criticized and came to her defense on Twitter,” Pullman recalls. “I was roundly abused and felt I should resign as president because there was a lot of stirring going on.”
Pullman insists the incident has not made him more cautious about expressing his opinions. “I’ve always felt that what is derogatorily called political correctness is just another term for being polite. If you speak politely and treat people with courtesy, you’re much less likely to upset them.”
The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three is out now via Penguin, marking the end of an era for Lyra Belacqua and her fans. Yet, as Pullman turns to new projects, his world of imagination continues to inspire and provoke thought, leaving the door ajar for future explorations.
