By Emily E., Annapolis High School
La Bella Sauvage is the first book in The Book of Dust series. The events of the novel take place before the series His Dark Materials and follow a young boy named Malcolm and his daemon, Asta. In the world that Malcolm lives in every person has a daemon which represents their soul. Daemons take the shape of animals, accompanying their person wherever they go.
Malcolm is the protector of Lyra Belacqua and is charged to bring her to her father. But as he works his way through a terrible flood, he meets several people who are looking for Lyra and who, unlike her father, want only to do her harm.
I loved the series His Dark Materials and I was thrilled when this book came out. I loved that it covered events that happened before His Dark Materials instead of just covering what happens after. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the daemons and I enjoyed learning about all of the customs and interactions that center around them.
One thing I disliked about this book was how long it was. The main part of the story is Malcolm navigating the floods on his boat and it was interesting to learn about all the people and places he encountered but it did make the book take a long time to read.
I would recommend this book to readers who like fantasy and adventure. It’s the perfect intersection between adventure and fantasy. You get to travel along with Malcolm as he brings Lyra home and you also get to experience all the magic of his world.
Click here to check out La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman.