Chronological Guide to His Dark Materials & The Book of Dust
When Philip Pullman finished The Amber Spyglass in 2000, he seemed to close the door on Lyra Belacqua’s story.
Yet in truth, he had only built the first half of a much larger world. The trilogy’s mix of metaphysics, rebellion, and coming-of-age left vast questions unanswered - about Dust, the Authority, and the lives that continued beyond the final page.
Two decades later, Pullman returned to that universe with The Book of Dust, a new sequence meant not as a prequel or a sequel but an “equel.”
These novels trace the origins and aftermath of His Dark Materials, expanding its theology, its politics, and its philosophy of consciousness. They bridge the worlds of old faith and modern science, showing how the war between curiosity and control never really ended.
Across both series, Pullman explores the deep tension between innocence and experience, belief and truth, and the human need to question authority - be it divine or institutional.
This guide arranges the complete saga in chronological order, from the flood that brought infant Lyra to Oxford, to her journey across the continents in search of meaning and reconciliation.
The Book of Dust Trilogy (Prequel/Sequel)
This series "equels" the original trilogy, beginning before Lyra's birth and continuing into her early adulthood, expanding the history and consequences of her story.
1. La Belle SauvagePhilip Pullman (2017)
Timeline: 12 years before Northern Lights.
This novel introduces Malcolm Polstead, an inquisitive eleven-year-old boy who lives and works at his parents' tavern near Oxford. His life becomes entangled with the scholars of Jordan College and the agents of the Magisterium when the infant Lyra Belacqua is brought to a nearby priory for safety.
When a biblical flood inundates the country, Malcolm embarks on a desperate journey in his canoe, La Belle Sauvage, to rescue the baby Lyra from the fanatical physicist Marisa Coulter and the agents of the church, who believe Lyra is the key to a dangerous prophecy.
It is a tense, atmospheric adventure that establishes the political climate and the immense danger surrounding Lyra from her very birth.
His Dark Materials: The Original Trilogy
This is the core saga detailing Lyra's epic journey, her discovery of other worlds, and her role in the war against the Authority.
Companion Novella: Once Upon a Time in the NorthPhilip Pullman (2008)
Timeline: Several years before Northern Lights.
This novella tells the story of the first meeting between two key characters: the Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby and the exiled panserbjørn Iorek Byrnison. The story is a classic western set in the harsh northern port of Novy Odense.
A young Lee, on his first solo ballooning adventure, finds himself caught up in a political and industrial conflict, forcing him to make a stand alongside the disgraced Iorek.
It's a tale of honor and friendship that provides the crucial backstory for their unshakeable bond in the main series.
1. Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)Philip Pullman (1995)
Lyra Belacqua, now a semi-feral twelve-year-old living in Jordan College, foils an assassination attempt on her powerful uncle, Lord Asriel. Her life is upended when her friend Roger is kidnapped by the mysterious "Gobblers."
Lyra's quest to save him takes her from the canals of Brytain to the frozen wastes of the north.
Armed with the alethiometer, a mysterious truth-telling device, she joins forces with the Gyptians, the aeronaut Lee Scoresby, and the armored bear Iorek Byrnison. She uncovers the Magisterium's horrific secret: they are severing children from their dæmons in an attempt to stop Dust.
The novel culminates in a tragic betrayal and Lord Asriel's successful attempt to open a bridge to another world.
2. The Subtle KnifePhilip Pullman (1997)
Stepping through the bridge, Lyra arrives in the eerie, abandoned city of Cittàgazze, a world haunted by soul-eating Spectres that prey only on adults.
There, she meets Will Parry, a boy from our own world who is searching for his long-lost father.
Together, they discover the Subtle Knife, an object of incredible power that can cut windows between worlds. Their journey brings them into direct conflict with the forces of the Magisterium and introduces the witches and the scientists of Will's world who are studying Dust.
The novel expands the scope of the story into a full-blown multiverse and solidifies the coming war against the Authority, the tyrannical being worshipped as God.
3. The Amber SpyglassPhilip Pullman (2000)
The grand finale.
Lord Asriel has assembled a massive army from across the worlds to wage his rebellion against the Authority. Meanwhile, Lyra is captured by Mrs. Coulter and Will must find her. Their quest will take them to the Land of the Dead to right a cosmic wrong, a journey from which no living person has ever returned.
The novel brings all the disparate characters and plotlines together for a final, epic battle. It is a profound meditation on love, loss, free will, and the responsibility of building a Republic of Heaven.
The story ends with a heartbreaking, necessary sacrifice that will forever bind Lyra and Will to their own separate worlds.
Post-Trilogy Stories
These stories explore the world after the events of The Amber Spyglass, showing the lingering consequences and new challenges.
Companion Novella: Lyra's OxfordPhilip Pullman (2003)
Timeline: 2 years after The Amber Spyglass.
Two years after her return from the Land of the Dead, a teenage Lyra is now a student in Oxford. One day, she and her dæmon, Pantalaimon, witness an alchemist's dæmon being attacked.
They rescue the dæmon and are drawn into a strange mystery involving a witch who was once the lover of a character from The Subtle Knife.
It's a short, atmospheric story that shows Lyra settling into her new life but hints at the new dangers and political intrigues that are beginning to stir in her world.
The Book of Dust 2. The Secret CommonwealthPhilip Pullman (2019)
Timeline: 10 years after The Amber Spyglass.
Lyra, now a twenty-year-old university student, finds her relationship with her dæmon, Pan, fractured and strained. Their inability to reconcile drives Pan to flee, an act of self-separation that is physically and emotionally agonizing. Lyra must set out across Europe and into Asia on a desperate journey to find him.
Her quest runs parallel to a new, dangerous plot involving the Magisterium and a mysterious, elusive desert rose.
The novel is a darker, more mature exploration of the human-dæmon relationship, disillusionment, and the search for meaning in a world that is losing its imagination.
