La Belle Sauvage
2017
- fantasy
- lyra belacqua (fictitious character)
- fiction
- belacqua, lyra (fictitious character), fiction
- children's fiction
- adventure and adventurers, fiction
- fantasy fiction
- friendship, fiction
- nyt:young-adult-hardcover=2017-11-05
- juvenile fiction
The story
Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy.... Malcolm's father runs an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his daemon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue. He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust--and the spy it was intended for finds *him*. When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, Malcom sees suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl--just a baby--named Lyra. *Lyra* is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm. This description comes from the publisher. *La Belle Sauvage* is the first volume of the Book of Dust trilogy, which takes place in the world of the His Dark Materials trilogy, the first of which is *The Golden Compass* or *Northern Lights*.
What it’s like
Rain-dark and river-cold, with the Thames swelling against the reeds and lamplight glowing amber through wet inn windows. The prose is unhurried and observant, with a Victorian-tinged cadence that lingers on the working textures of a riverside town: barges, damp wool, ale and wet timber, the clank of locks. The narrator's voice belongs to a sharp, watchful boy, so unease builds through small gestures and overheard talk rather than spectacle. The mood is cozy melancholy tipping into dread, well suited to a grey weekend, a late read with the radiator ticking, or a train journey with fogged windows. Pacing starts slow and domestic, then tightens into a long, flood-soaked voyage as the stakes rise. Violence is present and sometimes sudden, with menace from pursuing agents and a few harrowing moments, but there is no gore and no sexual content; fear is the dominant intensity. Its emotional core is a shy, observant boy growing into courage and loyalty, anchored by a warm friendship and his daemon's steady presence. It suits readers who love atmospheric adventure, older young-adult readers, and adults who like their fantasy wet, detailed and quietly thoughtful.
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