La Belle Sauvage facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Philip Pullman |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Book of Dust |
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Release number
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1 |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | David Fickling Books (UK) |
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Publication date
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19 October 2017 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 560 (UK) |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-60441-3 |
| [Fic] 22 | |
| Followed by | The Secret Commonwealth |
La Belle Sauvage is an exciting fantasy novel written by Philip Pullman. It came out in 2017 and is the first book in a series called The Book of Dust. This story takes place about twelve years before Pullman's famous His Dark Materials books. It tells us what happened before a baby named Lyra Belacqua arrived at Jordan College in Oxford.
Contents
The World of La Belle Sauvage
This story happens in a world that is a bit like ours, but also very different. It is mostly controlled by a powerful religious group called the Magisterium, or "the Church." This group tries to stop anyone who has different ideas.
Dæmons and Alethiometers
In this world, every human's soul lives outside their body. It takes the form of an animal companion called a "dæmon." Dæmons can talk and feel, and they stay with their human forever. They offer comfort and help.
Another special thing in this world is the alethiometer. This is a rare device that looks like a compass. Only six are known to exist. A skilled person can use it to ask questions, and the alethiometer will show the answers.
The Story of La Belle Sauvage
The main character is an eleven-year-old boy named Malcolm Polstead. He lives with his dæmon, Asta, near Oxford. Malcolm works at his parents' inn, The Trout. He also helps the nuns at the nearby Priory of St. Rosamund.
A Secret Message and a Baby
One day, some men led by Lord Nugent visit the inn. They ask Malcolm questions about the priory. Soon after, a baby girl named Lyra, who is about six months old, arrives at the priory with the nuns.
Malcolm later finds a secret message hidden near the river. It was meant for Hannah, a smart academic from Oxford. Hannah studies the alethiometer and secretly works for a group called 'Oakley Street.' This group is fighting against the Magisterium's extreme rules. Hannah uses her alethiometer to find Malcolm and get her message. Malcolm and Hannah become friends, and he helps her gather information. She also lets him borrow books from her library.
Growing Danger
The Magisterium's power grows stronger. At Malcolm's school, students are told to join the League of St. Alexander. They are encouraged to report anyone, even teachers, who disagrees with the Church.
Meanwhile, Coram van Texel, who also works for Oakley Street, is investigating Marisa Coulter. He finds out she is looking into something called the Rusakov field. She has also asked an alethiometrist to find her daughter, Lyra. Coram is followed by a man with a mean hyena dæmon. Coram fights him, hurting the dæmon's leg.
Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, visits the inn. Malcolm takes him to see Lyra. To escape people following him, Asriel borrows Malcolm's canoe, La Belle Sauvage. He returns it much improved as a thank you. Coram warns Malcolm about a big flood coming, but Malcolm cannot convince people to prepare. A man named Gerard Bonneville arrives at the inn with a three-legged hyena dæmon. Malcolm sees him looking around the priory.
The Great Flood and Escape
Heavy rain begins to fall. Alice, a fifteen-year-old who works at the inn, warns Malcolm about Bonneville. They see Bonneville trying to take baby Lyra. As the flood waters rise, Malcolm and Alice quickly rescue Lyra. They escape down the river in La Belle Sauvage.
They want to take Lyra to Jordan College for safety. But the floodwaters are too strong. Instead, they head towards London, where Lord Asriel lives. Bonneville chases them. Both Oakley Street and the Magisterium are also looking for them. Malcolm and Alice manage to escape Bonneville. They take his heavy backpack.
Soon after, they meet George Boatwright, who used to visit The Trout. He has been hiding with a small group of people because of trouble with the Church. One of the boys in the group tells the League of St. Alexander about Malcolm and Alice. Lyra is captured and taken to an orphanage run by a convent. Malcolm bravely sneaks in and rescues Lyra.
Mystical Journeys and Final Escape
The children have two more strange adventures in the canoe. First, a fairy woman named Diania gives them food and feeds Lyra. She claims Lyra and wants to keep her. In Bonneville's backpack, they find his scientific papers about the Rusakov field. They also find an alethiometer inside a puzzle box. They use the puzzle box to trick Diania and win a challenge to keep Lyra.
Next, they find themselves in a beautiful garden where a party is happening. Behind a wall of mist nearby are all the things the partygoers want to forget. Their way forward is blocked by huge lock gates controlled by a river giant. Malcolm and Alice pretend to have permission from the King to get the giant to open the gates.
The canoe finally reaches a mausoleum. Bonneville attacks them again, but Malcolm manages to defeat him.
Malcolm, Alice, and Lyra finally reach London. The Magisterium's forces are close behind them. Lord Nugent and Lord Asriel rescue them from La Belle Sauvage, which is breaking apart. Lord Asriel takes them by gyrocopter to Jordan College. There, he arranges for Lyra to be safe and leaves her with the Master of the college. Malcolm secretly places Bonneville's alethiometer with Lyra's things.
Stage Adaptation
A play based on the novel was planned for the Bridge Theatre in London. It was supposed to be performed in July 2020, directed by Nicholas Hytner. He also directed the play version of His Dark Materials. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the theatre to close. The play was not performed then, but everyone hopes it will be in the future.
See also
In Spanish: La bella salvaje para niños
