The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three cover art

The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three

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The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three

By: Philip Pullman, Christopher Wormell
Narrated by: Michael Sheen
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The long-awaited and highly anticipated conclusion to Philip Pullman’s bestselling The Book of Dust sequence . . .

This audiobook includes an exclusive hour-long bonus conversation between Philip Pullman and narrator Michael Sheen, discussing themes of the novel, the legacy of the series, and the importance of storytelling in all its forms.

‘Lyra: what will you do when you find this place in the desert, the opening to the world of the roses?’

‘Defend it,’ Lyra said. ‘Die defending it.’

When readers left Lyra in The Secret Commonwealth she was alone, in the ruins of a deserted city. Pantalaimon had run from her – part of himself – in search of her imagination, which he believed she had lost. Lyra travelled across the world from her Oxford home in search of her dæmon. And Malcolm, loyal Malcolm, too journeyed far from home, towards the Silk Roads in search of Lyra . . .

In The Rose Field, their quests converge in the most dangerous, breathtaking and world-changing ways. They must take help from spies and thieves, gryphons and witches, old friends and new, learning all the while the depth and surprising truths of the alethiometer. All around them, the world is aflame – made terrifying by fear, power and greed.

As they move East, towards the red building that will reunite them and give them answers – on Dust, on the special roses, on imagination – so too does the Magisterium, at war against all that Lyra holds dear.

Marking thirty years since the world was first introduced to Pullman’s remarkable heroine Lyra Belacqua in Northern Lights, The Rose Field is the culmination of the cultural phenomenon of The Book of Dust and His Dark Materials.

'Ablaze with light and life . . . To read Pullman is to experience the world refreshed, aglow, in technicolour' - The Independent

‘A masterpiece for all eternity… Powerful, profound and utterly unforgettable: a stunning trilogy conclusion.’ - The Telegraph

‘Pullman’s uncanny ability to conjure place is once again in full evidence . . . And when we reach it, the novel’s final showdown is a fantastically nail-biting ride.’ - The Guardian

© Philip Pullman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction Magical Realism Metaphysical & Visionary Mind-bending War Witchcraft

Critic reviews

‘A masterpiece for all eternity… Powerful, profound and utterly unforgettable: a stunning trilogy conclusion’
‘Pullman’s uncanny ability to conjure place is once again in full evidence . . . And when we reach it, the novel’s final showdown is a fantastically nail-biting ride.’ (The Guardian)
‘But for all its intricate interweavings of alchemy and folk tales, ballads and poetry, the book has the pacing of a thriller.’
All stars
Most relevant
The story began strongly, developed some very interesting strands, then started to meander, occasionally lapsing into jarring forced plot contrivances, numerous dead ends were created which led to nowhere before the ending (what happened to the Oakley Street crew, or Alice, the situation in Oxford, Lyra’s evil grandmother etc etc), became quite rambling in its philosophical discourses on dust and finally ended on a cliff hanging whimper which was almost the equivalent of stopping mid sentence. Rather bizarre for the third book in a trilogy. It was hard to escape the feeling that Philip Pullman had struggled to find the motivation to complete this and finished it because he’d started it.

Disappointed and frustrated

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Good performance by Martin Sheen! Pacey!

Much more upbeat than Secret Commonwealth thankfully and enjoyed the story, and some of the characters, musings and themes.

It’s largely unconnected from His Dark Materials (regarding Lyra, Pan; other central and peripheral characters; the worlds: themes). Nowhere near as good. Some themes clunky and disjointed, eg the deamon-diseased world. The ending was abrupt and strange, fell off a cliff in a dull way. Many loose ends.

The content of the book suggests that the author wanted to end it in a Lyra / Malcom relationship - ew - was told not to by the editor and did the bare minimum to end that part of the plot, and it didn’t work.

Better than Secret Commonwealth but frustrating

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A storyteller at the peak of his powers, loved it! Micheal Sheen's narration as always is superb. Abdel Ionides was my favourite. It's always been about the journey, not the ending. Imagination is what we give our attention.

Pullman's finest work!

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At last the long await finale to the story of Pan and Lyra. A truly epic conclusion that sees them reunited at last. The hour long interview is interesting. The narration is excellent and the storyline is as godd as all the rest of the Pullman series. A 5 star work in every respect. It was worth the wait

The Conclusion

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A fitting end to this fabulous trilogy and it finishes Lyra's story in a fitting fashion.

loved it

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