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The Secret Commonwealth
- The Book of Dust, Volume Two
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen
- Length: 19 hrs and 43 mins
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The Secret Commonwealth
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Shortlisted for Audiobook of the Year at the British Book Awards 2020.
Winner of Best Solo Narration at the New York Festival Radio Awards 2020
It is 20 years since the events of La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One unfolded and saw the baby Lyra Belacqua begin her life-changing journey.
It is almost 10 years since listeners left Lyra and the love of her young life, Will Parry, on a park bench in Oxford's Botanic Gardens at the end of the ground-breaking, best0selling His Dark Materials sequence.
Now, in The Secret Commonwealth, we meet Lyra Silvertongue. And she is no longer a child....
The second volume of Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust sees Lyra, now 20 years old, and her daemon Pantalaimon, forced to navigate their relationship in a way they could never have imagined and drawn into the complex and dangerous factions of a world that they had no idea existed. Pulled along on his own journey too is Malcolm; once a boy with a boat and a mission to save a baby from the flood, now a man with a strong sense of duty and a desire to do what is right.
Theirs is a world at once familiar and extraordinary and they must travel far beyond the edges of Oxford, across Europe and into Asia, in search for what is lost - a city haunted by daemons, a secret at the heart of a desert and the mystery of the elusive Dust.
The Secret Commonwealth is truly a book for our times; a powerful adventure and a thought-provoking look at what it is to understand yourself, to grow up and make sense of the world around you. This is storytelling at its very best from one of our greatest writers.
Critic reviews
“Michael Sheen throws himself wholeheartedly into narrating this sequel to La Belle Sauvage and listeners will be rapt. For the ever-expanding international cast of characters, Sheen conjures a multitude of accents and delivers rapid-fire conversations between them. He's in step with the text at every turn; when situations become fraught or dangerous, Sheen ramps up the tension exquisitely. Thanks to Pullman's intricate storytelling and Sheen's propulsive narration, listeners will be on the edge of their seats right up to the cliff-hanger ending.” (AudioFile)
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What listeners say about The Secret Commonwealth
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- H. J. Ratnasabapathy
- 26-10-19
Heads up! No ending included!
I found this as totally absorbing as La Belle Sauvage, but found Lyra’s suffering and the hints of impending doom quite hard to bear. I was not prepared for the fact that there is no conclusion - just an abrupt stop, with all the strands of the story still untied.! The reader was brilliant, though.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rebecca
- 16-10-19
brillopads
Very good indeed, so much lore, intrigue and suspense. a brilliant set up for the last book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 19-10-19
Lovely in every aspect!
Listened for every free minute of this week, totally engorged. It was wonderful to come back to Lyra’s world and discover how cleverly the different strings of events were woven together over the 20 years this story now spans. I first read His Dark Materials at about the age Lyra was then, and was delighted now to find her still so real and relatable in her twenties. Love how Pullman raises big and difficult topics and skillfully discusses them through his nuanced characters, against the backdrop of this magic and atmospheric world he has built. Can’t wait for the third part, while I’m also immensely grateful we haven’t yet reached the end of this adventure.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- mindless
- 15-10-19
Brilliant, great book by Philip pullman
Great book, and Michael reads it, with great skill, keeping similar voices as he use in book one. A brilliant story following on the lives of lyra, malcom, and Oakley Street...
But how long, do we have to wait, for the final book?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- kittycatt
- 17-10-19
a grown up or growing up lyra
I wasn't expecting the ending to be what it was . but I'm happy about it a few days after finishing . takes you further into the world if deamons and a teennage Lyra
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Domenik
- 12-10-19
Utterly Addictive from start to finish
The narration is of the highest standard and sublime acting.
The story is gripping and magical. I love this story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Evbo
- 04-02-20
Sensational
I very much like it because it I love fantasy and I really like the book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ryan Hunter
- 09-06-21
Outstanding
I enjoy Michael Sheen's performance so much I've started to hear his voice while I reading.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- mac
- 02-09-21
Rollercoaster of a ride.
worth sticking with if just to listen to Martin Sheen and his marvelous voice. When is the next book out?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- G
- 09-04-20
Another fantastic Phillip Pullman
A great continuation of the world Pullman created. The reader is clear and it feels like he enjoys the novel too.
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