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The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three
Book of Dust Series (Related to this series)
- Narrator
- Michael Sheen
- Publisher
- Penguin Random House Children's UK
- Publish Date
- 23 October 2025
- Run Time
- 22 hours 36 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Epic fantasy / high fantasy, Adventure / action fiction, Magical realism, Metaphysical / philosophical fiction
- Rating
- 4.2 (11 reviews)
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What to expect
The spell-bounding conclusion to Philip Pullman’s bestselling The Book of Dust sequence . . .
‘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.
‘Powerful, profound and utterly unforgettable: The Rose Field gives us a stunning trilogy conclusion’ - The Telegraph
'Ablaze with light and life . . . To read Pullman is to experience the world refreshed, aglow, in technicolour' - Independent
© Philip Pullman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Critics Review
-
‘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
-
‘But for all its intricate interweavings of alchemy and folk tales, ballads and poetry, the book has the pacing of a thriller.’
The Times
User Reviews
Book 4.2
Narration 4.7
-
5.0 5.0
Great book ,great narration, love the interview at the end
ring01 2026-06-02 -
5.0 5.0
Excellent conclusion to the Book Of Dust trilogy. Beautifully read.
easyjam 2026-02-10 -
5.0 5.0
Absolutely incredible! I must say I would love to have all the audiobooks about Lyra read by Michael Sheen. You can't beat him and his voice, his interpretation is spotless and literally addictive. And the story is again utterly gripping. I love this trilogy to bits. Thank you both, Mr. Pullman & Mr. Sheen, it is an immense pleasure and honour to spend time with your masterpieces. Diolch da iawn!
Martina W 2025-12-31 -
5.0 5.0
I feel bereft after 30 years of Lyra’s adventures, but it was beautifully read and I could listen over and over again.
I loved the eventual quest for filial and self love rather than romantic love. The concept of the alkahest should be a warning to us all.
Just superb.Polly Ernest 2025-11-30
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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4.0 5.0
There is no doubt Philip Pullman is a great storyteller and I have really enjoyed Lyra’s adventures. This continued throughout most of this final book but unexpectedly the last few chapters left me a bit flat. Once the main characters decided to go on ahead it started to unravel a bit for me. I liked the premise of taking it on in my own imagination but the solutions/conclusions seemed simplistic and rushed. Some elements just didn’t add up.
Interestingly Pullman states in the concluding interview that his editor got him to change the ending, can’t help wondering what if!TP 2025-11-12 -
1.0 2.0
Had to give up on this about half way through as I just really didn't enjoy it. It's convoluted, misquotes/disregards some of what happened in the Dark Materials trilogy, and just generally is not a good book. To be honest I'd kinda blocked out the previous book ('The Secret Commonwealth') but after it started coming back to me I remembered I didn't like that one, either, so I probably should have just given this one a miss. Ho hum.
About the narration: To me, it seems only suitable for people with exceptionally good hearing, which unfortunately I do not have. Between the (sometimes questionable) character voice/accent choices and the volume fluctuations (eg if a character is timid, their dialogue is read in a very quiet, mumbling voice; there is also literal whispering - undecipherable!), I probably managed to understand about 90% of what is said, which didn't help.autumnpsyche 2025-10-26
Details
- Author
- Philip Pullman, illustrated by Chris Wormell
- Narrator
- Michael Sheen
- Duration
- 22 hours 36 minutes
- Release Date
- 23 October 2025
- ISBN
- 9780241492338
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Random House Children's UK
- Genre
- Epic fantasy / high fantasy, Adventure / action fiction, Magical realism, Metaphysical / philosophical fiction
- Rating
- 4.2(11 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.7(11 reviews)
Synopsis
The spell-bounding conclusion to Philip Pullman’s bestselling The Book of Dust sequence . . .‘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.‘Powerful, profound and utterly unforgettable: The Rose Field gives us a stunning trilogy conclusion’ - The Telegraph'Ablaze with light and life . . . To read Pullman is to experience the world refreshed, aglow, in technicolour' - Independent© Philip Pullman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
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