6 things you need to know about The Book of Dust
1. The Book of Dust is a story in three parts. The first part is set ten years before the events of His Dark Materials, and the rest of the story takes place twenty years after that: in fact, ten years after Lyra comes home to Jordan College after her adventure in the Arctic at the end of The Amber Spyglass.
2. Alethiometers, daemons and the Magisterium all feature!
3. The story will focus on some new characters, as well as an ordinary boy who eagle-eyed readers may have spotted in Lyra’s story before. With Lyra, he is caught up in a terrifying adventure that takes him into a new world…
4. Their tale is pretty topical - it centres on the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organisation that wants to stifle speculation and enquiry, and those who believe that thought and speech should be free.
5. Rather than a prequel or a sequel to His Dark Materials, Philip describes The Book of Dust is as an 'equel' - a new story that stands beside his previous trilogy.
6. Like His Dark Materials, it will be released in three parts. Part One will be published on 19th October 2017 - 22 years after Northern Lights was published in July 1995.
There is nothing kids love more than a big old belly-laugh, and when it comes to reading, a book full of laugh-out-loud moments can unlock a joy of reading for life!
Treat Mum to an amazing meal at home this Mother’s Day! We’ve curated the perfect Mother’s Day brunch using some of our most popular recipes.
Join Christopher de Hamel as he travels across New Zealand for a series of author talks, exploring the connections between his South Island childhood, medieval manuscripts and 19th century Aotearoa.
In their own words, younger readers review their favourite Lottie Brooks books and why they love the series!
Not sure where to start with the Dungeon Crawler Carl series? Find out which to read first, and learn a little bit about each book.
Discover some of the best vampire books – from paranormal to gothic and beyond.
Learn about the inspiration behind debut authors’ first novels.
Penguin Random House is delighted to announce that Jacinda Ardern will be doing three book events in New Zealand in April and May.
They've closed the final Percy Jackson book. Now what?
Graphic novels are the perfect way to get disinterested readers to pick up a book.
Easter is coming up, and once the novelty of chocolate wears off, older kids still need something to sink their teeth into.
See the Penguin Random House NZ books shortlisted for the 2026 NZ Booklovers Awards