Northern Lights
1995
Northern Lights (US: The Golden Compass). Lyra uncovers a conspiracy involving missing children.
His Dark Materials novels Book Order
Philip PullmanComplete8 books
His Dark Materials novels is best read in publication order: all 8 His Dark Materials novels books, from Northern Lights (1995) to Once Upon a Time in the North (2008). Open Northern Lights and keep going. Finish The Amber Spyglass before The Book of Dust trilogy.
Updated August 2026
Best read in publication order
- His Dark Materials
The Subtle Knife
1997
Lyra meets Will Parry and crosses into other worlds using a knife that cuts between realities.
The Amber Spyglass
2000
Lyra and Will face the Authority and the fate of every living world hangs on their choices.
- The Book of Dust
La Belle Sauvage
2017
A prequel set during Lyra's infancy, following Malcolm Polstead during a catastrophic flood.
The Secret Commonwealth
2019
Lyra as a young woman investigates a murder tied to secret agencies and the nature of imagination.
The Rose Field
2025
Lyra and Malcolm's quests converge as forces gather around a desert mystery tied to Dust.
- Companions
Once Upon a Time in the North
2008
Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison meet. Optional after the original trilogy.
How His Dark Materials novels is structured
Before you start
His Dark Materials is Philip Pullman's trilogy (1995–2000) about Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry crossing parallel worlds. He came back with The Book of Dust (three novels in 2017, 2019, and 2025), and The Rose Field closes that second trilogy. The original three still form a finished emotional arc on their own.
Read the original trilogy first, then the Book of Dust novels in the order they came out. Dust expands Lyra at different ages and will spoil the earlier books if you jump in cold. Northern Lights is The Golden Compass in North America: same book, different title on the cover.
Start with Northern Lights and finish The Amber Spyglass before La Belle Sauvage. La Belle Sauvage is a prequel in setting but not in reading experience; it was written for people who already know what happens in the first trilogy. If you only have time for one arc, finish The Amber Spyglass before you touch Dust; the sequel trilogy assumes those wounds are already yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many His Dark Materials books are there?
Six novels in two trilogies, plus two optional companion novellas.
Is The Golden Compass a different book?
No. US title of Northern Lights.
Should I read Lyra's Oxford or Once Upon a Time in the North?
Optional; after the original trilogy. Not required for Book of Dust.
Should I read The Book of Dust before the trilogy?
No. Dust assumes you already lived through the original three.
Is La Belle Sauvage a prequel?
Yes in timeline, but read it after the original trilogy.
