Book · in order
His Dark Materials Books in Order
Philip Pullman's saga across two trilogies. Read the His Dark Materials trilogy first, then The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (a prequel), The Secret Commonwealth (a sequel), and The Rose Field (the 2025 finale).
His Dark Materials Books in Order โ complete list
Check off what you've finished — it saves automatically · See all your lists → ·
Why this order?
Philip Pullman's universe is split across two trilogies, and the simplest way in is to read His Dark Materials first, in publication order: Northern Lights (published in the US as The Golden Compass), then The Subtle Knife, then The Amber Spyglass. These three follow Lyra Belacqua from her Oxford college across worlds, and they were written to be read back to back. Starting anywhere else spoils the central mystery of Dust and weakens the emotional payoff of the finale.
The wrinkle is The Book of Dust, the companion trilogy that frames Lyra's life rather than continuing it linearly. La Belle Sauvage (2017) is a prequel set when Lyra is an infant, so on the page it comes "before" everything. The Secret Commonwealth (2019) is a sequel set roughly a decade after The Amber Spyglass, with Lyra now a young adult, and The Rose Field (2025) picks up immediately afterward to close the trilogy out. Because of that prequel/sequel split, reading by internal chronology means sandwiching the original trilogy between La Belle Sauvage and the two later books โ a perfectly valid path, but one that front-loads a darker, slower volume before the adventure that made the series famous.
For a first read I recommend finishing the original trilogy, then reading La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth, and The Rose Field in publication order. With The Rose Field released in October 2025, The Book of Dust is now complete, so The Secret Commonwealth's cliffhanger finally resolves and Lyra's story has an ending. Pullman's companion shorts (Lyra's Oxford, Once Upon a Time in the North, Serpentine) are optional but reward readers who want more time in this world. If you enjoy the philosophical, world-hopping bent here, the obvious neighbors are Susanna Clarke and Diana Wynne Jones.
Timeline 1995โ2025
Every entry plotted by release year โ see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
Affiliate links (Bookshop.org for books, store links for games/films) slot in here.
Frequently asked questions
How many His Dark Materials books are there?
Six in total. The original His Dark Materials trilogy has three books: Northern Lights (The Golden Compass), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The companion Book of Dust trilogy adds three more: La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth, and The Rose Field.
What order should I read His Dark Materials in?
Read the original trilogy first in publication order: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, then The Amber Spyglass. Afterward read The Book of Dust in publication order: La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth, then The Rose Field.
Is Northern Lights the same as The Golden Compass?
Yes. Northern Lights is the original UK title; it was published in the United States as The Golden Compass. They are the same book and the first in the series.
Where does The Book of Dust fit in the timeline?
La Belle Sauvage is a prequel set when Lyra is an infant, so chronologically it comes first. The Secret Commonwealth is a sequel set about ten years after The Amber Spyglass, with Lyra as a young woman, and The Rose Field continues immediately from it to close the saga's timeline.
Should I read La Belle Sauvage before the original trilogy?
You can, since it is the earliest in the timeline, but most readers prefer the original trilogy first. Starting with the trilogy preserves the mystery of Dust and gives La Belle Sauvage's connections more weight.
Is the His Dark Materials series finished?
Yes. The original trilogy has long been complete, and The Book of Dust trilogy concluded with The Rose Field, published in October 2025. That volume resolves the cliffhanger left by The Secret Commonwealth and brings Lyra's story to an end.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
← Browse all orders