The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three cover art

The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three

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The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three

By: Philip Pullman, Christopher Wormell
Narrated by: Michael Sheen
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The long-awaited and highly anticipated conclusion to Philip Pullman’s bestselling The Book of Dust sequence . . .

This audiobook includes an exclusive hour-long bonus conversation between Philip Pullman and narrator Michael Sheen, discussing themes of the novel, the legacy of the series, and the importance of storytelling in all its forms.

‘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.

Marking thirty years since the world was first introduced to Pullman’s remarkable heroine Lyra Belacqua in Northern Lights, The Rose Field is the culmination of the cultural phenomenon of The Book of Dust and His Dark Materials.

'Ablaze with light and life . . . To read Pullman is to experience the world refreshed, aglow, in technicolour' - The Independent

‘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

© Philip Pullman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction Magical Realism Metaphysical & Visionary Mind-bending War Witchcraft

Critic reviews

‘A masterpiece for all eternity… Powerful, profound and utterly unforgettable: a stunning trilogy conclusion’
‘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.’
All stars
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I have waited a long time for this final book, and it was brilliant. I didn't read any reviews because I wanted to go in fresh and unknowing. Such a good story told brilliantly by Mr Sheen. Author & narrator brought all the sounds,smells, visuals and emotion you could ever wish for. IMAGINATION indeed!! Hugely recommend. (Don't miss the interview at the end).

Fabulous finale and narration

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The journey is good but the ending is unsatisfying.

After a big buildup the villain is dispatched in a rather unsatisfactory way and the ending just felt a bit meh! for third book in the series.

Anti climactic.

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I have waited so long for this book to come out. I am gutted it didn’t deliver at all. Martin Sheen’s is absolutely outstanding. He is a genius. But the book although it was quite strong at the beginning rambled and rambled and it just didn’t seem to know where it was going. There was so many unanswered questions, there are so many people that you just don’t know what happened to them and an absolutely disappointing ending. After reading his dark materials and the first two of the book of dust, I thought this was going to be amazing but it’s a let down. It’d almost be better if the book hadn’t been written and that we could just guess what happened.

Gutted

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Firstly the performance of Michael Sheen was as wonderful as always.

However, while the books were written well, the final book was a struggle to get through.

Lyra loses her imagination and Pan goes to find it. I feel perhaps Mr Pullman is writing about himself as the world we read about in the second and third books doesn’t feel anywhere near as magical.

Very much enjoyed the first one as it brought back that nostalgia, but I’m sorry to say I didn’t feel the last two books were necessary.

Loss of imagination

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Have listened to all three stories in The Book of Dust, and the icing on the cake was having Michael Sheen narrating it - just wonderful .

Wonderful story

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