#82 in Children’s books
The Secret Commonwealth
- 656
- Pages
- about 12 h
- Reading time
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About the book
The Secret Commonwealth is a 2019 fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, the second volume of his trilogy The Book of Dust. The story is set twenty years or so after the events of La Belle Sauvage and ten years after the conclusion of the His Dark Materials trilogy. Lyra Silvertongue is now an adult.
Reading order · The Book of Dust
- La Belle SauvageStart here
8.18.1 / 10 - The Secret CommonwealthThis book
7.97.9 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.8 across 243 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 57% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Children’s books average of 8.0. That is how 7.9 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 6 | 3% |
| Hardcover | 7.8 | 237 | 98% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“This book did not live up to my expectations as was the case for a lot of readers. However, the first 100-150 pages are really well written. The 20-year-old Lyra was interesting; after the first trilogy she is depressed, she misses her past and has never fixed her relationship with Pantalaimon, ruining it further by following some sterile philosophical current. I disagree with the readers who wanted the same Lyra from the first trilogy, I felt this was a more creative and natural continuation …”
“Of course, the good people are completely 100% good and the evil people are 100% evil. Only Lyra gets to be complicated. Of course everyone has devious masterly plans that never hit a hitch. But, who cares! It's such a great story. I'm just going to stare at the library till book 3 comes out...”
Frequently asked
What is The Secret Commonwealth rated?
7.9 out of 10, from 243 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is The Secret Commonwealth worth reading?
Readers give it 7.9/10 from 243 ratings, which puts it ahead of 39 % of the Children’s books shelf.
How long does it take to read The Secret Commonwealth?
About 12 hours at an average reading pace — 656 pages.
Where does The Secret Commonwealth rank?
#82 in Children’s books on the current snapshot.
Which volume of the series is The Secret Commonwealth?
Volume 2 of 2 in The Book of Dust. The full reading order is one tap away above.
What age is The Secret Commonwealth for?
The Secret Commonwealth sits on the Children shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 5–10. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 656 pages — longer than 72% of the ranked books in Children’s books.
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The same shelf — Children’s books — and a score of 7.9, the closest to this book.
