Tings are collapsing in the final volume of Pullman's latest trilogy, the next of Philip Pullman's grand trilogies set in a universe that seems, now more than ever, as a charged and tilted version of our own. Establishments are weakening, or restructuring themselves along novel and disquieting lines. An unseen force "is ruining the air and the seasons"; simultaneously, "money's going bad, and no one knows why". Authority is shifting from authorities, and accumulating in the halls of theocrats, the treasuries of corporations, the control of mobs. "An element is at work, stealthily, very subtly", says merchant a merchant figure, keeping a observant eye on the trade routes from his post in an Aleppo cafe. "Aspects we thought were firm and solid are deteriorating and collapsing."
Key Puzzle and Lyra's Journey
Precisely what that element might be, and methods to fight it, is the question that animates The Rose Field, which picks up where its predecessor ended. This is, according to many, Pullman's last excursion into the intricately constructed, infinitely beguiling world he first introduced in the distant past, with the launch of Northern Lights. It's a realm whose landscape corresponds to that of the real world, but whose chronicles diverges and shifts with ours; where the individuals look and think and behave like us, but are joined by external spirits, souls in beast form; where the skies are populated with sorceresses and legendary creatures, but beneath those skies, transports are ridden and drinks is sipped, and mature academics carry Harrods shopping bags. Our heroine, whom we first introduced to as a child in the original trilogy, and then met once more as a baby in La Belle Sauvage, the prequel with which the author began The Book of Dust, is now a mature individual: still recognisably the spiky and determined heroine of the previous installments, but older, sadder, more cautious, more doubtful. This limitation is heightened by her separation from her daemon, Pantalaimon – but it was also, unexpectedly, the cause which led him to leave her in the first place.
Interwoven Plots
Pan's decision to leave in pursuit of that childlike part of her which she seems to have lost (an aspect which he represents as her "creativity"), and her mission to reunite with him, were the driving forces of the prior book, which chronicled Lyra undertake a picaresque trek across Europe and into the Caucasus, meeting with marvel and danger on the way. But from the outset, underlying forces were in motion, and darker forces at work. The Magisterium – the faith's ruling body, and the author's deliciously chilling embodiment of austere, administrative wickedness – is under recent guidance, and asserting its power. Lyra's uncle – Lyra's family member, who blames her for his sister's death – has manoeuvred himself into the position of head of the church's ruling assembly, and is set on using his recently acquired power to extend the religion's dominium. Another protagonist, who rescued infant Lyra to security along a overflowing river as an 11-year-old in the prequel, is now an academic with a additional duty in spycraft: he is assigned to the city to discover more about his intentions. And behind all of this is the mystery surrounding the rare and costly botanical extract which seems mysteriously to be the cause of a societal and financial disturbance emanating out from that area. The extract is regarded by certain groups as a marketable good, by alternate groups as a research-based or mystical wonder, and by others still – the fanatical "men from the mountains" – as a wellspring of darkness; an challenge that must be eradicated. The issue of its origins, what it stands for, and whether it should be destroyed or preserved is escalating in importance.
Similar to the first series, Lyra's deeds, and her fate, are shown to be inseparably entwined with the destiny of the world
In its predecessor, these plots ran broadly in tandem. In The Rose Field, they merge. As in His Dark Materials, her choices and her destiny are revealed to be inextricably linked with the destiny of the world. Her personal quest to reunite with her soul and recover her vision becomes the primary conflict in a broader war with an authoritarian government which, as these systems typically do, is attempting to stifle freedom of thought, originality and art: all the inner, resistant ways in which people can be free.
Atmospheric Fissures and Moral Battles
The story starts with the finding of a collection of unusual cracks in the structure of the Earth's atmosphere: windows that appear to open into other worlds. One such window seems to be the origin of the highly contested botanical substance. The church, with Delamare at its head, classifies these portals as a challenge to the religion's doctrine and aims to destroy them. As our protagonist begins to move from inflexible reason and back to feeling, however, her conviction that these sites must be defended – that their meaning and what they offer is mysteriously crucial – strengthens. "Dust, or rose oil, or the creativity, or the field of roses, or no matter what we label it," she says, "it is necessary." The scene for a poetic struggle between innocence and knowledge is set.
Story Tempo and Character Development
At a substantial length, The Rose Field|this volume|the
