''Serpentine'', a fantasy novella by

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''The ...

, is set after ''

His Dark Materials ''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and ''The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follows ...

'' and before the second book of ''

The Book of Dust ''The Book of Dust'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman, which expands his trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The books further chronicle the adventures of Lyra Belacqua and her battle against the theocratic organisation known as the ...

'' series. The manuscript was originally sold at a

charity auction Charity auctions are a way of raising funds for charities. According to the ''New York Times'', items that sell well in such auctions are experiential items that cannot typically be bought in the store, including meetings with celebrities, an ...

in 2004 and the book was publicly released in October 2020.

Origins

''Serpentine'' was not originally intended for publication but was instead written in 2004 at the special request of

Nicholas Hytner Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (; born 7 May 1956) is an English theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes as director include ''Miss Saigon'', ''Th ...

(then the artistic director at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

) to be auctioned for charity during the company's production of ''

''; the work sold for a "substantial sum". At the time of writing Pullman had not intended to revisit Lyra as an adult but after the publication of ''

The Secret Commonwealth ''The Secret Commonwealth'' is a 2019 fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, the second volume of his planned 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 conclusio ...

'' decided to issue the novella as it prefigures Lyra and Pantalaimon's character development in ''The Book of Dust''.

Synopsis

In this story, a teenage

Lyra Lyra (; Latin for lyre, from Greek ''λύρα'') is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the modern 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Lyra was ...

and her dæmon Pantalaimon revisit Trollesund, the Arctic town prominently featured in '' Northern Lights'' as the place of her first meeting with the aeronaut

Lee Scoresby This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character of ...

and the armoured bear

Iorek Byrnison This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, ''His Dark Materials'' and '' The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character of ...

. They seek the witch-consul Dr. Lanselius in the hope of finding answers to their ability to separate.

Audiobook

An audiobook narrated by

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. Known for her comedic and dramatic roles in film and television, she has received various accolades, including an Academy A ...

will be released on the same day as the print and ebook versions.

References

2020 short stories Short stories by Philip Pullman His Dark Materials books Fantasy short stories 2020 children's books {{child-story-stub