How the new His Dark Materials spinoff series explains the book-banning wars

Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra in the 2007 film adaptation of The Golden Compass. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy was one of the most beloved children’s book series of the 2000s — and one of the most frequently banned, too. Tragic, philosophical, and fervently opposed to classic Christian dogma, Pullman’s series sparked widespread outcry and religious boycotts. This week, Pullman released The Rose Field, the final volume in the Book of Dust trilogy, a companion series to His Dark Materials. (The first book takes place 11 years before the events of His Dark Materials, and the