It’s been 17 years since the conclusion of author Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (and ten years since the forgettable big-screen adaptation of the first book), but today Pullman has announced that he’s returning to that series’ many universes for a new companion trilogy called The Book Of Dust. According to The Guardian (via Nerdist), the first book will take place parallel to the events of the original trilogy, and it will be primarily set in London and Oxford. Also, His Dark Materials protagonist Lyra Belacqua will show up in the first two Book Of Dust installments, both as a baby and as an adult woman from a time period 20 years after the events of the other books.
In a timely turn, Pullman says the books will chronicle “the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organization, which wants to stifle speculation and inquiry, and those who believe thought and speech should be free.” The Guardian story goes into some more depth than that, but basically it sounds like this is going to touch on a lot of important themes and plot threads introduced in the His Dark Materials books.
The first Book Of Dust installment will be available in October.